About Dr. Angele
Hi there!I’m Dr. Angele Close. I am a clinical psychologist, motherhood coach, circle facilitator, and certified mindfulness meditation teacher.
For over a decade I’ve been helping women feel better through identifying the blocks that have been keeping them playing small, fearful, and people-pleasing to the point of resentment, discontentment, and self-doubt.
I have over 10+ years working as a clinical psychologist in many different settings (e.g., College counseling centers, family health teams, and private practice).
My background includes years of training in Emotion-Focused Therapy and mindfulness-based trauma-informed treatment. Currently, my work is deeply guided by Internal Family Systems, which serves as a roadmap for understanding ourselves, addressing our pain, and finding a pathway to healing.
What has resonated most for me as a clinician has been what’s worked best for me as a person.
Experiencing deep healing using IFS and redefining motherhood for me through training in matrescence were the most transformative and significant teachings of my life.
I have worked directly with Dr. Richard Schwartz, the creator of IFS, and continue to invest in my own growth through consultation, coaching, therapy, and mentorship. It’s always been my practice to only invite clients to explore exercises or processes that I have personally experienced and tested myself.
I’m on a mission to support moms who are struggling with self-blame or feeling like they’re not good enough. I want them to know they’re not alone and that their experiences are both profound and challenging.
Every mom deserves a space where she can reflect, share, and explore these feelings with support and understanding.
Once I discovered matrescence, I wished I had known about it earlier. This is why I feel compelled to share its insights and support moms through the inner and outer challenges and transitions that motherhood brings.
I bring years of clinical expertise, deep compassion, and a steadfast commitment to helping mothers overcome hidden shame and self-blame, allowing them to experience more joy, lightness, and self-love in their journey as a mom.
I know it can seem hard and even daunting to embark on a journey of inner healing and exploration. Self-growth and therapy aren’t always fun or easy. It takes curiosity, courage and a willingness to find a better way than what you may have been trying for years.
For me, there was no stronger motivation to dive into my inner world and unpack what needed healing than seeing how my not doing so was - and would continue to - unintentionally impact my kids and my relationships with them.
There is no greater incentive than to know that you have done the inner work to heal and no longer pass on the wounds and dysfunction of past generations.
There’s no greater gift you can give your children than your own healing.
Reach out for a discovery call to see if working together is the right next step on your journey.
Professional Bio
Dr. Angele Close is a licensed clinical psychologist, accredited motherhood coach (through the Mama Rising Coaching and Facilitator Program), and certified mindfulness meditation teacher (through Tara Brach & Jack Kornfield’s 2-year Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training Program).
Her undergraduate training resulted in the award of a double honors degree in Psychology and Women’s Studies from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. She went on to receive her master’s in Counseling Psychology from the University of Western Ontario and complete doctoral studies in Clinical Psychology at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto where she received her Ph.D. in 2014.
Dr. Close is most influenced and inspired by the work of Dr. Richard Schwartz, creator and chief developer of Internal Family Systems (IFS), an evidence-based model of healing and psychotherapy. She has worked with Dr. Schwartz individually and has embarked on an intensive independent and community-based study of this model, which guides her clinical work with clients. She is a graduate of the IFS Institute’s Level One training as well as many other training and learning programs.
For over a decade, Dr. Close taught workshops and retreats on the topics of mindfulness, self-compassion, and emotional resilience and worked in a variety of clinical settings (e.g., primary care, college counseling centers, and private practice). Inspired from her own experiences in motherhood and her personal learning journey, Dr. Close is now focused mainly on what most lights her up: teaching and coaching moms in the profound practices of Internal Family Systems so they can heal and release what’s blocking them from being the mom they want to be. She works with mothers providing individual coaching and psychotherapy and facilitating circles both in-person and virtually.
Angele lives with her husband, three children, and Goldendoodle in the Northshore of Chicago, Illinois.