Wendy Van Keulen

Wendy Van Keulen is an LCSW with more than 15 years of practice in Illinois. She focuses on relationship concerns, trauma and abuse, grief and loss, parenting challenges, and helping people adjust to major life changes. She speaks English and Spanish and aims to meet people where they are. Wendy keeps sessions respectful and direct. She listens first, then tailors conversation and goals to each person's needs. Her work often looks like talking through relationship patterns, coping strategies for grief, and practical steps for parenting and life transitions. Her background includes long-term clinical work that informed how she supports people after trauma and loss. That experience guides how she helps people process painful memories and rebuild routines after change. Wendy emphasizes sensitivity and compassion. She adapts tone and pace to match what the client needs, whether that means steadier support or more active problem solving. She helps people name what matters and set small, manageable steps toward it. Choosing therapy can feel hard. She describes first sessions as a time to clarify concerns and agree on simple goals. From there she and the client adjust the plan as progress unfolds.

How evidence-based approaches guide online therapy

Many evidence-based therapeutic techniques focus on clear, practical steps to help people feel steadier and make changes. For example, approaches that focus on processing trauma help people put painful memories into words and reduce overwhelming reactions. These methods are often used for trauma, abuse, and dissociation. Another common technique emphasizes problem solving and coping skills. This approach teaches strategies for managing grief, parenting stress, and life transitions through concrete tools and daily routines. It can help with communication problems and caregiver strain. Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with each person to decide which methods fit their needs, goals, and preferences. That means trying things, noting what helps, and adjusting the plan together. If you plan to meet online, confirm the available session formats before booking since the biography does not list specific options. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy life - for example, shorter check-ins on a lunch break, or choosing a format that needs less bandwidth when technology is limited. Licensed professionals can use these options to keep momentum between busy weeks and to maintain consistent progress without major travel.