Lori Cheek Gilroy, LCSW

Lori Cheek Gilroy is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) based in Illinois who helps people facing stress, anxiety, depression, grief, trauma, and major life changes. She offers direct, respectful support for parenting challenges, career questions, relationship strain, caregiver stress, and issues that come from adoption or family of origin. Lori speaks plainly and meets people where they are in their lives.

Lori brings 26 years of experience as a counselor and life coach. She has worked in child welfare, family counseling, a family birthing center, crisis intervention, and mental health clinics. That range of settings informs her practical approach to everyday problems and transitions.

Her style centers on the client - she listens first and helps people find their own answers. Lori combines client-centered work with solution-focused steps and cognitive-behavioral ideas to break down problems into manageable parts. She also uses trauma-informed methods when past events are affecting day-to-day life.

Lori describes her work as holistic, attending to mind, body, and spirit. She practices from a Christ-centered philosophy but works respectfully with people from any background or belief system. The focus is on goals that make sense for each person.

In sessions she helps people set clear, achievable goals and works alongside them to try new strategies. People who want a practical plan for coping, healing from loss or trauma, or help balancing caregiving and other demands may find her approach useful.

How therapeutic approaches guide online sessions

Lori uses client-centered work that starts with listening and understanding what matters most to the person. This approach focuses on the client's goals and strengths and helps shape each session around practical steps that fit their life.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is part of her toolkit and helps by identifying unhelpful thought patterns and testing new behaviors. CBT tends to be useful for anxiety, depression, and stress when people want clear strategies to try between sessions.

Motivational Interviewing is also used to support change when someone is unsure or feels stuck. It involves gentle questions to build motivation and clarify next steps the person feels ready to take.

Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will work with each person to pick methods that match their needs, pace, and values. Together they set goals and adjust strategies as progress is made.

If you are considering online work, confirm the specific session formats before booking since the biography does not list them. Online options can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy day, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and reduce travel time. Therapists and licensed professionals can adapt client-centered and CBT techniques to virtual settings to keep the focus on clear goals and practical steps.