ABOUT
At Bienestar Counseling & Consulting, our mission is to offer support and resources to enhance mental health and support across all dimensions of wellness. We provide individual and couples counseling, career coaching, and training and consulting services.
We adhere to a trauma-informed, wellness-based, and person-first approach. We firmly believe that quality mental healthcare should be accessible to everyone. Creating a safe and affirming therapeutic space is paramount. Thank you for taking the first step in improving your health and wellness. Please read more about our team below.
angelica marrufo, lcpc
Angelica is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor with over eight years of experience providing mental health support to individuals, couples, and families. Her clinical journey spans across a variety of settings—including community-based programs, hospitals, and private practice. Passionate about serving historically underrepresented communities, Angelica is especially committed to supporting BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ individuals.
A proud Chicago native, Angelica embraces her first-generation Mexican American identity. She recognizes the vital role cultural representation plays in therapy and integrates both her professional experience and personal background into her work. Her blended family upbringing and father's immigration journey have deeply shaped her understanding of identity, resilience, and belonging.
Angelica’s path into the mental health field was driven by a heartfelt dedication to helping others. She specializes in supporting clients navigating mental health challenges, immigration trauma, and family of origin stressors. She is also honored to work with individuals exploring the intersections of race, sexuality, and gender identity. Clients who work with Angelica can expect a compassionate, empowering, and at times lighthearted therapeutic experience—with a touch of humor.
She centers her work on celebrating identity, fostering hope, and nurturing meaning through collaborative, strengths-based approaches. Her ultimate goal is to provide a safe and affirming space where clients can explore their truths, embrace healing, and live into their most authentic selves.
chisme
Chisme (he/him) is the co-founder of Bienestar. He is a 3 year old lab-pit mix with anxiety. Chisme is a rescue from PAWS. He has a vast understanding of how negative bias and displacement can impact someone. He utilizes gratitude, play therapy, and mindful sleep as his main interventions. Chisme practices daily affirmations and excels with praise and positive reinforcement.
Chisme is an advocate of mental health and believes everyone should have access to quality mental health care.
Alejandro Monroy Velez, LSW
Alejandro Monroy Velez is a licensed social worker and GALLUP-certified career coach who integrates mental health, identity, and purpose-driven coaching into his work. At Bienestar Counseling & Consulting, he supports clients in navigating personal and professional transitions through a strengths-based, culturally responsive approach.
His perspective is shaped by both his professional background and lived experience navigating issues of identity, culture, and belonging. Alejandro is especially passionate about supporting individuals whose journeys are informed by migration, bicultural identity, and systemic barriers.
In addition to his work at Bienestar, Alejandro serves as Associate Director of Career Readiness and Deputy Director of Internship Programs at the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy. Outside of his professional roles, he is a freelance photographer, owner of AMV Photography, and active in community efforts focused on education access and immigrant justice.
He holds a BA in Psychology from Northeastern Illinois University and an AM in Social Service Administration from the University of Chicago.
Follow his photography on Instagram: @amv_photo