Lisa Abrams, LCPC, CSADC, MCAP, ICADC, CIP

About

Drug & Alcohol Counselor in Chicago, IL. Works with Addiction, Dual Diagnosis and Chronic Relapse. Sees clients online only. Accepting new clients.

Areas of expertise

• Anger Management
• Anxiety
• Bisexual
• Coping Skills
• Depression
• Family Conflict
• Grief
• Lesbian
• Life Coaching
• Life Transitions
• Parenting
• Peer Relationships
• Relationship Issues
• School Issues
• Self Esteem
• Stress Management

Types of therapy

• Acceptance and Commitment (ACT)Helps people make room for difficult thoughts and feelings instead of fighting them, and commit to actions that fit what matters to them.
• Art TherapyUses drawing, painting or other art-making to express and explore feelings, with a therapist trained in art therapy. No artistic skill is needed.
• Clinical Supervision and Licensed SupervisorsNot a therapy for clients: this therapist supervises other clinicians, for example those working toward their license.
• CoachingGoal-focused work on the present and future, such as career, performance or life changes, rather than treatment of a mental health condition.
• Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)A structured, practical therapy that looks at how thoughts, feelings and actions affect each other, and teaches skills for changing unhelpful thinking and habits.
• Compassion FocusedHelps people who are hard on themselves to build warmth and compassion toward themselves, as a counterweight to shame and self-criticism.
• Culturally SensitiveTakes a person's culture, identity, background and values into account, and shapes the work so it fits their life.
• Dialectical Behavior (DBT)A skills-based therapy grown out of CBT. Teaches ways to manage intense emotions, get through crises, stay present and handle relationships.
• EclecticUses techniques from several approaches, chosen to suit the person and the problem rather than following one model.
• Emotionally FocusedTreats emotions as a guide to change. Often used with couples, to understand patterns of conflict and rebuild a secure bond.
• ExistentialExplores life's big questions, such as meaning, freedom, choice, loneliness and death, and how they connect to a person's struggles.
• Experiential TherapyUses activities such as role-play, movement, art or guided imagery to work through feelings in the moment, not only to talk about them.
• Family / MaritalTherapy with couples or families together, focused on communication, conflict and the patterns between people.
• Family Invitational Intervention
• Family SystemsSees a person as part of their family as a whole, and explores roles, patterns and communication across the family rather than one person's problems alone.
• GestaltFocuses on the here and now, and on noticing what a person is feeling and doing in the moment, often through experiments such as role-play.
• HumanisticA family of approaches, including person-centered and Gestalt therapy, that emphasize growth, self-awareness and a person's capacity to choose.
• IntegrativeCombines more than one therapy approach, fitted to the person's needs.
• InterpersonalA structured, time-limited therapy focused on relationships and life events, such as conflict, loss or big role changes, and how they affect mood.
• InterventionHelp planning and running an intervention, where family and friends come together to encourage someone, often with an addiction, to accept treatment.
• Mindfulness-Based (MBCT)Combines mindfulness practice, paying attention to the present moment without judgment, with ideas from cognitive therapy.
• Motivational InterviewingA collaborative style of conversation that helps people explore mixed feelings about a change and find their own reasons to make it.
• MulticulturalRecognizes how culture, race, ethnicity and other identities shape experience, and makes them part of the work.
• NarrativeHelps people separate themselves from their problems and retell the stories they hold about their lives in ways that feel truer and more helpful.
• Person-CenteredA warm, non-directive approach: the therapist listens with empathy and without judgment, and trusts the person to find their own direction.
• Positive PsychologyFocuses on well-being, strengths, gratitude and what makes life fulfilling, alongside working through difficulties.
• PsychodynamicExplores how past experiences, relationships and feelings outside awareness shape how a person thinks and acts today.
• Rational Emotive Behavior (REBT)A form of cognitive therapy that finds rigid beliefs, such as 'I must be perfect', and replaces them with more flexible ones.
• RelationalSees relationships as central to well-being. The relationship with the therapist is used to understand and change patterns in other relationships.
• Solution Focused Brief (SFBT)A short-term, goal-focused approach that spends less time on problems and more on what already works and the small steps toward what the person wants.
• Strength-BasedFocuses on the strengths, skills and resources a person already has, and builds on them to meet challenges.
• TranspersonalIncludes spiritual experience, such as meditation or a sense of connection beyond the self, as part of therapy.
• Trauma FocusedTherapy for people affected by trauma. Puts safety and pacing first, and helps process painful memories so they have less hold on daily life.
• Twelve Step Facilitation

More details

Sessions

Online only

Accepting new clients

Yes

Specialties

Addiction, Dual Diagnosis, Chronic Relapse, Alcohol Use, Anger Management, Anxiety, Behavioral Issues, Bipolar Disorder, Bisexual, Chronic Impulsivity, Codependency, Coping Skills, Depression, Drug Abuse, Emotional Disturbance, Family Conflict, Grief, Impulse Control Disorders, Infidelity, Lesbian, LGBTQ+, Life Coaching, Life Transitions, Marital and Premarital, Men's Issues, Mood Disorders, Oppositional Defiance (ODD), Parenting, Peer Relationships, Polyamory & ENM, Relationship Issues, School Issues, Self Esteem, Spirituality, Stress, SUBSTANCE ABUSE & MENTAL HEALTH INTERVENTION, Substance Use, Testing and Evaluation, Women's Issues

Fees

Sliding scale available

Ages

Teen, Adults, Elders (65+)

Works with

Individuals, Couples, Family

Communities

Aviation Professionals

Languages

English

Gender

Female

Education

Illinois School of Professional Psychology

Years in practice

24

Education & qualifications