Christina Steele-Lietz, LMSW, LCSW

Christina Steele-Lietz uses a practical, person-centered approach to help people feel steadier in their daily lives. She blends Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with acceptance-based and emotionally focused work to help clients manage stress, anxiety, trauma, grief, and mood concerns. Christina holds a Master of Social Work and is licensed as an LCSW and an LMSW. She has twenty years of clinical experience and practices in Illinois.

In sessions she listens without judgment and treats people as equals. Conversations focus on clear facts, workable strategies, and discovering what matters most to each person. She helps people learn ways to respond to things they cannot control and to soothe themselves through pain and loss.

Christina draws on CBT to identify unhelpful thinking and to build practical coping skills. She also uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy ideas to clarify values and guide meaningful action. Emotionally focused techniques support people who want to improve connection and process difficult feelings.

Her background includes broad clinical work with issues such as relationship and intimacy concerns, parenting and blended-family stress, adoption and foster care, chronic illness, first responder issues, and identity-related challenges including gender dysphoria and LGBT topics. She also supports people dealing with eating and sleeping problems, anger, low self-esteem, career transitions, and caregiver strain.

Christina aims to create a calm workspace where thoughts and feelings can be shared openly. She meets people where they are and helps them move toward a life that fits their values and goals.

How therapeutic approaches translate to online care

Christina commonly integrates Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in online work. CBT focuses on spotting unhelpful thoughts and practicing concrete skills to manage anxiety, mood, sleep, or eating-related problems. ACT helps people clarify values and take committed action even when difficult feelings are present, which can be useful for life transitions and grief.

She takes a collaborative approach to choosing methods. The therapist will talk with each person about their needs and goals and then try approaches that fit. Together they will adjust methods based on what helps most, making changes as progress unfolds.

Online sessions are offered by video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging to fit different needs. Video is helpful for longer weekly sessions and face-to-face conversation. Phone sessions work well when bandwidth is limited or a shorter check-in is needed. Chat and text messaging let people share between sessions or check in when schedules are tight. These options aim to make therapy more flexible and easier to fit into daily life.