- CBT techniques
- ACT values work
- DBT skills training
About Denise
Denise McNicholas is an Illinois Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) with five years of experience. She works with people facing relationship concerns, low self-esteem, career questions, and clients seeking coaching. She also addresses issues related to chronic pain, illness and disability, forgiveness, life purpose, self-love, traumatic brain injury, and women's issues. Sessions are conducted in English and international clients are not accepted.
Denise frames therapy as collaborative. She emphasizes clients' own knowledge of their lives and draws on practical strategies from several evidence-informed methods. Expect conversations that link thoughts and behaviors to daily choices, along with steps you can try between sessions. She also brings solution-focused techniques to help break problems into manageable goals.
Her background includes work with motivation and confidence for professionals. That experience shows in a straightforward approach to career questions and executive-style coaching conversations. Denise uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help unpack unhelpful thinking patterns, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to clarify values and intent.
She also uses Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills for emotional regulation and Motivational Interviewing when people need help clarifying change. Those methods are applied in practical ways rather than abstract theory. Denise aims to help people make small, sustainable shifts that relate to what matters in everyday life.
To begin, people are asked to complete a brief matching questionnaire and then schedule a first session. Costs vary with location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
Therapeutic approaches you may use online
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people identify what matters most to them and take small steps that align with those values. It is often useful when life changes leave someone unsure what direction to take or when a person wants to act despite difficult thoughts or feelings.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on the links between thoughts, feelings, and actions. It breaks concerns into manageable parts and offers practical exercises to change thinking patterns and behavior. CBT can help with low self-esteem, career decision-making, and relationship patterns.
Denise treats the choice of approach as a collaborative decision. She will discuss your goals and preferences in early sessions and use what fits best for your situation. That may mean mixing ACT, CBT, or DBT skills to create a working plan together.
The therapist's biography does not list specific online session formats, so please confirm current options before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy day, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and remove travel time. These practical benefits help sessions sit alongside work and family life without promising a specific outcome.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
5+ years
Listed in
Illinois
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does she address?
She works with relationship issues, self-esteem, career questions, and coaching. Additional focus areas include chronic pain and illness, forgiveness, life purpose, self-love, traumatic brain injury, and women's issues.
How does she approach feeling stuck or directionless?
She uses practical methods such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to link thoughts, values, and actions. Sessions include goal-focused steps you can try between meetings.
What is her clinical background?
She holds five years of professional experience and has worked with motivation, confidence, and executive-style coaching. That experience informs her focus on career and professional concerns.
What are her credentials and where is she based?
She is an Illinois Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) and practices from Illinois.
In which language are sessions offered?
Sessions are offered in English. International clients are not currently accepted.
What session formats are available?
Session formats are not listed in the biography. Please confirm current session options before booking.
How does payment and cost work?
Costs vary with location. Sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I get started with a first session?
Begin by selecting the See online therapy options button, completing a short matching questionnaire, and scheduling a first session.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are in danger, use the crisis numbers.