Larry Westenberg, LCSW

About me

I have been a professional counselor for over 40 years. I started out on a 'back ward' of a state mental hospital, counseling extremely mentally ill people, and helping them to access their resources, use their strengths and improve the quality of their lives. It was a tremendous challenge. At that time, I had my Bachelor's Degree in Psychology, and no other training. The State system allowed people to do counseling who had no training in counseling whatsoever. In fact, many of them had never been to college. I discovered the 'uneducated counselors' were usually MUCH more effective at helping their clients. They were not 'full of themselves' and their degrees. Instead, they used what they knew about helping people, did what they could, and learned to help people by figuring out what worked as they went along. They also expected the same from the people they were counseling - that they would use the resources they had, do their best, and get better at improving their lives. Meanwhile, the majority of the 'professional therapists' were lost in their long explanations and mythologies that tried to explain the patient's behavior, and they often developed bizarre theories and treatment methods they imagined would make the patients get better.

When you make a connection to another person in counseling, you offer them a safe space to "step out of themselves," and discuss their own behavior from a different perspective of detached observation. Recognizing your own skills and the tools you have can help you make meaningful changes strategically, that utilize your own abilities.

I specialize in trauma, anxiety and panic, ADD, and finding meaning in life. I have extensive training in Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) - which is bashed as unscientific non-sense on the internet. This criticism is thrown from an allegedly "Scientific field" that is founded on the idea of repressed urges of the id and wanting to kill your father to take possession of your mother. Not the best reference for validating your experiences of life.

I am a published author in the field of Belief Change, Ericksonian Hypnosis and NLP. I enjoy helping others uncover treasure within themselves. I don't work with lab rats. I work with people. I would appreciate the opportunity to work with you. I have worked with inpatient, outpatient, partial hospitalization and crisis intervention treatment. I have worked with LGBTQ+ individuals since long before we had an acronym. I have supported individuals in compartmentalizing alternative lifestyles so that they don't embarrass themselves at work or in social situations. I help some people accept the fact their family may be a toxic gaggle of illnesses and it really is okay to not be in contact. I help others discover how they create anxiety in themselves, and teach a variety of skills for managing emotional states.

My passion is helping people find insights into HOW they do the behaviors they do, so they can more easily shift the behaviors to get the same results - or different results. I also like helping people discover how past negative events can "echo" into present interactions and circumstances. Rather than label this a disease, I show people how to notice these connections and respond less to the resonance in the present.

I laugh frequently and I may even tease about symptoms in an attempt to help you shift your perspective on your issues. I do not make fun of problems. I take my work seriously, but I will never take LIFE seriously - because it has this surprise ending feature. I would be delighted to meet with you and find out if I can support you in making the shifts and changes you desire.

Professional experience

Additional areas of focus: Addictions, LGBT, Relationship issues, Grief, Intimacy-related issues, Anger management, Career difficulties, Bipolar disorder, Coaching, ADHD, BDSM, Kink, Alternative Sex Culture, Caregiver Issues and Stress, Communication Problems, Control Issues, Divorce and Separation, Emptiness, Family of Origin Issues, First Responder Issues, Forgiveness, Guilt and Shame, Hospice and End of Life Counseling, Isolation/Loneliness, Jealousy, Life Purpose, Men's Issues, Midlife Crisis, Multicultural Concerns, Obsessions, Compulsions, and OCD, Panic Disorder and Panic Attacks, Polyamory / Nonmonogamous Relationships, Post-traumatic Stress, Prejudice and Discrimination, Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling), Self-Harm, Self-Love, Sex Addiction, Sexual Assault and Abuse, Sexuality, Smoking/Vaping Cessation, Social Anxiety and Phobia

Clinical approaches: Client-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Existential Therapy, Hypnotherapy, Mindfulness Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Solution-Focused Therapy, Trauma-Focused Therapy

License information

IL LCSW 149008012

Reviews

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