About Lauren
Lauren Oestmann is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) based in Illinois with 15 years of experience across diverse clinical settings.
Background and approach
She has provided care in residential substance abuse programs, adoption preservation services, corrections, and work with children, teens, and families, cultivating a broad skill set for addressing complex life challenges. Lauren emphasizes practical, evidence-based interventions tailored to each person's needs.
Her approach blends client-centered and strength-based perspectives with solution-focused strategies to help people build coping skills and achieve tangible change.
She draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to address patterns of thought and behavior, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) for emotion regulation and distress tolerance, Motivational Interviewing to support readiness for change, and Trauma-Focused Therapy for working with traumatic experiences. Lauren aims to collaborate with clients to identify goals and develop personalized steps toward them.
She works with concerns including stress, anxiety, addictions, trauma and abuse, anger, depression, grief, intimacy-related issues, sleep problems, parenting challenges, self-esteem, career questions, bipolar disorder, ADHD, compassion fatigue, and coping with life changes. Lauren communicates in English and practices under Illinois LCSW license number IL LCSW 149.014605.
Therapeutic Approaches and Online Care
Lauren often uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) in her clinical work. CBT focuses on identifying and changing unhelpful thoughts and behaviors to reduce symptoms like anxiety or depression and to improve daily functioning. DBT emphasizes skill-building for emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and improving interpersonal effectiveness, which can be helpful for intense emotions and relationship challenges.Finding the right approach is treated as a collaborative process. She works with clients to assess needs, goals, and preferences, then tailors interventions so the methods fit the person rather than forcing a single model. This collaborative stance allows adjustments over time as goals change or new issues arise.
Online therapy with Lauren is offered via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging, providing practical flexibility for varying schedules and comfort levels. These formats make it easier to maintain continuity of care when life is busy or travel is difficult, and they allow licensed professionals to deliver evidence-informed techniques and ongoing support in ways that fit into clients' daily lives.
Frequently asked questions
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Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
Also works with
- ADHD
- Anger management
- Bipolar disorder
- Career difficulties
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Family conflicts
- Grief
- Intimacy-related issues
- Parenting issues
- Relationship issues
- Self esteem
- Sleeping disorders
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 15 years
- Licensed
- Illinois
- Languages
- English