Cyd O'Neal, LCPC

Cyd O'Neal is a licensed counselor in Illinois with 25 years of professional experience. She meets people where they are and helps them tackle stress, anxiety, depression, relationship concerns, and low self-esteem. Her style is direct and practical, aimed at small changes that make daily life easier.

She treats motivation and life transitions as work to be done together. Cyd listens for strengths in each person and builds on those strengths when planning steps forward. Sessions focus on clear goals and actions rather than long explanations.

Cyd uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, motivational interviewing, and solution-focused techniques to shape sessions. That means she helps people notice unhelpful thoughts, increase motivation for change, and try small, testable strategies that can improve routines and relationships.

She has a long history of supporting people managing caregiver stress, blended family challenges, aging and geriatric issues, and communication problems. Cyd also focuses on social anxiety, women's issues, life purpose, and self-love as they come up in sessions.

Cyd aims to create a practical plan each week. She helps people set realistic steps, track progress, and adjust the plan when needed. The approach is collaborative, straightforward, and tuned to what each person wants to achieve.

Evidence-informed approaches for online care

CBT helps people identify unhelpful thought patterns and change behaviors that keep problems going; it is often used for anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem. Motivational interviewing focuses on building a person's own reasons for change and strengthening commitment to goals, which can help when motivation feels low. Solution-focused therapy centers on small, practical steps and what’s already working, so sessions can quickly produce manageable actions to try between meetings.

Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will work with each person to match methods to their goals, needs, and preferences and will adjust the plan as progress is tracked. This means trying strategies, seeing what helps, and shifting focus when something isn’t working.

Online sessions are offered via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to provide flexibility. Video is useful for a fuller conversation and visual cues. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited or for brief check-ins. Live chat and text messaging suit quick updates, homework review, or when written reflection feels more comfortable. These options make it easier to fit therapy into busy lives and maintain momentum between appointments.