About Dina
Dina Payne offers a calm, straightforward approach for people feeling overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, relationship issues, grief, or life transitions. She aims to create an easy-to-talk-to space where clients can be heard and begin to make small, practical changes. Dina is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Illinois and brings nine years of clinical experience to her work.
She uses clear, goal-oriented conversations to help people identify unhelpful patterns and try different ways of coping.
Background and approach
Sessions tend to focus on problem solving, shifting thoughts and behaviors, and building skills that fit day-to-day life. Dina draws on Client-Centered methods to follow the client’s pace and priorities. Dina’s background includes work in foster care settings, colleges, and high schools, and in individual therapy with adolescents and adults.
That range of experience informs her flexible style and comfort discussing relationship and family concerns. She also has experience addressing issues related to addiction, trauma, grief, and intimacy problems. Practical life matters are a frequent focus - parenting strain, career stress, midlife questions, and caregiving demands.
She brings straightforward guidance for handling anger, low self-esteem, and feelings of isolation. Dina pairs conversational support with Cognitive Behavioral and trauma-focused strategies when they match a client’s needs. Outside of work she enjoys walking her dogs, reading, yoga, and crafts.
Her approach is collaborative: she helps people set realistic goals and try steps that fit their daily routines.
Online approaches that fit your life
Dina uses Client-Centered Therapy to follow a person’s lead, listening closely and responding to what matters most to each individual. This approach helps people feel understood and guides goal setting at a comfortable pace.She also draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and trying practical behavior changes. CBT can be useful for anxiety, depression, stress, and many daily challenges that get in the way of functioning.
Trauma-Focused Therapy is used when past trauma is central to someone’s concerns; it involves careful work to process difficult memories and reduce their impact on current life.
Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the process. Dina works collaboratively with clients to choose methods that match their goals, needs, and preferences. She checks in regularly and adjusts plans if something isn’t working.
Online sessions are offered as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to fit different schedules and situations. Video calls allow fuller face-to-face conversation, phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited, live chat offers a shorter check-in option, and messaging supports ongoing reflection between sessions. These options make it easier to maintain consistent care around work, caregiving, or other commitments.
Frequently asked questions
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Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
Also works with
- Addictions
- ADHD
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Anger management
- Attachment issues
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Commitment issues
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Eating disorders
- Family problems
- Forgiveness
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- Infidelity
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- LGBT
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Midlife crisis
- Multicultural concerns
- Parenting issues
- Post-traumatic stress
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Self esteem
- Self-love
- Sex addiction
- Sexuality
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Somatization
- Trauma and abuse
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 9 years
- Licensed
- Illinois
- Languages
- English