Works with
- Anger
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
- Depression
Practical facts
- Credentials
- LCSW
- Licensed in
- Illinois
- Years in practice
- 9
- Languages
- English
- Session format
- Online, through our partner platform
About Dina
Dina Payne is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) based in Illinois who helps people manage worry, anger, relationship strain, and life transitions. She writes and talks plainly so parents and individuals can understand next steps.
Dina aims to create a calm, nonjudgmental space where people can say things that feel hard to say and start finding small changes that make life easier. She uses straightforward, practical methods in sessions.
Background and approach
That can mean learning skills to change stressful thinking patterns, practicing new ways to handle conflict, or slowly working through painful memories. Dina tailors each plan to a person’s goals and pace rather than following a one-size-fits-all script. Dina earned a Master of Social Work from Saint Louis University in 2008 and holds an Illinois LCSW.
Over nine years of practice she has worked in schools, with the foster care system, at a college, in a high school, and in individual therapy settings. Those experiences shaped how she supports people through family problems, parenting stress, addiction concerns, grief, and issues around identity and intimacy. Sessions often focus on concrete steps people can try between meetings.
Dina helps with problem-solving, mood management, and rebuilding trust after betrayal. She also supports people facing major life changes, career concerns, and the stress that comes with caregiving roles. Outside of work she enjoys walking her dogs, reading, yoga, and crafts.
Her approach is collaborative and down-to-earth, aimed at helping people feel steadier and more able to handle everyday challenges.
What Dina works with
Everything Dina lists, in the therapist's own terms. Anger is the reason this directory exists; the rest tells you what usually sits alongside it in Dina's practice.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
- Depression
- Addictions
- LGBT
- Trauma and abuse
- Grief
- Intimacy-related issues
- Eating disorders
- Parenting issues
- Anger management
- Self esteem
- Career difficulties
- Coping with life changes
- ADHD
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Attachment issues
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Commitment issues
- Control issues
- Family problems
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Infidelity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Midlife crisis
- Multicultural concerns
- Post-traumatic stress
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Self-love
- Sex addiction
- Sexuality
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Somatization
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
Approaches Dina lists
Listing an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist names and does not check training records.
How evidence-based approaches work online
Client-Centered Therapy focuses on understanding each person's experience and building a trusting, nonjudgmental relationship. It helps people feel heard and clarify what they want to change in their lives.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) helps people spot unhelpful thoughts and test new behaviors. It is useful for anxiety, depression, anger, and everyday stress by teaching practical skills to change thinking and responses.
Trauma-Focused Therapy concentrates on carefully addressing painful memories and reactions from past events. It can reduce strong emotional reactions and improve coping after trauma when the work is paced to the individual's needs.
Deciding which approach to use is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with each person to choose methods that match their goals, values, and how they prefer to work. Plans are adjusted over time based on what helps most.
Online sessions can be scheduled as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. These options give flexibility - video for full conversation, phone for lower bandwidth, chat or messaging for quick check-ins or when typing feels easier. Online formats make it simpler to fit therapy around work, school, and caregiving responsibilities while keeping focus on practical steps and progress.
Questions people ask about Dina
What kinds of concerns can be brought to sessions?
She works with stress, anxiety, depression, relationship and family problems, anger, addictions, grief, trauma and many related concerns listed in her specialties.
What is her general therapy style?
Sessions are collaborative and down-to-earth. Dina uses a client-centered approach and practical strategies to address thinking patterns and behavior.
What experience does she bring?
She has nine years of clinical experience and has worked in schools, with the foster care system, and in college and high school settings as well as in individual therapy.
What credentials and region does she practice in?
She is an LCSW licensed in Illinois and provides services from that state.
Which languages are available for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English only.
Can people outside the United States work with her?
International clients are not currently accepted; she works with clients located in Illinois.
What session formats are offered?
She provides video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to fit different needs and schedules.
How does payment and getting started work?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability and uses a subscription that can be canceled at any time. To begin, select Start Therapy, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to therapist availability.