Erica Gilmore, LCPC

Erica Gilmore is a licensed clinical professional counselor in Illinois who helps people manage stress, anxiety, depression, trauma, and addictions. She focuses on practical steps clients can use right away. Her style is straightforward and respectful, with an emphasis on the client’s own strengths and choices.

Erica uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people spot unhelpful thoughts and change behaviors that keep problems going. She also draws on client-centered methods to create a warm, nonjudgmental space where people can set their own goals. When emotion regulation is needed, she brings in Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills to teach coping tools and reduce intense reactions.

Clients can expect short-term strategies and longer-term work on patterns that cause recurring distress. Sessions often include clear goal setting, homework between meetings, and simple skills practice. Erica encourages people to try different techniques and keep what works for them.

With seven years holding the LCPC license in Illinois, she blends practical therapy with a focus on personal meaning and relationships. That can look like talking through communication habits, grieving losses, or sorting out career and identity questions. Erica aims to help people feel more capable and steady in their daily lives.

She welcomes conversations about intimacy, parenting stress, ADHD, caregiver strain, body image, and other concerns listed in her specialties. Her approach is collaborative - she listens first, then builds a plan with each person.

How Erica’s approaches translate to online therapy

Erica commonly uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people notice and change unhelpful thought patterns and behaviors. CBT can be useful for anxiety, depression, stress, and many everyday worries because it focuses on specific skills and short-term goals. She also uses client-centered work to create a respectful space where the person sets the pace and topics for therapy, which helps when navigating identity, relationship, or life-change concerns.

Erica can also draw on Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills when strong emotions or impulsive behaviors feel overwhelming. DBT techniques teach practical ways to regulate emotions, tolerate distress, and improve interpersonal effectiveness. She combines these methods based on what a person needs, discussing options together and adjusting the plan over time so therapy fits the individual’s goals and preferences.

Online therapy offers flexibility through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. Video is helpful for deeper conversation and skill practice, phone can work when bandwidth is limited or a quick check-in is needed, and chat or messaging suit brief updates, homework check-ins, or people who prefer written communication. These formats make it easier to fit therapy into work, caregiving, or other routines while keeping the focus on practical tools and steady progress.