About Gillian
Gillian Van Dien is a licensed professional counselor in Wisconsin with 17 years of experience helping people cope with stress, anxiety, depression, and relationship struggles. She focuses on practical steps that make daily life feel more manageable. Gillian aims to help people reduce overwhelm, improve communication, and find more self-compassion.
Her style is warm and collaborative. Sessions focus on real situations - what happens at home, at work, and in relationships.
Background and approach
She mixes talk with hands-on tools so clients can practice new habits between meetings. Gillian uses several well-established approaches to tailor care to each person. She draws from cognitive behavioral techniques to shift unhelpful thinking patterns.
Attachment-based ideas help when old relationship wounds affect current connections. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy supports clients in clarifying values and taking committed steps toward them. Her work often centers on helping people break repetitive patterns.
That can mean addressing grief, parenting strain, body image and eating concerns, or career stress. She also helps people facing chronic illness, caregiver burnout, and the aftermath of trauma and abuse. Sessions are offered through a variety of online formats so people can fit therapy into busy lives.
Gillian emphasizes steady progress over quick fixes and helps each person set realistic goals they can reach at their own pace.
Therapeutic approaches for online care
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps clients notice difficult thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them, then take clear steps toward what matters most. It can be useful for anxiety, depression, and life transitions where values and direction matter.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns and practicing practical alternatives. It is often used for anxiety, low mood, and stress management that affect daily routines.
Attachment-Based Therapy looks at how early relationship patterns affect current connections and communication. It can help people understand recurring relationship dynamics and build more supported ways of relating.
Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will discuss your goals, preferences, and what feels most useful, then adapt methods as needed. That means techniques may shift over time as progress is made and priorities change.
Online sessions are offered by licensed professionals through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. Video works well for interactive skill practice and body language cues. Phone can be a lower-bandwidth option for focused conversation. Live chat or text messaging can be a quicker way to check in, ask questions, or receive brief coaching between longer sessions. These options make therapy more flexible for busy schedules and varied needs.
Questions people ask
What concerns does she help with?
How would you describe her therapy style?
What is her experience and background?
What credentials and location are listed?
Which languages are sessions offered in and can international clients join?
What session formats are available?
How does billing and cost work?
How do I begin working with her?
What this counselor works with
Most often
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Trauma and abuse
Also listed
- Abandonment
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Anger management
- Attachment issues
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Coaching
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Eating and food-related issues
- Eating disorders
- Emptiness
- Family conflicts
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Intellectual disability
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Mood disorders
- Narcissism
- Parenting issues
- Post-traumatic stress
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self esteem
- Self-love
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Attachment-Based Therapy
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)
- Existential Therapy
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Psychodynamic Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
- Internal Family Systems
- Experience
- 17 years
- Licensed
- Wisconsin
- Languages
- English