Elaine Antin , LCSW

Elaine Antin is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) practicing in Wisconsin with more than 25 years of experience in counseling and psychotherapy. She has worked across public and private hospitals as well as in smaller agency settings, building a broad background in mental health care.

Her clinical work has included supporting people with depression and anxiety, bipolar disorders, and schizophrenia, and she has extensive experience counseling older adults and individuals with physical disabilities. Rather than seeing people as diagnostic labels, she focuses on helping clients learn or re-learn practical coping skills to manage day-to-day challenges.

Known for an open and non-judgmental manner, she brings a calm presence to sessions. Her training includes Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Client-Centered Therapy, humanistic approaches, and Brief Family Therapy, which she weaves together into an eclectic practice tailored to each person. Elaine emphasizes the therapeutic relationship - built on trust, empathy, honesty, and respect - as the foundation for meaningful change.

She balances seriousness with warmth and says that therapy does not always have to be heavy; she often shares moments of laughter with clients and will always laugh with them rather than at them. She looks forward to working with clients who are ready to take steps toward reclaiming their lives.

Core Therapeutic Approaches and Online Support

Elaine Antin draws on Client-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to support people working through a range of emotional and practical challenges. Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes empathetic listening and collaboration, helping clients explore their feelings and build self-understanding so they can navigate life transitions and relationship concerns. CBT focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and behaviors and developing concrete strategies to reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress while improving daily functioning. DBT teaches skills for managing intense emotions, improving distress tolerance, and strengthening interpersonal effectiveness, which can be especially useful when emotions feel overwhelming or relationships are strained.

Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. Elaine will work with each person to consider their needs, goals, and preferences, adapting methods over time so the work fits the individual rather than forcing a single model.

Online therapy options include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging, which make it easier to fit therapy into busy schedules and to connect from different locations. These formats offer flexibility for scheduling, more frequent check-ins when helpful, and the ability to maintain continuity of care for people who travel or live outside the therapist's immediate area.