About John
John Dinauer brings 30 years of clinical experience to his Illinois practice, concentrating on stress, anxiety, addictions, depression, and coping with life changes.
Background and approach
He also works with clients facing issues such as abandonment, aging and geriatric concerns, chronic pain and illness, communication problems, HIV/AIDS, isolation, life purpose questions, men’s issues, midlife crisis, and sexual and process addictions. Dinauer’s LCSW credential reflects long-term work in social work and psychotherapy.
His style emphasizes individualized care that meets clients where they are, offering an affirming approach for LGBT individuals and attention to alternative relationship dynamics including BDSM and kink culture. He blends practical coping strategies with exploration of patterns that contribute to addictive behaviors and relationship strain.
Over three decades he has developed skills in helping people reduce distress, strengthen communication, and navigate major transitions. Clients can expect a nonjudgmental clinical stance that balances empathy with clear goals for recovery and personal growth.
Dinauer adapts interventions to each person’s situation, drawing on evidence-based therapeutic techniques to foster resilience and support meaningful change.
Evidence-Informed Care Online and Finding the Right Fit
Two evidence-based approaches commonly used by licensed professionals and reflected in this practice are cognitive-behavioral techniques and relapse prevention strategies. Cognitive-behavioral techniques help clients identify and shift unhelpful thoughts and behaviors that drive anxiety, depression, or stress, and are useful for building concrete coping skills. Relapse prevention strategies focus on recognizing triggers, developing practical plans for high-risk situations, and strengthening habits that support recovery from substance or process addictions.Another helpful method often incorporated is strengths-based work, which emphasizes clients' existing resources and capacities to foster meaning, life purpose, and resilience. These approaches are explained in accessible terms and adapted to each person's concerns rather than applied rigidly.
Choosing an approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will work with clients to assess needs, goals, and personal preferences, and then recommend techniques that fit those factors. Clients can expect ongoing adjustment of methods as therapy progresses to ensure the best possible match.
Online therapy offers practical flexibility through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. These formats make it easier to schedule regular sessions, maintain continuity during life changes, and access professional support from different locations within Illinois. They also allow therapists to combine real-time conversations with messaging-based check-ins to reinforce progress between sessions.
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Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
Also works with
- Abandonment
- Aging and geriatric issues
- BDSM, kink, and alternative sex culture
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Communication problems
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- HIV / AIDS
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Midlife crisis
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Sex addiction
- Experience
- 30 years
- Licensed
- Illinois
- Languages
- English