About Us
We help our clients navigate through past, present, and future to improve everyday wellbeing.
Our story
We built Mezamé from our shared belief that strengthening our mental fitness is as important as strengthening our physical fitness. We also believe that the stress and challenges of life often reside in our bodies, unprocessed. Our clinical team practices a range of therapeutic approaches, specializing in EMDR, to help unlock the tension in our bodies and our minds.
As a founding team, each of us has had experiences that led us to EMDR. We have also all encountered the challenge of navigating therapy: finding the right therapist, anxiety about what to expect, uncertainty about progress.
At Mezamé, we have designed an experience that addresses traditional challenges. We are bringing together therapists with diverse experiences and skills to meet clients’ unique needs; we take a collaborative approach that empowers our clients; and we track progress for shared visibility on our impact.
In a study comparing EMDR and antidepressants, 75% of participants who received EMDR were asymptomatic after 8 weeks. None of the antidepressant recipients were asymptomatic.
Care Team
Sarah Bowling
Therapist (LSW, EMDR)
Sarah (she/her) works with adolescents and adults struggling in life due to feeling overwhelmed and disempowered. She has supported clients struggling with anxiety, stress, depression, childhood trauma, PTSD, adoption-related challenges, and cultural differences. Sarah strives to provide her clients with a safe and non-judgmental space. She is passionate about personal transformations and believes everyone has a right to live a healthy and meaningful life.
Patti Chagolla
Therapist (LSW, EMDR)
Patti (she/her) specializes in treating individuals with trauma related issues as well as anxiety, depression, addiction, and self-regulation/self-development challenges. She incorporates mindfulness based techniques and a person-centered approach which often includes cognitive behavioral and dialectical behavior therapies. Her focus is on ensuring that you have a safe environment to work through these challenges in order to achieve the quality of life you truly deserve.
Veronica Flores Zapata
Therapist (LPC, EMDR)
As a bicultural/bilingual therapist (Spanish), Veronica (she/her/ella), uses an eclectic approach tailored to your unique story. With over a decade of experience supporting survivors of trauma, she believes everyone has the power to heal themselves. She draws from holistic healing modalities i.e. mindfulness and integrates a person-centered, psychodynamic, and systems approach.
Marisol Acevedo
Therapist (LPC, EMDR)
Marisol (she/her) has over 20 years of experience in supporting clients’ mental health, in outpatient and inpatient settings. She is passionate about helping clients heal from trauma, work through major life changes or find their voice to become empowered. She takes an integrative approach with her clients, and feels that establishing a relationship and trust are the most important elements for success.
Lupita Arroyo
Therapist (LCSW, EMDR)
With over a decade in the field, Lupita (she/her) is an experienced therapist who is passionate about helping clients heal from past and present emotional wounds and trauma. She is a bilingual (Spanish) therapist. Lupita explores the emotional, relational, and cognitive impact of clients’ experiences on their lives through a person-centered, holistic approach.
Robert E. Manrique
Executive Clinical Director / Owner
Robert (he/him) is passionate about empowering his clients with the resources to live a life they truly love. He is on a mission to bring EMDR to as many therapists and clients as possible. He is the EMDRIA Regional Coordinator for Chicago, and an EMDRIA Certified Consultant.
Mari Funk
Therapist/ Founder
When Mari (she/her) moved to the US from Tokyo, leaving her thriving career in finance, she struggled with a sense of identity loss. This experience led her to counseling, and ultimately, to a Master’s program in counseling at Northwestern University and specialization in EMDR. Mari explores clients’ experiences with a person-centered approach, CBT, IFS, and psychodynamic lens.
Our Leadership
Surina Cardenas
VP of Operations
Surina (she/her) became a Licensed Professional Counselor in 2016. She has worked as a counselor in Illinois, Kentucky, and Ohio. In addition to counseling, Surina has worked in various administration/leadership positions at an inpatient psychiatric hospital and outpatient addictions rehab. Surina is excited to merge both paths together and use her counseling and leadership background in this role.
Hope Tharp
Director of Client Services / Intake Coordinator
Hope (she/her) has combined her passion for helping others and customer service experience to create a warm and welcoming space. She oversees all inquiries, referrals, and assists with administrative work to ensure a smooth operations process. With her ability to support others, warm presence, and organizational skills, Hope is excited to support you on your journey
Contact us.
When you’re ready, we would love to her from you. If you have any questions or are just unsure if Mezamé is right for you, please don’t hesitate to take advantage of our free consultation.