Dina Payne, LCSW - Therapist in Illinois

About Dina

Dina Payne welcomes parents and caregivers who are feeling overwhelmed, stuck, or worried about family relationships. She aims to create a calm, nonjudgmental space where people can speak honestly about parenting, relationships, stress, and mood struggles. Dina is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker - LCSW - based in Illinois and frames sessions around clear, practical goals.

Dina uses straightforward talk and active listening to help people sort priorities and make changes that fit their life.

Background and approach

She blends Client-Centered work with cognitive tools to address anxious thoughts and avoidant habits. When past trauma affects a relationship or parenting, she draws on trauma-focused methods to reduce its hold on present choices. Her background includes a Master of Social Work from Saint Louis University and nearly a decade of clinical experience.

Dina has worked in schools, with foster care systems, in colleges, and in individual and couples settings. That variety shaped her practical focus on what works day to day for families and partners. In sessions she helps clients build clearer communication, manage stress, and set limits that protect relationships.

She also supports people dealing with grief, addiction concerns, intimacy and betrayal issues, and life transitions. Dina prefers concrete steps and homework that fit busy family schedules. Outside of work she enjoys walking her dogs, reading, practicing yoga, and doing crafts.

Those simple routines often inform how she helps clients build small, sustainable changes.

Approach and accessibility for online family work

Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening closely and following the client's lead. It helps people feel heard, which can open space for clearer decisions about parenting and relationships.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, teaches practical steps to change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors. It is useful for managing anxiety, mood changes, and daily stress that affect family life.

Trauma-Focused Therapy addresses how past events still influence current relationships and parenting. It helps reduce emotional reactivity and supports safer ways of connecting with loved ones.

Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will talk with the client about goals, preferences, and the issues they want to address. Together they decide which methods to try and adjust the plan as progress is made.

Online therapy offers flexibility for busy families. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation from home, while phone sessions, live chat, and text messaging provide alternatives for shorter check-ins or when video is not convenient. These options make it easier to fit therapy around childcare, work, and daily routines, and support steady progress over time.

Client-Centered Therapy

The direction comes from you rather than from a set programme. The therapist offers a warm, non-judgemental space to think out loud and work at your own pace. Online, this rests on the relationship rather than on being in the same room.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

CBT looks at the link between what you think, how you feel, and what you do. You work on noticing unhelpful patterns and practising steadier responses. It suits online sessions well, because much of the work happens between appointments and can be talked through from anywhere.

Trauma-Focused Therapy

Work that takes difficult past experience into account and moves at a pace you set, with attention to feeling steady before anything else. Being in your own space can make that easier for some people.

Frequently asked questions

What concerns does this therapist address?

Dina works with a wide range of family and relationship concerns including stress, anxiety, depression, parenting issues, relationship problems, addictions, trauma and abuse, grief, intimacy and betrayal, and ADHD-related challenges.

What is Dina's therapy style like?

Sessions are conversational and practical. She combines client-centered listening with cognitive behavioral strategies and trauma-focused techniques to help people change unhelpful patterns and cope with difficult emotions.

What training and experience does she have?

She holds a Master of Social Work from Saint Louis University and has nine years of clinical experience in schools, foster care, college settings, and in individual and couples work.

Where is Dina licensed to practice?

She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with license IL LCSW 149.017887 and practices in Illinois.

Which languages are supported in sessions?

Sessions are offered in English.

What session formats are available?

Sessions can be done via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to fit different schedules and comfort levels.

How are costs and billing handled?

Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.

How do I begin working with this therapist?

Start by choosing the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions according to the therapist's availability.

Specialties and expertise

Top specialties

Stress, Anxiety
Relationship issues
Family conflicts

Also works with

Therapeutic approaches

Experience: 9 years
Licensed: Illinois
Languages: English

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