Individual and couples therapy in Ravenswood, Chicago
Where self-understanding meets connection
Therapy for the complexities of being yourself, and of being in relationship with others. I am Alex D. Fliess, LCSW, CSAT, and I work with adults and couples on neurodivergence, gender and identity, betrayal, and the relationship patterns that can leave people feeling stuck or misunderstood.
I bring two decades of clinical experience, real curiosity, and a direct, collaborative style to the work. Together we look at the patterns underneath the struggle. That means understanding how you learned to adapt, what those adaptations have cost you, and what could change when you are not working it out alone.
- Licensed Clinical Social Worker
- In person in Chicago, telehealth across Illinois
- Most major insurance accepted
- Neurodiversity- and LGBTQ+-affirming
How I think about therapy
Who you are and how you connect with others are part of the same story. My practice is built for the place they meet.
The way you experience yourself shapes how you move through the world and how you connect with other people. The relationships you live in also shape how you understand yourself.
Maybe you have spent years trying to make your brain work the way other people expect. Maybe your identity is changing, trust has been broken, or a relationship has become hard to manage. Often these experiences overlap in ways that are hard to untangle on your own.
Therapy is a place to slow down, understand the patterns, and work out what needs to change, without treating any one part of you as the whole story.
Two areas of focus
Everything I do falls into one of two areas, and often both.
Who you are, how you are wired
For adults whose sense of self is shaped by neurodivergence, gender, or both, and who want a therapist who does not treat being different as the problem to solve.
Neurodiversity-affirming therapy
For adults with ADHD, autism, or AuDHD, including people who only figured it out later in life. Therapy built around how your brain actually works.
ADHD therapy
For adults who are tired of trying harder. We look at what gets in the way, what you have already tried, and what support would actually help.
Gender-affirming therapy
For trans, nonbinary, genderqueer, and gender-expansive adults, with your identity respected from the start. Letters for gender-affirming care are available.
How you connect, how you repair
For couples and individuals when betrayal, neurodivergence, or identity differences have made closeness harder than it should be.
Couples therapy
For couples of every configuration, including neurodiverse and LGBTQ+ partnerships, working on communication, intimacy, and the distance that builds when the same conflicts repeat.
Betrayal trauma & infidelity recovery
The specific injury of broken trust. Support for the partner who was hurt and for the couple deciding together what comes next.
Not sure where you fit?
That is common. A free consult is a conversation with no commitment and no diagnosis, and we will sort it out together.
Why people choose Three Tales
You should know what working together is like before you pick up the phone.
What the first visit looks likeYou will not have to split yourself into separate problems
That might be a neurodiverse couple working through betrayal, a trans person going through a relationship crisis, or an adult with ADHD whose wiring shapes every relationship. Your neurodivergence, identity, and relationships do not live in separate compartments, and our work makes room for how they affect one another.
Honest conversation, in both directions
I will name the patterns I notice, ask what you think, and offer honest observations with care, including the ones that are harder to hear.
Sessions that fit how you think
Sessions are paced, structured, and communicated in ways that work for you. We can use written summaries, movement, breaks, or whatever makes the work usable.
Affirming from the first session
You can bring your whole self into the room. You will not have to defend your identity or start by explaining why affirming care matters.
One therapist, from consult to closing session
You will not be passed to an intake coordinator or a different clinician. You work with me from the first call on, because the relationship is part of the treatment.
We all carry three: the story we inherited, the story we have been surviving, and the story we want to live. Therapy is where all three finally get to meet.
In our work, that means looking at what you were handed, what you have done to get through, and what you want next. Each of them matters, and none of them is the whole of who you are.
Start with a conversation
Book a free 15-minute consultation. We will talk about what is going on, what you need, and whether we are a good fit. There is no paperwork and no commitment.