Wendy Van Keulen

Wendy Van Keulen is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) in Illinois with more than 15 years of experience. She focuses on relationship challenges, trauma and abuse, grief and loss, parenting concerns, and the stress of major life changes. She speaks English and Spanish and aims to treat people with respect and compassion.

Wendy shapes conversations and plans to match each person’s situation. She listens for what matters most, then adapts how she works so sessions feel practical and relevant. That can mean talking through communication patterns, coping strategies for grief, or ways to manage reminders of past trauma.

Her background includes long-term work with adults facing caregiving demands, blended family concerns, and the strains that come with aging or end-of-life planning. She also supports people dealing with attachment wounds, dissociation, immigration stress, and isolation. Divorce and separation are among the life transitions she addresses as part of broader relationship and adjustment work.

Wendy encourages small, realistic steps that fit into daily life. She centers respect, sensitivity, and straightforward conversation rather than clinical jargon. Clients can expect a tailored plan that aims to build useful skills and clearer thinking about next steps.

Taking the first step can feel daunting. Wendy frames beginning therapy as a collaborative process and offers steady support while people try new approaches and adapt to change.

Therapeutic approaches and how they translate to online work

Wendy uses evidence-based therapeutic techniques that focus on real-life problems and practical skills. One approach emphasizes building coping skills and strategies for managing grief, trauma responses, and strong emotions; this helps people notice triggers and try concrete steps to reduce distress. Another common focus is relationship work that examines communication patterns and teaches ways to set boundaries and improve how people talk about needs and conflict.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Wendy collaborates with each person to decide which techniques fit their goals and preferences, and she adjusts the plan as needs change. That means clients help shape what gets prioritized in sessions and which exercises are realistic to try between meetings.

Confirm current session options before booking, as formats are not specified in the profile. In general, online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week, reduce travel time, and allow for follow-up conversations without rearranging an entire day. It can also let someone choose a quieter check-in when they only need a brief update or pick a meeting style that matches their energy level on a given day.