Skip Dettman, LCSW

Skip Dettman is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) practicing in Illinois with 13 years of professional experience supporting people through difficult life challenges. She focuses on helping individuals manage stress, anxiety, depression, and issues related to trauma and addiction while also addressing relationship and family dynamics. Her practice emphasizes an inclusive, compassionate stance that respects each person’s background and personal story.

Dettman works with a broad range of concerns including self-esteem, grief, parenting struggles, and the impacts of past abuse. She also addresses more specific areas such as abandonment, codependency, family of origin issues, first responder challenges, and substance use. Her therapeutic approach blends evidence-informed methods to help clients build insight, develop healthier coping strategies, and strengthen resilience over time.

Clients are invited into a collaborative process in which Skip helps clarify goals and supports practical steps toward change. She aims to create a welcoming, nonjudgmental environment where people can explore emotions, process difficult experiences, and move toward meaningful personal growth under the guidance of a licensed clinician.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Care

Skip Dettman integrates client-centered therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and EMDR into her work. Client-centered therapy focuses on building a respectful, collaborative relationship so the person feels heard and valued; it supports self-exploration and personal growth. Cognitive behavioral therapy is a practical, skills-based method that helps identify and change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors contributing to anxiety, depression, and stress. EMDR is a trauma-focused approach that helps process distressing memories and reduce their emotional intensity, often used when past events continue to affect daily life.

Choosing the right approach is part of the therapeutic process. Skip works together with each person to understand goals, preferences, and presenting concerns, then tailors interventions that fit the individual’s needs rather than applying a one-size-fits-all method. This collaborative planning helps ensure the therapy feels relevant and workable.

Online therapy offers flexibility in how sessions take place, with options for video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. These formats make it easier to arrange care around work, family, or mobility needs and allow consistent access to support from a licensed professional when in-person visits are difficult to schedule.