Lori Cheek Gilroy, LCSW

Lori Cheek Gilroy is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in Illinois with 26 years of counseling and coaching experience. She greets people with warmth and aims to make the first steps toward change feel manageable. Lori listens first and helps people set clear, realistic goals for what they want to change in life.

She focuses on common struggles like stress, anxiety, low self-esteem, depression, grief, and coping with life changes. Parenting concerns, caregiver stress, chronic illness or pain, and trauma are among the issues she addresses. Lori also helps people dealing with career transitions, isolation, and questions about life purpose.

Her approach centers on the client. Lori uses Client-Centered Therapy to understand each person's goals. She combines practical tools from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Solution-Focused Therapy to build small, doable steps forward. Motivational Interviewing helps when people feel stuck and unsure how to change.

Lori has worked in a range of settings over her career, including child welfare, family counseling, a birthing center, crisis intervention, and community mental health. That variety shaped her ability to work with different life situations and stresses. She describes her perspective as holistic and faith-informed, while aiming to respect each person's beliefs.

Her style is respectful, direct, and encouraging. Lori frames the client as the expert in their life and offers guidance to uncover practical solutions. People who want a collaborative, goal-focused process tend to do well with this approach.

How Lori’s Approaches Translate to Online Work

Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and reflecting so the client leads the pace and topic; online sessions still allow that open, person-led conversation. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) offers structured tools to notice patterns of thought and try different behaviors, which can be practiced between sessions and tracked during remote meetings. Motivational Interviewing helps when someone feels unsure about change by exploring ambivalence and building motivation in short, focused conversations.

Choosing the best approach is part of the work together. Lori will talk with each person about their goals and preferences and recommend techniques that fit. This is a collaborative process, and approaches can be adjusted as needs evolve.

If you are considering online sessions, confirm the specific session formats offered before booking. Many people find remote work helps fit therapy into busy lives - it can reduce travel time, make it easier to schedule around work or caregiving, and allow brief check-ins when a full in-person visit isn’t practical. Ask about the available session options so you can pick what best fits your daily routine.