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DP Portrait of Dina Payne

Dina Payne

Compassionate guidance with practical strategies

LCSW Illinois

Experience
9 years in practice
Focus areas
Stress, Anxiety, Relationship, Family
Approaches
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Client-Centered Therapy
Languages
English
Continue with Dina

About Dina

Dina Payne is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) practicing in Illinois who focuses on helping people manage stress, anxiety, relationship challenges, grief, and other life transitions.

Background and approach

She creates a welcoming, nonjudgmental environment where clients can explore concerns like depression, addiction, trauma, intimacy issues, parenting struggles, and self-esteem, and work toward practical goals. Her background includes work across schools, foster care, and community settings, which informs a versatile, resource-oriented approach.

With nine years of clinical experience, she blends client-centered listening with evidence-informed strategies such as cognitive behavioral techniques and trauma-focused work to tailor plans that fit each person. Dina draws on training in social work and family systems to support couples, families, and individuals through conflict, commitment questions, caregiving stress, and life-stage transitions.

Outside of practice she enjoys walking her dogs, reading, yoga, and crafts, interests that reflect an appreciation for balance and everyday self-care.

How Dina’s Approaches Translate to Online Care



Dina uses cognitive behavioral techniques to help clients identify unhelpful thinking patterns and develop practical skills for managing anxiety, depression, and stress. Those strategies focus on changing thoughts and behaviors through structured exercises and goal-setting. She also draws on client-centered therapy, emphasizing empathic listening and collaboration to create a therapeutic relationship where clients feel heard and guided toward their own solutions.

Choosing the right approach is framed as a collaborative process. The therapist works with each person to explore their needs, goals, and preferences and then adapts methods accordingly, combining listening with targeted interventions when appropriate. Clients are invited to discuss what feels most useful and to adjust the plan as therapy progresses.

Online sessions offer flexible ways to engage with these methods through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. This range of formats can make it easier to maintain consistency during busy or transitional periods, allowing licensed professionals to deliver CBT-informed exercises, supportive conversations, and trauma-aware interventions without requiring in-person visits.

Frequently asked questions

What kinds of concerns does Dina work with?
She addresses a broad range of issues including stress, anxiety, relationship and family problems, depression, addictions, trauma and abuse, grief, intimacy and eating concerns, parenting and career changes, and ADHD.
How would you describe her therapeutic style?
Her style combines client-centered listening with practical techniques from cognitive behavioral therapy and trauma-focused approaches to help clients develop concrete coping strategies and insight.
What is her clinical experience?
She has nine years of clinical experience working in settings that include foster care, colleges, high schools, and individual and couples therapy roles.
What credentials and location are listed?
She is licensed as an LCSW in Illinois with licence number IL LCSW 149.017887 and practices from that state.
Does she offer services in other languages or to international clients?
Sessions are offered in English only, and she is not currently accepting international clients.
What session formats are available?
Clients can connect through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging depending on preference and availability.
How are costs and payment handled?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability and services are provided via a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
What does the initial process look like to begin therapy?
Begin by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions according to therapist availability.

Areas of expertise

Primary focus

Stress, AnxietyRelationship issuesFamily conflictsDepression

Also works with

AddictionsLGBTTrauma and abuseGriefIntimacy-related issuesEating disordersParenting issuesAnger managementSelf esteemCareer difficultiesCoping with life changesADHD

Additional focus areas

Aging and geriatric issuesAttachment issuesCaregiver issues and stressCommitment issuesControl issuesFamily problemsForgivenessGuilt and shameInfidelityIsolation / lonelinessLife purposeMen's issuesMidlife crisisMulticultural concernsPost-traumatic stressPrejudice and discriminationSelf-loveSex addictionSexualitySocial anxiety and phobiaSomatizationWomen's issuesWorkplace issues

Therapeutic approaches

Client-Centered TherapyCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Trauma-Focused Therapy

Experience

9+ years

Licensed

Illinois

Languages

English