Mariana Bednarek, LPC
Discovering Who You Are Through Curiosity and Connection.
Mariana Bednarek, LPC is a Chicago therapist at Modern Therapy Alliance who works with adults exploring identity and self-discovery, neurodivergence and late diagnosis, emotional and thinking patterns, cultural identity, relationship challenges, and life transitions. She also offers individual therapy for adults who want to better understand and support neurodivergent loved ones. Her style is warm, collaborative, conversational, and grounded in curiosity and connection. Mariana’s background includes psychological research, crisis support, individual therapy, and group-based work.
How I Help Clients at Modern Therapy Alliance
I especially enjoy working with adults who are trying to understand themselves better. Maybe you’ve reached a point in your career where you’re questioning whether the path you chose still fits. Maybe you’ve spent years feeling a little different from other people and are only now beginning to understand why. Or maybe you’ve done a lot of thinking about your emotions and relationships, but something still isn’t clicking. When we’re working together, I want to get to know you as a person. I’m interested in your experiences, your relationships, the things you’ve come to believe about yourself, and the parts of your life that might not make sense to you yet. I like asking questions, looking at patterns, and exploring different possibilities.
I grew up in the Chicago suburbs in a family with Mexican and European-American heritage, and I received an autism diagnosis as an adult. Those experiences have shaped my interest in helping adults explore identity, personal changes, and the parts of themselves they’re only beginning to understand. What I find most rewarding is when people begin noticing changes outside our sessions. Maybe you respond differently to something that would have upset you before, or realize something about a relationship that you hadn’t considered. Those moments matter to me because that’s where therapy starts becoming part of your life.
How I Work
- I keep therapy warm, collaborative, and conversational, so we can build a relationship while exploring what brings you in.
- I bring a researcher’s curiosity into the room, asking questions, looking at patterns, and exploring different possibilities.
- I am willing to challenge you. If something you say you want doesn’t quite match what you’re doing, we can explore what might be getting in the way.
- I bring ideas and observations into the conversation, and I want you to be involved in deciding where we go.
- I focus on helping you understand your experiences so you can begin responding differently in everyday life.
Clients I Work With
I work with adults who are curious about themselves and interested in exploring their thoughts, feelings, relationships, and experiences. You might have read books about psychology, researched your experiences, or worked with therapists before. Or this might be your first experience with therapy, and you’re not even sure where to start.
My main interests include identity and self-discovery, understanding neurodivergence in adulthood, exploring thoughts and feelings, and making sense of the expectations and experiences that have shaped your life. I also work with adults navigating cultural identity, changing family roles, career questions, and relationships with neurodivergent loved ones. You don’t need to know all the answers. That’s part of what we can work on.
Specialties & Services
Identity & Self-Discovery Therapy
Who are you now, and how much of that comes from what you want versus what you’ve learned to expect from yourself? I enjoy helping people explore the questions that come with the exploration of identity and self-discovery. Maybe your career no longer feels like a fit, your personal values have changed, or you’re trying to understand a part of your identity that you’ve never really examined before. We can look at the experiences, expectations, and relationships that have shaped you and work toward a better understanding of who you want to be.
Adult Neurodivergence & Late Diagnosis
Finding out you’re autistic or have ADHD as an adult can change the way you understand a lot of your life. Some things may suddenly make more sense, while others may bring up new questions. My work with adult neurodivergence and late diagnosis creates space to explore those experiences. Having received an autism diagnosis in adulthood myself, I understand that process can involve revisiting past experiences, thinking differently about your relationships, and figuring out what this new understanding means for your future.
Understanding Emotions & Thinking Patterns
Sometimes you can explain a problem in great detail and still not understand why it keeps happening. You might know what you’re supposed to do, but find yourself responding the same way anyway. I enjoy working with people who want to explore those patterns more deeply. Our work on understanding emotions and thinking patterns can include examining your thoughts, the ways you respond to situations, and the experiences that may have shaped those responses. The goal is to understand what’s happening well enough to begin doing something different.
Cultural Identity & Immigration Experiences
Family expectations, cultural traditions, and the experiences of growing up between different backgrounds can influence how we understand ourselves. Sometimes those influences are meaningful and positive. Other times, they leave us questioning where we belong or how to balance our own values with the expectations of people we love. My personal background and research experience have shaped my interest in cultural identity and immigration experiences. I enjoy helping people explore how culture and family experiences have shaped them while recognizing that no single part of someone’s identity tells their whole story.
Supporting Neurodivergent Loved Ones
When someone close to you is autistic or has ADHD, you may have questions about how they experience the world and how the two of you relate to each other. Maybe you’re trying to understand differences in communication, make sense of recurring misunderstandings, or figure out how to support someone while also taking care of your own needs. I offer individual therapy for adults focused on supporting neurodivergent loved ones, creating space to explore those questions and better understand their relationships with neurodivergent people in their lives.
Life Transitions & Personal Growth
The person you are today might not be the person you expected to become. A career change, a relationship ending, a shift in family responsibilities, or simply getting older can bring up questions about what comes next. Sometimes the hardest part is realizing that what used to feel right doesn’t anymore. Therapy for life transitions and personal growth offers space to explore those changes, understand what matters to you now, and figure out how you want to move forward.
Ready to Start Working with Mariana?
You don’t have to know exactly what’s wrong or have a clear idea of what therapy should look like. Maybe you’ve spent years trying to figure something out. Maybe you’ve only recently started asking questions about yourself. Or maybe things have changed in your life and you’re not sure what comes next. If you’re looking for therapy that is warm, collaborative, and grounded in curiosity and connection, reach out today. Mariana would be happy to hear what’s going on, get to know you, and see what you might be able to figure out together.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Mariana's approach to therapy?
I started out studying psychology through research, and that background still influences how I work. I enjoy asking questions, exploring patterns, and trying to understand why people think or behave the way they do. I’m also interested in the relationship we build. I want therapy to be a conversation where we’re figuring things out together.
Who is a good fit for working with Mariana?
I especially enjoy working with adults who are curious about themselves and interested in exploring identity, neurodivergence, emotional patterns, cultural experiences, or life transitions. You don’t need to know a lot about psychology or understand exactly what’s happening. We can start with whatever brought you here. I provide individual therapy for adults. My work with neurodivergence focuses on therapy and adjustment. I do not offer couples therapy or psychological testing.
How does Mariana help clients turn understanding into change?
Understanding why you do something can be helpful, but it doesn’t automatically change how you feel or respond. I like looking at the thoughts, experiences, and behaviors involved, then exploring what you might do differently when those situations come up in everyday life.
I’ll ask questions, bring ideas into the conversation, and sometimes challenge something you’re saying if I think it’s important. The goals we work toward should be meaningful to you.
What will the first session with Mariana look like?
In our first session, I want to hear what’s bringing you to therapy. We can start with a conversation about what’s going on in your life and what you’d like to be different. We can begin with what’s bothering you now and get to know each other as we go. As our work continues, we can explore the experiences and patterns that seem important. I’ll bring ideas and observations into the conversation, and I want you to be involved in deciding where we go.