SunShine Ballentine, LPC

SunShine Ballentine is a Licensed Professional Counselor. She has a BS in Education and Social Policy from Northwestern University and a MA in Counseling and Human Services from Roosevelt University. She received advanced certification in College Counseling from Elmhurst University, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Anger Management, Domestic Violence Advocacy, and 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

SunShine views the counseling relationship as a partnership between the counselor and client. After getting to know the client as an individual, she helps the client deal with emotional trauma, patterns in relationships, and other things in the past that impact their future. Improving communication, coping skills, strengthening self-esteem, and promoting behavioral change are some of the goals that are addressed during the therapeutic process.

SunShine is trained in a variety of therapeutic methodologies such as Cognitive Behavioral, Person-Centered, Gestalt, Adlerian, Existentialism, Psychotherapy, and Superhero Therapy, among other counseling methodologies. She takes a patient, action-oriented, and creative therapeutic approach to helping clients find the right solution to their unique problems.

Much of her counseling career was spent as a guidance counselor in high schools on the north, south, east, and west sides of Chicago. She specialized in career counseling, crisis counseling, anger management, behavioral intervention, trauma, school refusal, and underachievement. She taught psycho-educational classes, saw individual clients, and held group therapy sessions for students and parents. Later she became a counselor at The College of DuPage. Her specialties included work with anxiety, career counseling, life transitions, mental health, and is the chairwoman of the college’s wellness committee.

In her therapeutic practice, she volunteered with Southwest Women Working Together, The Ladies of Distinction, Image Impact International, DFM Wellness, and the Professional Beauty Association. She focused her attention on work with women and children, addressing issues relating to managing relationships, homelessness, pregnancy and fertility, sexual dysfunction, coming of age and transitions, illness, mood and anxiety disorders, professional, and workplace adjustments. She is a Professional Beauty Association Domestic Violence Advocacy Trainer for Salon Professionals. Her holistic approach includes techniques such as stress management, relaxation, and art therapy. Her work with young ladies focused on self-esteem, body positivity, health, wellness, relational aggression, and bullying.

After being diagnosed with Lupus and Fibromyalgia, SunShine Ballentine began to understand how challenging it can be to look and feel your best. Because how you look can also affect how you feel, she researched ways to help herself and others survive and thrive. Her continued studies center on helping women cope with trauma by releasing the she-hero within. She advocates using holistic wellness and mental health to improve physical health and resiliency. Ballentine studied with The Association of Image Consultants International at Loyola University in Chicago where she studied wardrobe selection management, design aesthetics, business etiquette, disability advocacy, and international protocol. To share her love of learning and beauty with the world, she founded the Solstice Beauty Salon and Day Spa and the Solstice Beauty Academy. In her spare time, SunShine Ballentine is a Licensed Cosmetologist and Cosmetology Instructor working with Dermatology Skin Surgery and Associates. Her practice focuses on helping women with dermatological issues and includes clinical makeup and non-surgical hair loss treatments. SunShine Ballentine puts creativity, passion, and principles into her work as a counselor, image consultant, health, and beauty professional. She loves what she does; inspiring people to feel good about themselves.