Wendy Van Keulen , LCSW

Wendy Van Keulen is a licensed clinical social worker with 15 years of practice in Illinois. She focuses on relationship struggles, trauma and abuse, grief, parenting concerns, and managing major life transitions. Wendy speaks English and Spanish and aims to meet people where they are with straightforward, respectful care.

Wendy spends sessions listening closely to what matters most to each person. She uses evidence-based therapeutic techniques and adapts conversation and strategies to fit individual needs. Her style is practical and compassionate, with attention to emotion and real-life problem solving.

Her background includes many years supporting people through loss, difficult separations, and the stressors that come with caregiving and aging relatives. She also assists people facing fertility challenges, immigration stress, and feelings of isolation or loneliness. Sessions often focus on improving communication, managing guilt and shame, and coping with dissociation when it is present.

Wendy helps parents address parenting strains and blended family issues, and she offers support around divorce, domestic violence, and family of origin conflicts. She can help people facing hospice and end-of-life concerns or the complex emotions of caregiving.

Expect a collaborative process in which goals are identified together and the plan is adjusted over time. Wendy frames change as a step-by-step process and works to make therapy practical and relevant to daily life.

Approaches that guide online sessions

Wendy works with evidence-based techniques that focus on emotion, behavior, and practical problem solving. One common approach helps people notice and name strong emotions, then build small skills to respond differently when stress or grief feels overwhelming. This method suits people facing trauma, loss, or caregiver strain.

Another approach emphasizes improving communication and everyday routines. It targets patterns that create conflict or isolation and helps people try new ways of speaking and relating. This is useful for relationship concerns, blended family issues, and parenting stress.

Choosing the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will talk with each person about goals, preferences, and what feels most helpful, then adjust techniques as progress is made. The decision is collaborative and changes over time as needs evolve.

Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to provide flexibility. Video works well for in-depth conversation and visual cues, phone can fit into a busy day or when bandwidth is limited, and chat or text allow brief check-ins or step-by-step support between sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy into a daily routine and keep momentum between visits.