April Lacey

Welcome! My name is April Lacey, and I am a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in Illinois and work with clients statewide via telehealth. I see clients coping with anxiety, depression, relationship issues, trauma, and self-esteem concerns.

My approach

My approach focuses on fostering a strong collaborative relationship with clients to reach their goals. I value genuineness and believe in meeting clients where they are while treating everyone with respect and compassion. I use an integrative approach of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Client-Centered, Trauma- Focused, Mindfulness, Trust-Based Relational Intervention, Strength-based Interventions, Motivational Interviewing, and Solution-Focused Therapy to help my clients.

My focus

Often the clients I see are adults and teen populations that deal with life transition challenges, anxiety, depression, self-esteem, defiance issues, relationship concerns, and work stress. In my years of experience, I have worked in a variety of therapeutic settings such as psychiatric units, crisis lines, and community mental health agencies with youth and families impacted by the juvenile justice system.

My communication style

I would describe my communication style as welcoming, calm, and encouraging. I focus on creating a safe, non-judgmental, and encouraging space for clients to share their experiences and thoughts in session. I want my clients to feel comfortable being their authentic selves in session as I believe this is an important element of our work together.

My journey to mental healthcare

There are times in life when we hit a rough patch, lose direction, or encounter difficulty adjusting or coping with changes that occur in life. These experiences can be overwhelming and often can cause us to doubt our ability to overcome them. I decided to become a therapist because I wanted to help people rediscover their strengths and the tools they have within themselves to cope with life's challenges. I believe that clients are truly the experts of their own lives, and we are not the things that happen to us. I believe that owning this and working through it can help us heal from those experiences and become more connected with our authentic selves.

My goals for you

I approach goal setting with clients as a collaborative effort. I work alongside clients to identify goals that they believe are the most important for them to achieve during our time together. This starts with us building trust and rapport with one another in our sessions so that we can create a strong team environment to assist with goal achievement. I also pride myself on being flexible as I understand goals can shift as clients begin exploring other areas of their lives in session.

My first session with you

During our first session together, you can expect us to spend the majority of our time talking about how you have been feeling recently and asking further questions about you, to get to know you better. This can assist with working on creating the initial connection and providing me with insight into what your goals may look like as we continue our work together.