Wendy Gilchrist , LCPC

Wendy Gilchrist is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) with two decades of experience helping people through big life challenges. She began her career after earning an MBA and moved into nonprofit work, creating programs for homeless youth and survivors of abuse. Over time she shifted into clinical practice and has worked in hospital psychiatric units and trauma-informed programs.

Her approach is straightforward and person-focused. She listens first, then helps clients set practical goals. Sessions typically look at patterns that keep a problem cycling and work on small changes that add up over time.

Wendy works with stress, anxiety, depression, bipolar concerns, grief, anger, and issues around self-esteem and relationships. She also helps people coping with family and parenting strains, career shifts, compassion fatigue, ADHD, chronic illness, and body image worries. Her background includes work with trauma, loss, and complicated family dynamics.

Therapy combines a few clear methods based on what fits each person. Wendy draws on client-centered listening, cognitive behavioral ideas to change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors, mindfulness practices for managing emotion, and narrative approaches to reframe personal stories. Motivational interviewing often guides conversations about change.

Sessions are offered in English and Spanish and can be scheduled as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. Wendy practices from Illinois and brings practical nonprofit and hospital experience to her clinical work.

Approaches that guide online care

Wendy blends straightforward methods that translate well online. Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and building a strong working relationship; this helps when someone needs a safe place to talk and to be heard. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at the links between thoughts, feelings, and actions and offers practical exercises to shift unhelpful patterns. Mindfulness Therapy teaches simple attention and breathing skills that reduce reactivity and help with stress and anxiety.

Choosing the right approach is part of the work together. Wendy will talk with each person about goals, preferences, and how symptoms show up, then recommend one or a mix of methods. That choice is revisited as progress is made so the plan stays useful and relevant.

Online sessions are offered as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to fit different needs. Video is useful for a full conversation similar to an office visit. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited or when a quieter check-in is needed. Live chat and text-based messaging work well for brief questions, check-ins, or when writing feels like the better way to express things. These options make it simpler to fit therapy into work, caregiving, or busy schedules.