Lawrence "Larry" Westenberg
Experienced strengths-based LCSW focused on practical change
LCSW Illinois
- Experience
- 42 years in practice
- Focus areas
- Stress, Anxiety, Trauma and abuse, Self esteem
- Approaches
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Client-Centered Therapy
- Languages
- English
About Lawrence
Lawrence "Larry" Westenberg brings over four decades of clinical experience to his work as an LCSW in Illinois. He began his career in a state hospital setting where he learned to emphasize clients' strengths and practical resources rather than pathologizing labels.
Background and approach
That early work shaped a pragmatic, solution-focused orientation that guides his practice today, helping people identify their abilities and take concrete steps toward change. Larry blends cognitive behavioral techniques with client-centered and existential perspectives, and he integrates mindfulness and hypnotherapy when appropriate.
He has experience with trauma, anxiety and panic, attention differences, relationship concerns, addictions, grief, career questions, and issues around identity and intimacy. His approach prioritizes collaboration and finding methods that fit each person’s goals, drawing on a long history of crisis, inpatient, and outpatient work as well as published work related to belief change and Ericksonian hypnotherapy.
Approaches and Online Access to Therapy
Lawrence Westenberg commonly uses cognitive behavioral methods and client-centered principles, with occasional use of existential themes. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy involves identifying unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns and learning practical strategies to shift them, which can be useful for anxiety, depression, stress, and coping with life changes. Client-Centered Therapy places emphasis on the therapeutic relationship and the person's own goals, helping people explore their values and choices in a supportive, nonjudgmental way.Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will work with each client to assess needs, preferences, and goals and adjust techniques over time so the work aligns with what the client wants to accomplish. That flexibility allows exploration of different methods until a good fit emerges.
Online sessions are offered via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to accommodate varying schedules and communication styles. These formats make it easier to maintain continuity of care while fitting therapy into busy lives, and they allow licensed professionals to deliver consistent therapeutic support across distance.
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Areas of expertise
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
42+ years
Licensed
Illinois
Languages
English