Kendra Spiva

Kendra Spiva is an LCSW licensed in Illinois with six years of professional experience. She works with adults who feel stuck after a life change or who are unsure what comes next. Common concerns she addresses include stress, anxiety, grief, intimacy-related issues, low self-esteem, and coping with transitions. She also lists work with abandonment, attachment issues, caregiver stress, chronic illness or pain, and relationship struggles among her focus areas.

In sessions she uses straightforward conversation to help people clarify what matters to them now. She draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to notice unhelpful thoughts and test new behaviors. Attachment-based ideas guide talks about closeness and patterns that repeat in relationships.

Kendra also uses client-centered and mindfulness approaches, which means she follows what each person brings and practices moment-to-moment awareness during sessions. That can include short exercises to ground attention or to try out different ways of responding in relationships and everyday life.

Her work aims to make decisions and next steps feel more manageable. Sessions tend to focus on practical steps - small experiments, new routines, and clearer boundaries - rather than abstract theory. The emphasis is on what can be tried between meetings to see what helps.

People preparing for a first appointment should expect direct conversation about current struggles and some goal-setting. Kendra asks about recent changes, current stressors, and what someone hopes will be different. From there she and the client figure out a plan to move forward together.

Therapeutic approaches and working online

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice thoughts and feelings without being driven by them, then choose actions that match their values. It can help with anxiety, meaning questions after change, and persistent avoidance of difficult feelings.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying unhelpful thinking patterns and trying different behaviors to see what changes. It is often used for stress, anxiety, and improving day-to-day coping skills.

Attachment-Based Therapy looks at how early and current relationship patterns shape closeness and trust. It can be useful when intimacy problems or repeated relationship patterns are a concern.

Finding the right mix of methods is part of the work. The therapist will discuss goals and preferences and test approaches together. That collaborative process helps decide whether ACT exercises, CBT experiments, mindfulness practice, or attachment-focused conversation feels most useful for each person.

Confirm the available session formats before booking, as the biography does not specify which online options are used. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy schedule, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and remove travel time. Over time the focus is on practical changes that fit into everyday life rather than theoretical explanations.