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 Counseling & Consulting. Chisme is a 3-year-old lab-pit mix, rescue alum from PAWS, and the original heart of Bienestar. Smart, loving, and athletic with a gentle spirit, Chisme brings a steady, grounding presence to our space — like a weighted blanket with a wagging tail.
As a pup with anxiety, Chisme has firstpaw experience with negative bias, overstimulation, and emotional displacement. His lived experience informs his therapeutic approach, which centers gratitude, play therapy, mindful naps, and plenty of movement. A big believer in emotional regulation, Chisme swears by daily affirmations and thrives on praise and positive reinforcement.
Chisme is an advocate of mental health and believes everyone should have access to quality mental health care. Chisme reminds us that vulnerability is a strength — and that everyone deserves to feel safe, seen, and supported.
CAFECITO
Cafecito (he/him) is the newest force of nature at Bienestar Counseling & Consulting. At just 7 months old, this scrappy gremlin brings a fearless, wholehearted energy to our practice that’s equal parts chaos and charm. Cafecito’s mission is to spread joy, disrupt routines (with love), and remind us all to take more play breaks.
As Chief Executive Officer of Chaos (CEOC), Cafecito specializes in high-velocity zoomies, snack theft prevention training (by failing gloriously), and unfiltered emotional expression. He is intimately familiar with the struggles of executive dysfunction, poor impulse control, and boundary issues — and meets them all with curiosity, resilience, and a tail that never stops wagging.
Cafecito reminds us that healing can be messy, joyful, and full of unconditional love. Whether he’s popping into a virtual session uninvited, offering unsolicited licks as a grounding tool, or curling up for post-chaos naps, Cafecito models the importance of rest, play, and radical acceptance.
At Bienestar, we believe healing doesn’t have to be sterile — and Cafecito is living proof that sometimes the best therapy starts with a little bit of chaos and a lot of heart.