Dorian Ortega , LCPC

Dorian Ortega is an Illinois-based licensed mental health clinician who brings a community-centered, culturally informed approach to therapy. She holds the LCPC credential - Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor - and works from a practice philosophy rooted in liberation, feminist, and multicultural psychology. As a person of color, she emphasizes self-love as a foundation for healing and guides clients toward building strengths, repairing relationships, and creating holistic paths to wellbeing.

Her work centers the needs and experiences of BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ communities and blends client-centered practice with efforts to promote community wellness. She co-founded healing poetry circles to expand access to mental health supports through art, and for the past 2 years she has organized free poetry healing circles and related events in Humboldt Park that use creative expression as a tool for education, resistance, and collective recovery.

Dorian combines clinical practice with community advocacy, using poetry, writing, and social media to cultivate intersectional, restorative connections that uplift marginalized groups. She encourages clients to begin by learning to love themselves and then to strengthen communication and relationships with others as part of creating a healthier future for themselves and their loved ones.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Care

Dorian integrates client centered therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy into her online practice. Client centered therapy focuses on meeting each person with empathy and respect, helping clients explore their values and strengths while the therapist supports growth and self acceptance; it works well for issues related to self esteem, relationships, and identity. Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, helps identify and change unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns through practical exercises and skills training, which can be especially useful for anxiety, depression, and stress management.

She also draws on elements of dialectical behavior therapy when needed to teach emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal skills for clients coping with intense emotions or relationship challenges. Choosing the right approach is collaborative - the therapist and client work together to determine which methods best match the client s goals, needs, and preferences and to adjust the plan as progress unfolds.

Online therapy with Dorian is offered through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text based messaging to provide flexibility and ongoing support. These options make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life, maintain consistent contact, and access licensed professionals from different locations, helping clients stay engaged with their work between sessions.