Dr. Penny Brower , LCPC

Dr. Penny Brower uses a practical, person-centered approach to help people manage stress, anxiety, relationship struggles, and life transitions. She combines relational work with tools from cognitive and mindfulness-based methods. Dr. Brower aims to help people feel more deliberate in their choices and more able to respond to hard moments. She brings 34 years of clinical experience to her work in Illinois as an LCPC.

Her style is straightforward and collaborative. She listens for patterns that lead to pain and for strengths that usually get overlooked. Then she and the client pick simple, doable steps to change how thoughts, feelings, and actions interact. Sessions often include skill practice, gentle examination of relationship patterns, and attention to values that matter most.

Dr. Brower has a long history working in community mental health, private practice, and in-home services with complex family situations. She also spent eight years with the Air National Guard on a program addressing suicide risk and resilience. That experience shaped her focus on practical strategies that people can use day to day.

Clients bring many concerns, including depression, addictions, grief, intimacy issues, anger, ADHD, and trauma. She also supports women’s issues, LGBT concerns, and a wide range of family and relationship problems. Work can include issues such as abandonment, attachment problems, communication struggles, infidelity, and coping with separation.

Dr. Brower prefers ongoing feedback so sessions stay useful. She works with each person to adjust methods when something is not helpful. The aim is steady, realistic progress toward clearer choices and more satisfying relationships.

Online approaches that connect values and relationships

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice unhelpful thoughts and refocus on what matters most, using small actions that align with personal values to reduce suffering. Attachment-Based Therapy looks at how past relationship patterns shape current connections and helps people shift toward healthier ways of relating. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) breaks problems into thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and teaches concrete skills to change patterns that fuel anxiety or low mood.

Finding the right approach is part of the process. The therapist will work collaboratively to identify which methods fit a person's goals, preferences, and day-to-day needs. That means trying tools, asking for feedback, and adjusting the plan so sessions remain practical and relevant.

Online therapy offers flexibility through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video allows face-to-face conversation for deeper relational work. Phone sessions can be shorter check-ins or an easier option when bandwidth is limited. Live chat and text-based messaging support quick check-ins, skill rehearsal, and ongoing encouragement between sessions. These options make it easier to keep therapy consistent around work, family, and other commitments.