Lizzy Appleby, LCSW
Pronouns: she/her
Values and Philosophy
Lizzy Appleby is a facilitator & therapist with a passion for working with youth and adults to create a more radically welcoming, inclusive, and kind world. Lizzy uses narrative and identity-focused approaches to help others discover and claim their strengths, passions, and stories. She holds anti-oppressive and trauma-informed frameworks in all areas of her practice, recognizing the ways that our intersectional identities and experiences shape our engagement with each other. She believes in the power of story-telling, relationships, and experiential learning to help us grow and change our world.
Areas of Focus
As a facilitator and educator, Lizzy uses popular education and experiential learning to connect with groups of youth and adults. Organizationally, Lizzy is committed to values-based design and development of programs, policies, and cultures. She is particularly passionate about creating intergenerational learning spaces and providing support for emerging leaders in the social service sector, especially youth-serving professionals new to the field.
As a therapist, Lizzy specializes in working with adolescents, their parents, and young adults. She uses narrative therapies and a strengths-based approach with a focus on identity work, life transitions, and supporting healthy relationships.
Experience and training
Lizzy is a licensed clinical social worker who received her Master’s of Social Work from University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice. Most of her career has focused on developing groups and programs to support LGBTQ+ youth (especially trans youth) and their families from a positive youth development framework. In addition to her direct practice with youth and families, she frequently provides training to interns, therapists, parents, and other professionals regarding strategies for affirming LGBTQ+ youth and positive adult-youth communication. In addition to her work at Constellation Collective, she serves as the Pride Program Director at Youth Services of Glenview/Northbrook, overseeing the largest LGBTQ+ youth program in the northern suburbs.
Contact Lizzy at: Lizzy (at) constellationcollectivechicago (period) com