experience

Dr. Kristen Brendel is the founder and executive director of Per La Vita Wellness, PLLC, a social enterprise dedicated to individual, family, and community wellness. She holds a PhD in Social Work from Loyola University Chicago, along with an MSW, and is a licensed clinical social worker and professional educator in Illinois. She is also a certified yoga therapist.

With over 25 years of experience across public schools, hospitals, private practice, and higher education, including her role as a tenured Professor of Social Work at Aurora University, Dr. Brendel brings a depth of clinical and academic expertise to her work. She is an educator, speaker, researcher, and published author in the areas of anxiety and mindfulness-based interventions, and she integrates evidence-based practices to support meaningful and sustainable change.

Details

Dr. Brendel is often referred to as the therapist’s therapist and specializes in working with individuals experiencing anxiety, trauma, stress-related issues, and chronic health conditions. She frequently works with helping professionals, including therapists, educators, and healthcare providers, who are accustomed to managing significant responsibilities yet feel overwhelmed or depleted.

Her work also includes grief and loss, including ambiguous loss, and women’s issues across the lifespan, including fertility, parenting, caregiving, and midlife transitions. Treatment is structured, collaborative, and tailored to each client, with a focus on increasing insight, improving emotional regulation, and developing more effective and sustainable ways of responding.

Services are available for individuals ages 18 and older via telehealth across Illinois, with limited in-person availability in Naperville. She is LGBTQIA2S+ affirming and committed to inclusive, equitable care. Referrals are provided for clients seeking couples therapy or requiring higher levels of care, including active substance use, eating disorders, or acute safety concerns.

Dr. Brendel’s approach integrates current research with real-world application and draws from the following evidence-based modalities:

  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

  • Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)

  • Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)

  • Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

  • Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

  • Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)

  • Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT)

  • Yoga therapy for mental health

  • Exposure Response Prevention (ERP)

  • Inferential Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (I-CBT)

Insurance

Dr. Brendel is in-network with IL BCBS PPO. Please contact your insurance before our first session for a quote for benefits and to verify that she is in your network, as plans do vary.

Self-pay is also available for $150.00 per session.

Don't hesitate to contact Dr. Brendel at dr.kristen@kristenbrendel.com or 630-474-5119 for availability. For the quickest response, please email or text.

3420 Lacrosse Lane #113 Naperville, IL 60564

Location

Dr. Brendel is licensed to work via telehealth with persons residing anywhere in Illinois. The in-person location is near the intersection of Rt. 59 and 95th Street at 3420 Lacrosse Lane, Naperville, IL 60564.

The office is on the west side of the building, behind the Trek bike shop. Please park in the lot facing Rt. 59.

Once you leave your car, go to the west entrance and look for “Suite 113.”

Please have a seat in the waiting area, and Dr. Brendel will come and greet you at your appointment time.

Excellent location for those in Naperville, Plainfield, Aurora, and Oswego.