Our Team
Meet Our Therapists
Our dedicated team of licensed professionals brings years of experience and a genuine passion for helping you achieve your goals.
Dr. Jakub Randall, PhD
Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor Managing Member
Clinical Supervisor • Consultant • Certified Group Psychotherapist
Dr. Randall is the founder, owner and executive behind Quintess Counseling, where he shapes the clinical direction and values of the practice. His journey in this field is backed by a comprehensive education in Counseling Psychology from Northwestern University, complemented by a wealth of experience from various mental health environments.
Therapy with Dr. Randall is a deeply personal and engaging process, underpinned by the belief that self-exploration is crucial to healing. He is especially committed to supporting the LGBTQI+ community, addressing complex trauma, and helping individuals navigate the challenges of anxiety and depression. His therapeutic approach is relational, aimed at symptom relief through meaningful connection.
Dr. Randall also excels in solution-focused strategies, particularly for those dealing with specific concerns such as phobias or panic attacks. Central to his practice is the establishment of trust, a critical element that paves the way for effective collaboration between him and his clients on their path to well-being.
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Dr. Randall sees client exclusively online (available for residents of Illinois, Indiana and New York).
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To learn more about him, navigate to his page for private pay clients.
Erik Schuster, LPC
Counselor
Clinical Supervisor • Consultant
Erik is the Clinical Director and tenured therapist at Quintess Counseling, with over 15 years of experience across community mental health, in home services, academic medical centers, and private practice. Erik earned his master’s degree in Clinical Professional Counseling from Roosevelt University in Chicago, Illinois.
Erik treats clients across the lifespan, from teens to retirees, addressing concerns such as unresolved early life trauma, chronic anxiety, mood disruptions, substance misuse, and longstanding mental health challenges. He has significant experience supporting clients from diverse socioeconomic, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds, and he brings particular expertise in working with LGBTQ+ and neurodivergent communities. His counseling career is complemented by academic research with chronic pain populations, resulting in multiple co-authored publications in scientific research journals.
Erik’s philosophy is that counseling supports change by helping people loosen outdated protective defenses and strengthen the parts of themselves that are ready for meaningful shifts. His practice is influenced by relational theories that emphasize how blind spots outside of typical awareness can shape thoughts, emotions, and behavior. He also draws from traditional Eastern philosophies to help ground the nervous system and support steadier regulation.
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Erik is Quintess Counseling’s relationship counselor and works with people across a wide range of relationship structures, including dyads, triads, throuples, and other non traditional arrangements. He brings a dynamic approach that focuses on the lived, here and now experience between partners, while also contextualizing each person’s history and how it shapes patterns of closeness, conflict, and repair. His work emphasizes honesty, emotional safety, and the creation of new relational experiences that support lasting change.
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Lastly, Erik is expanding his practice to include Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy. As a psychonaut, Erik believes in the power of psychedelics to support personal growth and insight as a meaningful supplement to counseling work.
Connor McInerney, LCSW
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Clinical Supervisor • Consultant
Connor is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and psychotherapist. He started in the mental health field working for a crisis hotline, where he discovered his passion for helping others when they may need it most. Connor earned his Master’s degree in clinical Social Work from the University of Houston, and worked for three years with a nonprofit agency for the LGBTQ+ community, where he received his post-graduate training. Connor has experience providing outpatient psychotherapy for adults and groups.
Connor specializes in helping clients work through traumatic life experiences, anxiety, depression, suicide, harm-reduction, sexual wellness, gender identity and sexual orientation exploration, and building strong relationships including polyamory and consensual non-monogamy. Connor’s therapeutic approach draws primarily from Internal Systems Therapy (IFS), as well as client-centered, mindfulness, empowerment, somatic, and Existential Therapy.
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As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, Connor has a unique perspective on what it is like to be different from what society dictates. In American culture today, we often experience profound disconnection from ourselves and other people. We receive messages that we are not enough, and that to be worthy of love and connection we must earn money, look beautiful, and not break a sweat doing so. Connor recognizes that one’s social environment plays an enormous role in their wellbeing and their freedom to be who they want to be. When we have been abused or neglected as children or adults, we can struggle to feel accepted and whole. The inherent pain of such rejection may leave us feeling, empty, unmotivated, tired, nervous, on-edge, depressed, suicidal, unable to feel joy and satisfaction or even to just feel “okay.” Connor’s work focuses on every person’s innate potential for strength, growth, and happiness.
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Connor sees clients in person at our Loop location as well as online (available for residents of Illinois and Texas).
Katty Li, LPC
Counselor
Katty holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a graduate degree from Adler University. Her journey into counseling was inspired by years of volunteering with children and youths. Specializing in working with adults, Katty addresses a spectrum of challenges including depression, anxiety, trauma, grief, and interpersonal relationships.
In the therapeutic space, Katty strives to cultivate authenticity, empathy, and collaboration to provide individuals the freedom to explore their identities. Rooted in curiosity, she encourages introspection to unveil the reasons behind actions and believes that self-exploration leads to self-fulfillment. Katty is dedicated to accompanying clients on a journey towards courage and addressing root issues together.
As an Asian American from an immigrant family, Katty places high value on cultural and identity nuances. She understands how background and experiences shape thoughts and behaviors. Katty is committed to fostering a trusting environment where clients can provide feedback and explore the impact of their identities on their present selves.
Katty sees clients in person at our Loop location as well as online.
