Dolores "Del" Larkin
Compassionate, practical therapy for change
LCSW Illinois
- Experience
- 20 years in practice
- Focus areas
- Stress, Anxiety, Relationship, Self esteem
- Approaches
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Attachment-Based Therapy
- Languages
- English
About Dolores
Dolores "Del" Larkin brings a practical, evidence-informed approach centered on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to help clients tackle persistent patterns such as perfectionism, self-doubt, and anxiety.
Background and approach
With twenty years as a licensed clinical social worker, she blends CBT with complementary methods to address mood concerns, substance-related struggles, relationship challenges, and the fallout from trauma or loss. Her style emphasizes noticing the thoughts and behaviors that maintain distress and developing concrete skills to shift them.
Del frames therapy as a collaborative exploration where curiosity and compassion guide the process. She adapts techniques from dialectical behavior therapy, emotionally-focused and attachment-based work, and client-centered principles to fit each person’s needs, aiming to reduce overwhelm and build stronger coping strategies.
Whether dealing with grief, addiction, career stress, bipolar mood concerns, or issues like codependency and communication problems, she focuses on removing barriers that keep someone from living the life they want. Sessions are offered from her Illinois practice and she accepts English-speaking international clients.
Therapeutic approaches and how they translate to online care
Dolores combines cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with attachment-focused and client-centered techniques to help clients identify unhelpful thinking patterns, strengthen emotional bonds, and build self-awareness. CBT targets the connections between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and is useful for anxiety, depression, perfectionism, and coping skills development. Attachment-based work explores relational patterns and how early connections influence present relationships, helping with trust, intimacy, and communication challenges. Client-centered therapy emphasizes listening, empathy, and the client’s own goals, creating space for reflection and self-directed growth.Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. Del works with each person to clarify goals and preferences, then adjusts methods over time so therapy fits both the issue and the individual’s style. This means techniques may shift between skill-building, exploring relational history, and supportive, client-led sessions as progress unfolds.
Online therapy offers flexibility to engage through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging, making it easier to attend sessions around work, family, or travel. These formats allow for consistent, timely support and permit different modes of interaction depending on whether a client prefers real-time conversation or written reflection.
Frequently asked questions
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Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
20+ years
Licensed
Illinois
Languages
English