Who we are
Third Culture Counseling (TCC) is an inclusive, culturally responsive psychotherapy practice serving adults (18+) and couples/partners throughout Chicago and Illinois. Rooted in the belief that our identities, relationships, and lived experiences shape how we navigate the world, TCC provides individualized, affirming, and evidence-based therapy for a diverse range of emotional, psychological, relational, and life challenges. Our areas of focus include anxiety, depression, trauma, attachment, childhood emotional neglect, neurodivergence, identity development, relationship difficulties, and major life transitions. We also offer couples and partners therapy addressing communication, intimacy, conflict, infidelity, trust, and evolving relationship dynamics. Our approach recognizes the ways that family dynamics, culture, religion, upbringing, personal values, and life experiences influence our sense of self and connections with others. TCC welcomes people of all backgrounds, identities, cultures, and beliefs, including LGBTQIA+ individuals, BIPOC communities, neurodivergent individuals, immigrants, and historically marginalized or underserved populations. Whether you're processing the past, navigating the present, strengthening relationships, or exploring who you're becoming, TCC offers a collaborative, compassionate space to better understand yourself, foster meaningful connections, and create lasting change.
Zaraar Zahid, LCPC
Founder & Psychotherapist at Third Culture Counseling (TCC)
Many people come to therapy feeling stuck—repeating patterns in relationships, navigating major life changes, or carrying stress and self-doubt that have become difficult to manage alone. My goal is to create a space where you can slow down, make sense of what you're experiencing, and move toward meaningful change.
My approach is direct, collaborative, and grounded in curiosity. I believe therapy works best when it balances support with honest conversations that challenge old patterns and create new possibilities. Together, we'll explore what's keeping you stuck, build on your strengths, and develop practical ways to navigate life's challenges with greater clarity and confidence.
I view therapy as more than symptom reduction—it's an opportunity to better understand yourself, deepen your relationships, and create a life that feels more aligned with who you are and what matters most to you.
I believe in a balance of informative and resourceful approaches to therapy; therefore, we will work to give you the practical tools to learn how to deal with distress and dysfunction. Simultaneously, we will aim to rebuild and repair from life’s hardships.
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Virtual Appointments Only
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Virtual Appointments Only
* Virtual Appointments Only ✳︎ Virtual Appointments Only
I work with adult (18+) individuals and partners/couples.
My typical individual client is looking to understand a tricky life transition, a confusing relational dynamic, how to juggle multiple stressors, or to deep-dive into a specific part of their identity.
This client may be experiencing some anxiety, depression, fear, trauma or hesitance, and could use some help identifying triggers and managing emotional overwhelm.
Therapy for this person may be a sounding board, an effective deep-dive into a specific obstacle or challenge, or a skill-building experience to better manage emotional dysregulation.
As a trauma-informed & LGBTQIA+ affirming therapist, I work to gently (and technically) explore a client’s human experience with them to identify areas of growth and repair relative to their unique lived experiences.
Additional clinical experience include: attachment-work, neurodivergence, abuse & neglect, grief, and young adulthood.
For couples/partner work, I typically work with clients who are experiencing a level of disconnect in their relationship or are facing a significant hardship (such as cultural, fertility, family, or other life challenges). These clients may be experiencing frequent and repetitive arguments, communication difficulties, emotional distance, a mismatch of life goals (i.e., not seeing eye-to-eye), familial or cultural pressure, financial stress, parenting challenges, fears about the future, differences in intimacy, struggles with trust after a betrayal, or simply the feeling that they've grown apart.
I also work with couples navigating major life transitions, neurodiverse relationships (e.g., ADHD or Autism), LGBTQ+ relationships, and the unique complexities that can arise when partners come from different cultural backgrounds or hold different values and expectations. Whether you're working through a specific challenge or simply hoping to strengthen your relationship and "find the flame again," I work to provide a space to better understand one another, reconnect, and build a relationship that feels more fulfilling and aligned.
Through my own lived experiences, I bring a nuanced understanding of navigating multiple cultures, identities, and communities. This includes international living, boarding school, and international education experiences, South Asian, Arab, and Muslim cultures, LGBTQIA+ communities, communities of color, and the unique perspectives that can come with lifestyles such as the equestrian world. While every person's story is different, these experiences allow me to appreciate the ways culture, identity, belonging, and environment shape how we move through the world and the challenges we face.
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