About Ellen
Ellen Ortiz brings seven years of clinical experience as a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT), practicing in Illinois. She centers her work on helping people navigate relationship tensions, family conflict, trauma and abuse, parenting challenges, and major life transitions.
Background and approach
Ellen frames clients as the experts of their own stories and looks for existing strengths she can help them build on as they pursue greater satisfaction and meaning. Her practice also attends to concerns such as abandonment and attachment struggles, caregiver stress, communication breakdowns, divorce and separation, and issues around guilt, shame, and forgiveness.
Ellen has supported clients through pregnancy and childbirth concerns, post-traumatic stress, midlife questions, and explorations of self-love and life purpose. She prefers video and phone sessions for most therapeutic work and uses text primarily for appointment confirmations or last-minute updates.
Clients access services in English and through the therapist’s Illinois practice.
Evidence-Based Approaches and Online Therapeutic Care
Ellen uses evidence-based therapeutic techniques that focus on relationships and healing after trauma. One approach helps people explore attachment patterns - examining how early bonds influence current relationship expectations and communication, which can be useful for resolving conflict and improving connection. Another approach targets recovery from traumatic events and abuse by helping clients process painful memories and reduce their ongoing emotional impact, which supports better daily functioning and resilience.
Choosing the best approach is a collaborative process. Ellen works with clients to identify goals and preferences, then tailors methods to fit those needs rather than prescribing a single path. Together they assess what feels most useful and adjust over time as goals evolve.
Online sessions are offered via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to increase flexibility. These options make it easier to fit therapy into busy schedules, maintain continuity during life changes, and access support from home. Ellen prefers video and phone for most therapeutic work and uses text mainly for appointment confirmations or last-minute updates, providing practical accessibility while focusing on the therapeutic relationship.
Frequently asked questions
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Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
- Trauma and abuse
Also works with
- Experience
- 7 years
- Licensed
- Nevada, Illinois
- Languages
- English