Denise McNicholas , LCPC

Denise McNicholas is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) practicing in Illinois with five years of clinical experience. She focuses on relationship challenges, self-esteem and self-love, career concerns, and professional coaching for executives and other professionals. Her additional areas of focus include chronic pain, illness and disability, forgiveness, life purpose, traumatic brain injury, and women’s issues. Denise uses a strengths-based, collaborative stance that recognizes each person as the expert of their own story while offering practical guidance to build motivation, confidence, and new skills.

She acknowledges the courage it takes to begin therapy and aims to create a supportive environment where goals are clarified and attainable steps are developed. Denise integrates evidence-informed strategies tailored to an individual’s needs and preferences, helping people navigate relationship difficulties, career transitions, and issues related to self-worth with a blend of clinical counseling and coaching experience.

Therapeutic Approaches for Online Support

Denise commonly draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to help people clarify their values, accept difficult thoughts or feelings, and take committed action toward a life that feels meaningful. This approach can be useful for motivation, life purpose work, and adjusting to chronic illness or life changes.

She also uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to identify and shift unhelpful thinking patterns and behaviors, offering practical tools for managing low mood, anxiety, and problem-solving around relationships and career decisions. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills are employed when emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness are priorities, helping clients develop concrete strategies for intense emotions and relationship strain.

Finding the right therapeutic approach is part of the work. Denise collaborates with each person to determine which combination of techniques best fits their needs, goals, and preferences, adjusting the plan as progress unfolds.

Online sessions via video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging offer flexibility for busy schedules, mobility limitations, and geographic constraints. These formats allow licensed professionals to deliver structured interventions, coaching, and skills practice in ways that fit day-to-day life and make it easier to maintain continuity during transitions.