Dr. Lisa Hines

Dr. Lisa Hines is an Illinois-licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) with 30 years of professional experience. She works with people facing stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, depression, and coping with life changes. She also helps with relationship concerns and issues related to life purpose.

She uses a mix of practical talking and skill-building. Sessions focus on identifying what matters to the client and on short-term tools for managing strong feelings. She draws on approaches that include acceptance and commitment ideas, cognitive work on unhelpful thoughts, and client-centered listening.

Dr. Hines has practiced in a range of clinical settings over three decades. That background informs a steadier, problem-focused style that balances emotion work with skill practice. She often helps people who are dealing with panic symptoms, mood difficulties, or past trauma.

In sessions she pays attention to how people relate to others and to themselves. Topics she commonly addresses include attachment struggles, communication problems, guilt and shame, forgiveness, and feelings of isolation. She also works with issues that show up at work and in daily routines.

People who come to her for life-purpose questions can expect straightforward conversation about values, priorities, and next steps. The emphasis is on clarifying what matters and testing small changes rather than promising any single outcome.

How therapeutic approaches translate to online sessions

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice what matters to them and take small steps toward those values while accepting difficult feelings. It is useful for life purpose questions, anxiety, and low mood. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying and changing unhelpful thinking patterns and building practical coping skills for panic, depression, and workplace stress. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an approach used to process disturbing memories and reduce their hold on daily life; it is often chosen for post-traumatic stress and trauma-related symptoms.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will review your situation and goals and then recommend a path forward. That plan is shaped together, with the therapist adjusting methods as needed based on what helps in practice.

Confirm the session formats offered before booking, as current options are not listed here. Online work can make it easier to fit therapy into busy schedules by reducing travel time and allowing check-ins during a workday break. It can also let people choose sessions that do not require being on camera, or try shorter focused meetings for skill practice. Licensed professionals can use these formats to keep momentum between in-person visits when appropriate, and the focus remains on practical steps that can be used in everyday life.