Evangeline Wu, LSW
Anxiety, Depression, and Burnout
Alcohol Moderation Counselor
Identity and Lived Experience
Licensed Social Worker and Therapist
Language: English, 普通话 Mandarin Chinese
Hi, I’m Evangeline. I offer space to feel whole and grounded in who you are.
Do you ever feel like you're checking all the boxes, but something still feels off? Maybe you find yourself second-guessing decisions, going through the motions, or wondering whether what you’re working so hard toward is actually what you want.
Life has a way of piling on expectations until you can barely hear your own voice underneath it all. In our conversations, we'll slow down long enough to sort through what's actually yours and what you've been carrying for other people. We'll look at the experiences that shaped you and figure out which old patterns are still helping and which ones you're ready to outgrow.
I offer therapy in English and Mandarin for adults navigating anxiety, burnout, identity, grief, relationships, and life transitions.
I'm not here to tell you what's wrong with you or how to fix it. I'm here to help you remember what you already know about yourself and trust it more. This means sitting with the messy, complicated parts alongside the strengths you might not even recognize yet.
My approach is straightforward: I listen carefully, ask questions that matter, and respect that you're the one living your life. I've trained in various therapeutic methods, but what matters most is finding what actually works for you, not what looks good on paper.
Before this work, I spent years in recruitment and university relations, helping people navigate major life transitions. I also volunteered on a crisis hotline, where I learned that sometimes the most powerful thing you can offer someone is simply being present while they figure things out.
If you’re interested in working with me, book a free 15-minute therapist matching call with our intake team. You can share what you’re looking for, ask about my current availability, and get a sense of whether I might be a good fit.
On Being a Counselor
Many of the people I work with come in feeling pressure about who they’re supposed to be. Family expectations, cultural messages, professional demands, and an inner critic can create a chorus of “shoulds” that make it hard to hear your own voice. In our work together, we’ll slow down to listen to the wisdom already inside you.
You can expect our sessions to feel like a conversation: real, thoughtful, and grounded in genuine care, respectful listening, and curiosity about your perspective.
I believe we are all shaped by the full range of our emotions and experiences: the joyful and the painful, the confusing and the clear. Within each person’s story lives strength and resilience, and my approach is to create a space where we can discover this together while letting go of ideas that no longer serve you.
As we explore your story and how it has shaped who you are, that understanding can become a guide for the choices you make moving forward.
Practitioner Background
I decided to become a counselor when I experienced the power of relational connection through conversations with colleagues not just as an HR expert, but as an active listener offering care and compassion. My career began in human resources and campus recruitment, where I supported students and early-career professionals during times of transition. In those moments, I had the opportunity to hear their stories and witness the challenges of the inner journey of discovering who they wanted to become, not just what job to take next.
Everyone deserves kindness, a space to pause, and the connection that comes from being truly cared for. Volunteering at a crisis hotline and teaching emotional wellness programs for children deepened this understanding. Those experiences showed me how essential it is to have a space where you can be yourself without fear of judgment, and how presence, respect, and deep listening can nurture healing.
What inspires me most are the quiet moments of courage, when someone chooses to meet themselves with compassion, even when life is painful. I believe the smallest acts of kindness can create profound shifts. Within each person's story lives a strength that often goes unspoken. The human mind can hold complexity, contradiction, beauty, and fear, and still find a way forward with honesty and hope.
I offer counseling to help people build a healthy and authentic connection with their true selves, with their emotions, experiences, and values. Through this connection, I support people in strengthening their capacity to pursue the life they want.
More About Evangeline
Key Philosophical Beliefs
- Each person’s experience is unique and deserves to be understood on its own terms.
- If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete.
- When we touch the heart of suffering, we also touch the heart of healing.
- Reaching out for support is one of the most courageous steps toward change and growth.
- Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present.
Counseling Training
- Master of Social Work, University of Chicago
- Bachelor of Arts, Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Licensed Social Worker (LSW)
- Trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Trained in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Trained in Psychodynamic Therapy
- Trained in Rogerian Client-Centered Therapy
- Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), UMass Memorial Health
- Motivational Interviewing
- Harm Reduction
- Clinical Interventions for Substance Use Disorders
- Culturally Responsive and Affirming Therapy
Specializations and Experience
- Anxiety, self-doubt, and overthinking
- Emotion regulation and self-compassion
- Stress and burnout
- Life transitions and identity development
- Navigating early adulthood and emerging careers
- Cross-cultural experiences and bicultural identity
- Relationship and family dynamics
- Supporting international students and first-generation professionals
- Creating balance between personal values and external expectations
- Building self-trust and inner resilience
Evangeline as a Person
I grew up in China and came to the United States for my undergraduate studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and I later returned to the Midwest to pursue my Master of Social Work at the University of Chicago.
Spending time with friends and family, sharing good food and conversation, is something I really enjoy. I also love reading detective and science fiction books, taking dance lessons, and traveling. Recently, I have been exploring different coffee shops and bookstores and savoring quiet moments of alone time.
One of my favorite ways to relax is walking along the lake and watching dogs having a great time there. I also love exploring Chicago’s diverse neighborhoods and experiencing the variety of food and cultures the city has to offer.
