Erika Luhn, LCPC

Erika Luhn is a licensed clinical professional counselor with 22 years of experience in Illinois. She helps people who are coping with depression, anxiety, trauma, and relationship strains. Erika focuses on clear, practical steps people can use between sessions to feel steadier day to day.

Erika uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy as a foundation to spot unhelpful thinking and test different ways of responding. She also draws on Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills for emotion regulation and grounding, and EMDR techniques for processing painful memories when appropriate. Mindfulness and solution-focused strategies are woven in to keep sessions goal-oriented and tangible.

Sessions are collaborative and paced to each person’s rhythm. Erika listens for what matters most and then breaks goals into small, doable steps. She often teaches specific tools - breathing or grounding exercises, communication skills, and simple behavioral experiments - so clients can try them between appointments.

Many people come with stress from parenting, family conflict, grief, or life changes. Erika works with issues such as attachment concerns, body image, caregiver strain, and co-occurring mood or attention difficulties. She also supports people processing domestic violence, divorce, or disaster-related disruption.

Erika offers video, phone, live chat, and text-based sessions. Conversations and planning focus on what helps you manage today and build toward change over time. To begin, complete the short matching questionnaire and schedule according to therapist availability.

How these approaches translate to online therapy

Erika commonly uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to identify patterns of thinking that worsen mood and then tries simple behavioral experiments to change those patterns; this approach works well for anxiety, depression, and everyday stress. She also uses Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills training to teach concrete tools for managing strong emotions and improving communication. When trauma memories are a central issue, she may incorporate EMDR-informed strategies to help people process distressing experiences safely.

Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will discuss your goals, try techniques, and adjust the plan as you learn what helps. Sessions aim to match your pace and practical needs rather than follow a rigid script.

Online therapy offers flexibility with video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video lets you practice skills together and use visual cues, phone can be a good option when bandwidth is limited, live chat provides shorter check-ins, and messaging supports ongoing reflection between sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy into busy schedules and to keep practicing tools in real life.