Lindsay McClernan

Lindsay McClernan, LCSW, offers a direct and compassionate approach that centers on the relationship between therapist and client. She focuses on practical steps people can use right away to manage stress, anger, anxiety, and difficult life changes. Lindsay aims to create an affirming space where clients can talk through what feels overwhelming and find clearer ways forward.

With 11 years of experience as a licensed clinical social worker in Wisconsin, she has worked with people facing trauma, family conflict, addiction, grief, and identity-related stress. She emphasizes building self-awareness and healthier communication habits so daily life feels more manageable.

Her sessions often blend attachment-based ideas with client-centered listening, cognitive-behavioral tools, and skills from dialectical behavior therapy. She also uses EMDR when trauma memories are a central issue. In practice this means exploring patterns, testing small changes, and practicing coping skills between sessions.

Lindsay pays attention to the effects of discrimination, cultural stress, and caregiving burdens. She supports people coping with abandonment, adoption and foster care concerns, autism-related challenges, and co-occurring substance use or mental health struggles.

People who come for help with anger or relationship strain will find a focus on clear communication and self-regulation skills. Lindsay encourages realistic goal-setting and checks in on progress each step of the way.

How Lindsay’s Approaches Shape Online Therapy

Lindsay uses attachment-based ideas to understand how past relationships affect current feelings and interactions; this helps when people struggle with trust, closeness, or repeated conflict. Client-centered therapy is a core part of her work and means sessions focus on the client’s priorities, with the therapist listening, reflecting, and following the client’s lead. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, offers concrete strategies to identify unhelpful thoughts and try different behaviors, which can reduce anxiety, anger, and mood symptoms.

Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the therapeutic process. Lindsay will collaborate with each person to decide which methods match their goals, needs, and comfort level. That may mean trying skills-based CBT tools one week and then using attachment-focused conversations the next.

If you are considering online options, confirm the specific session formats available before booking. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy life, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and remove travel time from a schedule. It also lets people use talk-based work, skills practice, and trauma-focused strategies like EMDR-compatible protocols when appropriate, depending on what the therapist offers. Ask about session length, camera preferences, and how homework or between-session practice will be handled to ensure a good fit.