Carla Dumas, LCPC

Carla Dumas is an Illinois Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) with 31 years of professional experience. She works with adults who are dealing with stress, anxiety, relationship concerns, grief and loss, parenting strains, and depression. Carla also supports people facing trauma and abuse, sleeping problems, anger, bipolar disorder, ADHD, and the practical pressures of life change.

Her approach starts from the view that each person knows their own story. She listens for your strengths and builds on what is already working. Conversations focus on concrete steps you can try between sessions. Sessions are straightforward and focused on what you want to change in daily life.

Carla uses methods drawn from client-centered work and cognitive behavioral therapy to help people notice patterns and try different responses. She also brings in emotionally-focused and solution-focused techniques when relationships or short-term problem solving are the priority. For trauma-related concerns she applies trauma-focused strategies to reduce distress and increase safety in everyday routines.

Clients can expect a collaborative process where goals are set together. Carla talks through coping skills, practical strategies for managing emotions, and small experiments to change unhelpful habits. She pays attention to cultural and identity factors that shape how problems show up and how solutions fit.

Her practice aims to help people find clearer boundaries, steadier moods, and more reliable ways to handle stress. To begin, clients are asked to describe the concerns they want to work on and what would feel different if those concerns eased.

How therapeutic approaches translate to online work