Pam Bretthauer is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor with over 10 years of experience helping people find their way to healing and recovery from life's wounds and troubles. "As the owner of Lighthouse Counseling of Lake County, my goal is to provide understanding and compassion for any person's need. I help people pinpoint what's truly troubling them and help them design solutions that work best for them. I teach techniques that allow people to handle most problems more effectively on their own. This journey of self-discovery can result in an increased sense of freedom and ability to express one's self in a way that leads to a fuller life and more peace within. My clients tell me that they experience significant relief after one session."

Professional Memberships & Qualifications:
American Counseling Association • Masters in Professional Counseling from Argosy University

Aaron McMahon holds a Masters in mental health counseling from Trinity International University and is currently finishing his Master’s in Divinity at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.  He spent four years working with youth and families as a youth pastor in Waukegan, IL.  He also has a year of experience as a substance abuse counselor in Lake County’s addiction treatment program.  His passion for counseling extends to substance abuse and addiction counseling,  couples and family issues, people in life transition, and adolescent counseling.  In his free time Aaron enjoys playing and watching sports, playing guitar, reading, and spending time with his family and friends. 

Justeen Schusteff is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CADC) with an endorsement in Gender Centered services for women, and is a professional member of the National Association of Social Workers.  With bachelor degrees in Psychology and Sociology-Criminology and a Masters of Social Work degree in Clinical Social Work, she has over 18 years experience working in social services and trauma-informed treatment.  She has focused in the areas of child welfare, substance abuse treatment, parenting and child development, individual and group therapy, and women/gender specific issues. Understanding that any one issue is not independent or exclusive but a manifestation of experiences and basic core beliefs we hold, her treatment model and interventions compassionately focus on everything that touches life; helping to bring together and understand how the pieces fit together in order to initiate positive and healthy change. Her goal within the treatment setting is to help build confidence and independence, teach new strategies and coping skills by changing unhealthy thought processes and behaviors into positive and healthy ones, and to aid management of current and future obstacles through identification and understanding of one’s strengths, assets, and innate ability to change. 

Mary Daley is a Licensed Professional Counselor currently working under the supervision of Pam Bretthauer, MA, LCPC.  Mary earned her Master's Degree in Counseling from National-Louis University and completed her internship at Lake County's Project Safe Program. "I previously worked in a private organization that specialized in testing, educating and treating clients with abuse/addiction issues. While working with these clients, I noticed the profound effect one's childhood 'emotional training' had on their interpretation of, and reaction to, current events in one's life. This has led me to an interest in combining Emotion-Focused Therapy and Cognitive-Behavior Therapy in my counseling."