Lori Brinkley, LCSW

Lori Brinkley is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with 25 years of experience. She focuses on helping people manage stress, anxiety, relationship problems, parenting struggles, grief, and trauma and abuse. Lori speaks plainly and aims to make starting therapy feel approachable for someone who is worried or unsure.

She offers a warm, nurturing presence in sessions while also being direct when change is needed. Lori uses practical tools from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and mindfulness alongside solution-focused ideas. She often blends approaches to fit what a person needs in the moment rather than following a single method.

Lori works with people facing life transitions such as divorce, caregiving responsibilities, career stress, or parenting challenges. She also helps those dealing with abandonment, adoption and foster care issues, family of origin concerns, and compassion fatigue. Relationship issues such as communication problems, infidelity, and intimacy-related concerns are also common topics in her work.

Her style includes coaching elements and skill-building around boundaries, emotion regulation, and problem solving. Lori sometimes uses a "couples counseling for one" method when one partner is not participating, focusing on tools the willing partner can use to shift patterns. She believes humor and perspective can be part of healing and often brings these into sessions.

Outside of work Lori enjoys nature, reading, travel, and spending time with her two college-aged children. She encourages people to reach out, complete the matching steps, and schedule a time to begin addressing their goals.

Therapeutic approaches and what online work can look like

Client-centered therapy focuses on listening and building understanding so the client feels heard and respected. It helps when someone needs space to tell their story and find their own solutions. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at how thoughts and actions influence mood and behavior and uses practical exercises to change unhelpful patterns. CBT is often used for anxiety, depression, and coping with life changes. Dialectical Behavior Therapy, or DBT, emphasizes emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and clearer communication to reduce impulsive reactions and relationship conflict.

Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. Lori works with each person to decide which methods fit their goals, needs, and preferences. She adapts tools over time and checks in to make sure the plan feels useful and realistic.

If you are considering online sessions, confirm the current session options before booking. Ask about which formats are available and what fits your schedule. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy life, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and remove travel time so people can meet during a lunch break, between appointments, or from a quieter spot. Licensed professionals can use these formats to focus on coping skills, communication tools, and problem solving that translate into everyday life.