Dorian Ortega , LCPC

Dorian Ortega is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) based in Illinois who centers her work on BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ communities. She draws on liberation, feminist, and multicultural psychology to create a healing practice that emphasizes self-love as the foundation for growth and recovery. Dorian guides clients toward strengthening their relationships with themselves and others while helping them identify practical, holistic ways to manage stress, trauma, and life transitions.

As a clinician and community advocate, she co-founded healing poetry circles to increase accessibility to mental health resources and to foster cultural expression as a tool for education, resistance, and collective recovery. Over the past two years she has organized free poetry healing circles and community events in Humboldt Park that use art to support inclusive, community-centered wellness.

Her client-centered approach prioritizes empathy, collaboration, and the development of individual strengths. In addition to her clinical work, she uses poetry, writing, and social media to nurture intersectional and restorative connections that uplift marginalized communities and support long-term healing.

Approaches and Online Support for Community-Centered Healing

Dorian Ortega draws on client-centered therapy to create a warm, collaborative environment where the client’s goals and values guide each session. This approach focuses on empathy, active listening, and building self-acceptance to address issues like relationship struggles, self-esteem, and identity concerns.

She also uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help clients identify and change unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns that contribute to anxiety, depression, and stress. CBT offers practical skills for managing symptoms and improving daily functioning.

Additionally, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills are applied when clients need tools for emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and improving interpersonal effectiveness. These skills can be especially helpful for intense emotions, impulsivity, and relationship difficulties.

Finding the right therapeutic approach is part of the work itself, and Dorian collaborates with each person to determine which methods align with their needs, goals, and preferences. This collaborative process helps shape a tailored plan that may combine elements of different approaches.

Online sessions are available via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging, offering flexibility for varied schedules and life situations. These options make therapy more accessible for people who travel, live abroad, or need alternatives to in-person visits, while still allowing licensed professionals and therapists to provide consistent, skills-based care.