Meet Our Team

Michelle Gesing, PsyD

Dr.  Michelle Gesing received her Doctoral Degree from The Illinois School of Professional Psychology in Schaumburg, Illinois. Dr. Gesing works with adolescents and adults.  She works with people suffering from Eating Disorders, Depression, Anxiety, Life Transitions, Trauma, Parenting struggles, and Social Anxiety. 

I have experience working with individuals dealing with Eating Disorders, Self-Injurious Behavior, Depression, Anxiety, Trauma, Postpartum, Seniors, and Adolescents and their families. I believe in fostering a collaborative and supportive therapeutic environment that allows for developing a safe space and trusting relationship. I believe it is important to provide a space that focuses on empathy, openness, respect, and honesty to best facilitate comfort and growth in the therapeutic relationship.  

Specifically, I believe in fostering hope and encouraging clients to recognize their own individual strengths and increase acceptance of expectations of self and others. I utilize an integrative approach to meet the needs of each client by pulling from a variety of therapeutic approaches including ACT, CBT, DBT, Person Centered, and Systems. 

On a Personal Note:

In my free time, I can be found cheering on my two teenage children in their various sports.  We have a family dog named Wylie that eats all our socks and causes chaos daily.  I enjoy music of all genres and traveling to visit extended family in North Carolina and Nebraska. 

Meg Kwak, Ph.D.

Dr. Meg Kwak is a licensed clinical psychologist who received her doctorate from Western Michigan University in Child Psychology and her specialist degree in School Psychology. She utilizes cognitive-behavioral strategies with children and adolescents who have disruptive behaviors and depressive disorders. She also works with children and adolescents whose anxiety intereferes with optimal functioning. Prior to working in private practice, Dr. Kwak was on staff at a children’s psychiatric hospital in an intensive outpatient program. She is a certified school psychologist with a number of years in the public school setting. Additional areas of interest include family therapy and social skills development.

Dana Daluga, LCPC

Dana Daluga is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC). She specializes in anxiety, depression, relationship issues, and substance abuse. She believes that everyone has their own strengths, and that therapy can be a way to find and use those strengths to come to a more positive solution. She sees therapy as a way to learn about yourself and receive feedback in a neutral, judgment-free environment.

She uses a client-centered, cognitive behavioral approach to therapy, and believes that having a genuine, attentive, and empathic therapist is the key to a true connection in therapy. She also works with clients to address errors in thinking in order to make a behavioral change. She most enjoys working with individuals, couples, and families. She has evening appointments, as well as Fridays.

Kelly Castans, LCPC

As a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, my passion for working with children and adolescents began early in my career. I have been fortunate enough to serve hundreds of children and families over the years and feel I have learned as much from my clients as I have taught them. I consider it an honor to go on a journey with my clients and watch as they overcome adversity and celebrate the small successes in everyday life. I take an eclectic treatment approach to my work, and I strongly feel that no two clients are the same. As such, therapy needs to be tailored to each individual. I pride myself on creating a safe, fun, and comfortable environment for my clients to explore their issues and reach their therapy goals. I specialize in working with children as young as age four (4) years old, teens and young adults struggling with issues such as depression, anxiety, self-harm, grief and loss, divorce, peer issues, school-refusal, and behavioral difficulties. In addition, I have extensive experience treating child and adolescent survivors of sexual abuse as well as other areas of trauma ( e.g., parental abandonment, neglect, and verbal and physical abuse).

Using different treatment approaches such as Cognitive Behavioral, Play Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, and Motivational Interviewing, I strive to help my clients live a happy and fulfilled life while overcoming past struggles. My philosophy is that someone’s struggles are just one piece in a much larger life puzzle. I think collaboration with parents, schools, and other care givers is crucial to client success and I encourage open communication with all parties involved, while still respecting client privacy and confidentiality. I received my Master’s in Clinical Psychology from Western Illinois University, and I regularly attend trainings to ensure I am up to date on the most effective treatments for kids and teens. I try to practice what I encourage in my clients, so self-care is important. When I’m not in the office, you can most likely find me at the dog park with my rescue lab mix!

Michael Kaper, Social Worker

“As we go through life, we are continuing to learn various ways to best manage our social and emotional development. While the avenue we socialize and express our emotions continues to change with the growth in technology and new norms, it is still vital to engage with others socially and to make time to manage our own emotional wellness. If this is difficult at times, looking for support from friends, family members, and appropriate mental health professionals to help build skills and confidence can 100% make a profound difference.”

Michael Kaper is a Social Worker who often uses a client-centered humanistic and life coaching approach to help drive treatment. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree from Northern Illinois University in Sociology and a minor in Political Science (B.S.), a Master’s Degree from Aurora University in Social Work (MSW), and a Master’s Degree from American College of Education in Educational Leadership (M.Ed).

Outside of formal education, Michael has years of experience working with and supporting youth, adolescence, and young adults in public-school (K-12), residential placement, and juvenile detention settings. While working in these various settings and capacities, Michael has gained experience with youth through young adult individuals in a variety of areas, including but not limited to anxiety, depression, grief, conflict, self-awareness, social/emotional issues, executive functioning, study/organization skills, goal-setting, relationship issues, and decision-making skills. Michael’s overall mission is to create a safe and comfortable environment to collaborate with clients towards achieving their goals and overcome the struggles that they are encountering.

Arlington Psychological Services offers a comprehensive range of psychological, psycho-educational and consulting services, including:

• Child Therapy
• Occupational Therapy
• Adolescent Behavior Therapy
• Family Therapy and Counseling
• Marriage Counseling
• Pre Marriage Counseling
• Stress Management
• Psychological Services to Schools

We believe that Arlington Psychological Services offers a unique blend of professional competence and personal attention. You will notice the difference.