Danica Dagg
MSW, LSW
Pronouns: She/Her
Therapy for Kids, Teens & Young People Navigating Anxiety, Disability & Big Feelings
Warm, child-led support that meets your child exactly where they are and helps them discover the strength they already carry.
Let’s Start Here
Maybe your child has been refusing to go to school. Maybe mornings feel like a battle, and no one seems to understand why. Maybe you have a young person in your life who is bright and full of personality — but struggling to feel safe, understood, or connected. And maybe you've been trying everything, and you're exhausted too. Or perhaps you're looking for a therapist who actually gets it — someone who won't flinch at a complex diagnosis, who knows how to connect with a kid who doesn't make eye contact or sit still in a chair, and who sees your child's differences as something to honor, not fix. If that sounds like what you've been searching for, you're in the right place.
What would you say to someone who’s nervous or unsure about starting therapy?
Hi, I'm Danica Dagg, a therapist at Tides Mental Health. Starting therapy — especially for your child — can feel like a big unknown. And that makes complete sense. I want you to know that there's no pressure to have it all figured out before we meet. We'll take it one step at a time, and we'll build something together that actually feels right for your family. I'd love to connect with you.
What would you say to someone who’s nervous or unsure about starting therapy?
Hi, I'm Danica Dagg, a therapist at Tides Mental Health. Starting therapy — especially for your child — can feel like a big unknown. And that makes complete sense. I want you to know that there's no pressure to have it all figured out before we meet. We'll take it one step at a time, and we'll build something together that actually feels right for your family. I'd love to connect with you.
What It’s Like to Work Together
Sessions with Danica are warm, unhurried, and genuinely child-led. That means your child gets to show up as they are — talkative or quiet, playful or serious, wiggly or still. There's no script to follow. Some sessions look like a game. Some look like art. Some look like a walk, or a conversation about a very specific obsession that Danica will absolutely geek out about with them. All of it counts. All of it is the work. Danica brings a relational and eclectic approach, meaning she draws from whatever tools best fit your child — not the other way around. She pulls from trauma-informed care, strengths-based frameworks, social justice and feminist lenses, and identity-affirming perspectives. The goal is always to create a space where your child can arrive as their most authentic self, every single time. For families navigating disability — including autism with high support needs, intellectual or developmental disability, blindness, or chronic illness — Danica offers something rare: a therapist who has spent 14 years inside schools, most recently working alongside students with complex disabilities, who understands how to build trust slowly, meaningfully, and in a way that actually works. She'll take the time to get to know your child in whatever way is most meaningful to them.
What can clients expect it to feel like in a session with you?
Sessions with me are structured but informal — we go at your child's pace. Sometimes we play, sometimes we talk, sometimes we just hang out and see what comes up. There's no pressure to perform or be a 'good therapy client.' My goal is for your child to feel so comfortable in the space we create together that they can just... be themselves. That's where the real work happens.
What’s one reason you’re passionate about the work you do?
I spent 14 years in schools — teaching music and then working with students with disabilities and what I kept seeing was a gap: kids who needed support and weren't getting it in a way meaningful for them, especially kids with complex needs or disabilities. That's what drives me. Every child deserves a safe adult in their corner. I want to be that person for the kids and families I work with.
Clinical Specialties
- Trauma — complex, situational, and developmental
- School anxiety and school refusal
- Autism, including high support needs and non-speaking presentations
- Neurodivergence and sensory processing challenges
- Intellectual and developmental disability (ID/DD)
- Disability support — including blindness and chronic illness
- Emotional and behavioral regulation
- Anxiety and depression in children and teens
- Identity exploration and self-esteem building
- Social and emotional learning (SEL)
- IEP navigation and school-based support for families
Treatment Modalities
- Trauma-Informed Care – Every session is grounded in safety, trust, and sensitivity to your child's history and nervous system.
- Child-Led & Play-Based Approaches – Therapy that follows your child's lead, using play, games, and art as natural pathways to connection and healing.
- Strengths-Based Therapy - Focusing on what your child can do and building from there, rather than centering deficits.
- Social Justice & Feminist Lenses – Honoring the full context of your child's identity, culture, and lived experience.
- Identity-Affirming Practice – Affirming all identities, backgrounds, and ways of being in the world.
- Relational Eclectic Approach – Drawing from multiple frameworks to find what fits your child best, not a one-size-fits-all model.
Populations Served
- Children and adolescents (with a special focus on middle school age)
- Young adults
- Children and teens with disabilities — including autism, intellectual/developmental disability, Down Syndrome, blindness, chronic illness, non-speaking or limited-speech presentations, and others
- Neurodivergent young people
- Children experiencing school anxiety or refusal
- Families and caregivers navigating complex behavioral or emotional needs
- Kids who have never had a safe adult truly in their corner
Training & Credentials
- Education:MSW — University of Illinois Chicago (UIC)
- 14 years of experience in educational settings, including music education and disability services
- Licensure: LSW — Licensed Social Worker, Illinois
- Areas of Advanced Focus: Trauma-informed care, neurodivergence, disability-affirming practice, school-based mental health
- Languages Spoken: English
- Availability:In-person sessions in Chicago (Monday & Tuesday evenings with more availability to come) and telehealth for clients across Illinois, weekends available
You don't have to have the right words before reaching out. You don't have to know exactly what your child needs. All you have to do is take one small step and we'll figure out the rest together. Danica brings warmth, patience, and a deep belief that every child carries something remarkable inside them. Her job is to help them find it. If you're ready to explore whether Danica might be a good fit for your family, she'd be honored to meet you.
Insurance We Accept
We accept most major insurance providers and offer several convenient payment methods to ensure accessibility for your care. We also offer various payment methods, including credit cards, bank transfers, and electronic payments.
