Kristilee (Kristi) Cappaert, LCSW, LISW

About Kristilee

Kristilee (Kristi) Cappaert is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a Licensed Independent Social Worker who focuses on family and parenting concerns. She speaks calmly and directly with parents who are worried about stress, anxiety, grief, depression, addictions, or relationship problems. Kristi aims to make the first step feel manageable and practical.

She keeps conversations straightforward and centered on what matters most to the family. Kristi uses tools from several therapy styles to meet real-life needs.

Background and approach

She draws on Client-Centered Therapy to listen and respond to each family's priorities. She uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and Motivational Interviewing to help people change thoughts, manage strong emotions, and set workable goals. Mindfulness practices are used to help people stay present and reduce reactivity.

Her background includes more than five years of counseling work across Illinois and Iowa. Kristi has supported children, teens, adults, couples, and families with everyday parenting struggles and major life shifts. She holds an IL LCSW license and an IA LISW license and brings practical experience with blended families, caregiver stress, hospice and end-of-life concerns, and divorces.

In sessions she focuses on clear steps and doable skills. Parents can expect a mix of listening, problem solving, and hands-on strategies they can try at home. The aim is steady progress rather than overnight fixes.

Kristi provides services from Iowa in English. Sessions are offered through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to fit busy family schedules.

Therapeutic approaches for online family work

Kristi commonly uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Client-Centered Therapy in online sessions. CBT focuses on identifying and changing unhelpful thoughts and behaviors, which can help with anxiety, depression, parenting stress, and relationship patterns. Client-Centered Therapy centers on listening and validating what a family is going through, helping members feel heard and more able to decide on next steps.

She also draws on Dialectical Behavior Therapy for emotion regulation when families face intense reactions or communication breakdowns. DBT teaches concrete skills for tolerating distress, managing strong emotions, and improving interactions between family members.

Finding the right approach is collaborative. Kristi works with each family to pick methods that match goals, needs, and comfort with different techniques. She adjusts the plan as people try strategies and share what is or isn’t working.

Online therapy offers flexibility for busy households. Video calls let families meet face to face from home, phone sessions work when screens aren’t practical, and live chat or text-based messaging provides shorter check-ins and follow-up between sessions. These options make it easier to fit consistent support into family routines while working on clear skills and steps.

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.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

Concrete skills for riding out strong emotion, tolerating distress, and handling relationships without things escalating. The skills are practised in daily life, so between-session support by message or phone fits naturally.

Frequently asked questions

What family and parenting concerns does Kristi address?

Kristi supports families with stress, parenting challenges, relationship and family problems, grief, depression, anxiety, addictions, intimacy issues, anger, self-esteem, and coping with life changes.

How would you describe her therapy style?

She combines listening-focused, client-centered work with practical, skills-based approaches like CBT and DBT to help families manage emotions and change unhelpful patterns.

What is Kristi's professional background?

Kristi has five years of counseling experience in Illinois and Iowa and has worked with children, adolescents, adults, couples, and families across a range of issues.

What credentials and location apply to her practice?

She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in Illinois, IL LCSW 149.021037, and a Licensed Independent Social Worker (LISW) in Iowa, IA LISW 008203, and practices from Iowa.

Which languages are supported for sessions?

Sessions are offered in English.

What session formats are available?

Appointments can be via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to suit different family schedules.

How are costs and billing handled?

Costs vary with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.

What steps are needed to begin working together?

Start by selecting 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

Therapeutic approaches

Experience: 5 years
Licensed: Illinois, Iowa, New Jersey
Languages: English

Next step

Talk to Kristilee

Takes a few minutes to look through
Nothing to set up just to read
Stop at any point

Explore online therapy options