Shanique Martinez, LPC
(she/her/hers)
Psychotherapist
🌿 You Might Be a Good Fit If…
You’re a Black woman or woman of color who feels exhausted from holding everything together
You’re high-functioning on the outside but anxious, overwhelmed, or burnt out on the inside.
You struggle with people-pleasing, overthinking, or feeling like you have to prove yourself.
You’re navigating career stress, relationship challenges, or life transitions.
You want therapy that feels culturally affirming — not clinical, cold, or surface-level.
You’re tired of being “the strong one” and want a space where you don’t have to perform.
You want tools, clarity, and emotional relief — not just someone nodding at you.
If you saw yourself in even one of these, keep reading.
Meet Shanique Martinez, LCPC
Shanique provides culturally responsive therapy for women, ages 18+, navigating anxiety, burnout, identity stress, and relationship challenges.
Her approach is warm, collaborative, and grounded in helping you understand both your emotional patterns and your nervous system responses. Therapy with Shanique is not about “fixing” you — it’s about helping you feel regulated, confident, and aligned.
You won’t be rushed.
You won’t be judged.
You won’t be minimized.
You’ll be supported.
What Therapy With Shanique Can Help With
Anxiety & chronic overthinking
Burnout & emotional exhaustion
Depression and mood concerns
Racial and cultural identity exploration and expectations
Workplace stress & imposter syndrome
Relationship patterns & attachment wounds
Trauma and emotional healing
Life transitions & decision fatigue
Self-worth, confidence, and self-trust
Grief and loss
Sessions focus on emotional insight, nervous system regulation, and helping you build sustainable coping tools that actually work in your real life.
What Makes This Different
At Coral Heart Counseling, we prioritize culturally affirming care. That means:
Your lived experience is acknowledged — not questioned.
Cultural stressors are not minimized.
You don’t have to educate your therapist about race, identity, or systemic stress.
Therapy feels safe, collaborative, and empowering.
This is a space where you can exhale.
Insurance & Investment
Shanique currently accepts:
Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO, Blue Choice, and Anthem PPO plans
Aetna PPO
United Healthcare PPO/Optum PPO/Oxford PPO (select plans)
Self-pay and out-of-network insurance options available
If you’re unsure about your benefits, our team will verify them for you before your first session.
What Happens Next?
Click the button below to schedule a free 15-minute consultation with Shanique.
We’ll confirm your insurance, discuss self-pay options if needed, and answer any questions.
If it feels like a good fit, you’ll schedule your first session.
No pressure. No obligation.
Just a conversation.
🌿 Ready to Feel More Like Yourself Again?
*** Virtual and In-Person Therapy Appointments Available at our River North location
Shanique’s Bio:
Our most difficult moments can become opportunities for deeper understanding. I would be honored to support you in making sense of your world. During times of betrayal, self-doubt, isolation, confusion, unmet expectations, or guilt, we can reflect together on both inner wounds and the systems impacting your lived experience.
I work from a decolonizing lens and strive to create a therapeutic space that feels meaningful, affirming, and supportive. My approach is warm, direct, insightful, and grounded. I honor your authenticity, values, and curiosities, recognizing that you are the expert on your own inner world and lived experience.
I have experience working with adults navigating anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, life transitions, racial and cultural stressors, and questions of identity. My work is integrative and tailored to each individual. In sessions, we may draw from cognitive-behavioral approaches to shift unhelpful thought patterns, psychodynamic frameworks to explore unconscious themes, Adlerian or DBT-informed tools to support daily change, and mindfulness practices to help process emotions and cultivate presence.
Together, we can address present concerns while building a path toward greater self-trust and self-mastery. My goal is to create a sacred, collaborative space where difficult emotions and patterns can be explored at a pace that feels right for you. There is also room here for laughter, joy, and lightness. I will meet you where you are and support you as you move forward.
An intro from Shanique Martinez, LPC
Frequently Asked Questions
What is psychotherapy, and how can it help me?
Psychotherapy is a space where you can slow down and make sense of what you’re feeling, thinking, and experiencing—without judgment. Many people come to therapy feeling overwhelmed, stuck, or emotionally exhausted. Working with a psychotherapist can help you better understand yourself, develop healthier coping tools, and feel more grounded as you move through life’s challenges. Therapy isn’t about being “fixed”—it’s about being supported.
What is it like to work with a Black psychotherapist?
Working with a Black psychotherapist can feel especially affirming for clients who want their cultural identity and lived experiences to be understood, not explained. Many Black adults seek therapy with someone who recognizes how race, culture, and systemic stress shape emotional well-being. Therapy can become a space where you feel seen, validated, and supported as your full self.
What kinds of concerns can I bring to therapy?
You don’t need to have everything figured out before starting therapy. Clients often come in carrying anxiety, depression, stress, grief, relationship concerns, identity questions, or the emotional impact of racial and cultural experiences. Therapy is also a place to talk through life transitions, self-worth, and patterns that no longer feel helpful. Whatever you’re holding, there is room for it here.
What if I’m new to therapy or unsure where to start?
It’s completely okay to feel unsure or nervous about beginning therapy. Many people worry about what to say or whether therapy will help. Sessions move at a pace that feels right for you, and your therapist will help guide the conversation. You don’t need to have the “right words”—just a willingness to show up as you are.
Does Shanique offer virtual or in-person therapy?
Yes. Shanique offers virtual psychotherapy to adults across Illinois, as well as in-person sessions at Coral Heart Counseling’s River North office in Chicago. Both options provide the same level of care, warmth, and support.