Alisa Neary , LCSW

Alisa Neary is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) based in Illinois with 9 years of clinical experience supporting adults who have faced interpersonal violence and difficult relationship dynamics. She focuses on helping people move away from toxic relationships, heal from abuse that occurred in childhood or adulthood, and reclaim personal power as part of a broader journey toward recovery and wellbeing.

Using a person-centered stance, she strives to offer a therapeutic space that is comfortable, nonjudgmental, and empathetic. Alisa helps clients reduce symptoms commonly associated with trauma, anxiety, and depression while working to decrease self-blame and isolation. Her work supports building self-esteem, cultivating self-acceptance, and learning to recognize patterns of healthy and unhealthy relationships.

Her clinical interests include stress, anxiety, relationships, trauma and abuse, self-esteem, coping with life changes, LGBT concerns, family dynamics, grief, parenting, anger, career issues, depression, and compassion fatigue. She also gives focused attention to divorce and separation, domestic violence, guilt and shame, post-traumatic stress, self-love, sexual assault and abuse, and women's issues. Alisa provides therapy in English and brings a strengths-based outlook that assumes people have the capacity to pursue their own potential.

Approaches for Healing Online

Alisa commonly draws on Client-Centered Therapy, which emphasizes listening, empathy, and supporting clients to find their own solutions. This approach helps people feel heard and builds self-direction when facing relationship challenges, grief, or changes in life circumstances.

She also uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help identify and change unhelpful thinking patterns and behaviors. CBT can be useful for addressing symptoms of anxiety, depression, anger, and stress by teaching practical skills for coping and problem solving.

Mindfulness Therapy is another technique Alisa employs to help clients develop present-moment awareness and reduce reactivity. Mindfulness practices can support emotion regulation and increase resilience for those managing trauma-related responses or ongoing stress.

Finding the right therapeutic approach is part of the work together. Alisa collaborates with each person to determine which methods best fit their needs, goals, and preferences, adapting the plan as progress unfolds.

Online therapy offers flexibility and accessibility through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. These options make it easier to attend sessions from different locations and to use the communication method that feels most comfortable, while still working with licensed professionals and therapists who tailor care to each individual's circumstances.