PuttingFamilyFirst

The therapist listings are provided by BetterHelp and we will earn a commission if you use our link - at no cost to you.

GD Portrait of Gina Dunphy
Online therapist

Gina Dunphy

Compassionate, experienced social worker for parents and individuals

Book with Gina
Credentials
LCSW
Experience
30 years
Licensed in
Illinois
Languages
English
Format
Online sessions

About Gina

Gina Dunphy is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with 30 years of experience who offers practical, down-to-earth support. She speaks English and accepts international clients. Gina aims to make sessions feel like a clear, steady conversation so parents and individuals can address the things that matter most to them.

Her style is flexible and client-directed. Some people come for focused problem solving. Others want a reflective space to sort feelings and get feedback.

Background and approach

Gina adapts to those needs and focuses on what the client wants to accomplish. Gina uses a mix of approaches including mindfulness practices and trauma-informed techniques. She also draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy tools to help change unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns.

Sessions often include practical steps someone can try between meetings. With training as a social worker and a long career in the field, Gina brings experience and calm to sessions. She works with a wide range of concerns such as stress, anxiety, depression, grief, trauma and addictions, along with topics like intimacy, body image, and family stress.

Appointments are offered through video calls, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging. Therapy is provided under her Illinois license, LCSW 149.020866, and uses a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.

Therapeutic approaches and online work

Gina commonly uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Mindfulness Therapy as part of her online practice. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy helps identify and change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors, which can reduce anxiety and improve mood. Mindfulness Therapy teaches simple attention and breathing practices to manage stress and increase presence in daily life.

She also brings trauma-focused ideas into sessions when past hurts are getting in the way of daily functioning. Trauma-focused work looks at how difficult experiences continue to affect thoughts, feelings, and behavior, and introduces steps to reduce their hold over time.

Finding the right approach is part of the process. Gina works collaboratively to decide which methods fit a client's goals, needs, and preferences. Sessions can shift over time as progress is made or priorities change.

Online therapy offers practical flexibility. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation, phone sessions give a simple option without video, and live chat or text-based messaging can help people keep work going between sessions. These formats make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life and to maintain continuity when schedules or locations change.

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.

Existential Therapy

Takes the larger questions seriously: meaning, choice, mortality, responsibility. Suited to periods when the difficulty is less a symptom than a sense that something has to change.

Mindfulness Therapy

Attention training: noticing thoughts and physical feelings as they arrive without being carried off by them. Much of it is practice you do yourself, so guidance over video or audio works much as it would in person.

Frequently asked questions

What issues does this therapist address?
Gina focuses on concerns such as stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, grief, addictions, intimacy issues, eating and sleeping problems, and family-related stress.
What is the therapeutic style like?
The approach is eclectic and client-directed. Sessions may be problem-solving focused or more reflective, depending on what the client prefers.
How much experience does this clinician have?
She has 30 years of experience as a social worker and brings long-term professional experience to sessions.
What credentials and location are listed?
The therapist is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Illinois LCSW 149.020866, practicing from Illinois.
In which languages are sessions offered?
Sessions are offered in English and international clients are accepted.
What session formats are available?
Gina offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to suit different needs and schedules.
How does payment and cost work?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working together?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to therapist availability.

Specialties and expertise

Top specialties

Also works with

Therapeutic approaches

Experience
30 years
Licensed
Illinois
Languages
English

Next step

Talk to Gina

  • Takes a few minutes
  • Nothing to set up just to look
  • Stop at any point
Book with Gina