About Ryan
Ryan Sheehan is a licensed clinical social worker with six years of professional experience helping people navigate stress, anxiety, depression, self-esteem concerns, and challenges related to LGBT identity.
Background and approach
He also supports clients facing ADHD, addictions, grief, trauma and abuse, intimacy-related issues, parenting concerns, career transitions, bipolar disorder, and other life changes. He approaches each person as the expert of their own story and emphasizes building on existing strengths to move toward a more satisfying life.
His style blends practical skill-building with empathic listening, drawing on evidence-informed methods such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Emotionally-Focused Therapy, and client-centered principles. That mix allows him to tailor interventions to emotional regulation, relationship patterns, and values-based change while honoring the individual’s pace and perspective.
Licensed in Illinois (and also holding licensure in Virginia), he frames the therapeutic journey as a collaborative process and offers steady, supportive guidance for people ready to take that first courageous step.
Using Practical Therapies Online for Lasting Change
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people clarify their values and take committed steps toward a meaningful life while learning to accept difficult thoughts and feelings rather than getting stuck by them. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying and changing unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns to reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress. Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) attends to emotional experiences and interpersonal patterns to strengthen emotional connections and address attachment-related concerns.Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic work, and the therapist will collaborate with clients to determine which methods best match their needs, goals, and preferences. That collaboration may include trying different strategies and adjusting focus over time so the plan fits the person rather than expecting a one-size-fits-all solution.
Online therapy offers practical flexibility through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging, making it easier to schedule sessions around work, family, and other responsibilities. These formats support continuity of care and allow licensed professionals to deliver structured interventions, skills practice, and ongoing feedback without requiring travel, which can help maintain momentum during life transitions or periods of high stress.
Frequently asked questions
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Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
Also works with
- Abandonment
- Addictions
- ADHD
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Anger management
- Attachment issues
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- BDSM, kink, and alternative sex culture
- Bipolar disorder
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Emptiness
- Family conflicts
- Family of origin issues
- Forgiveness
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- HIV / AIDS
- Impulsivity
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Mood disorders
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Parenting issues
- Personality disorders
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Post-traumatic stress
- Relationship issues
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-love
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sexuality
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Somatization
- Trauma and abuse
- Traumatic brain injury
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 6 years
- Licensed
- Illinois, Virginia
- Languages
- English