About Luanne
Luanne Maniacek is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with four decades of clinical experience. She helps people who are feeling overwhelmed by anxiety, stress, depression, grief, or addiction find practical steps forward. Her approach aims to point out strengths and build simple, usable skills for day-to-day life.
She listens closely to each person's story and priorities before suggesting options. Sessions focus on small, achievable goals and on developing new ways to manage intense feelings.
Background and approach
Luanne balances empathy with gentle challenges to support forward movement. Over her career she has worked in community mental health settings and led crisis intervention teams. She has supervised graduate-level therapist interns and counselors, bringing a long history of hands-on practice to her work with individuals facing life transitions and persistent mood concerns.
Luanne draws from several evidence-based approaches to shape each plan. She often uses acceptance and commitment ideas to help people clarify values and stay engaged even when anxiety is high. Cognitive techniques are added when thoughts and behaviors are driving distress.
For people dealing with substance use, she discusses either a disease model or harm-reduction strategies depending on what fits best. Her style is practical and respectful, and she focuses on open communication about progress and next steps throughout therapy.
How her approaches translate to online therapy
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, helps people notice painful thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them while focusing on what matters most. It can be useful for anxiety, stress, and coping with life changes by helping clients choose actions that match their values. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, focuses on spotting unhelpful thought patterns and changing behaviors that keep problems going; it often helps with anxiety, mood issues, and anger by giving clear exercises to practice between sessions.Finding the best method is part of the process. The therapist works collaboratively to match techniques to a person's goals, needs, and daily routine. That means trying approaches, checking progress, and adjusting what is used so it fits the client's life and what they hope to accomplish.
Online therapy offers several practical benefits. Video calls let people work more flexibly around work or caregiving schedules and allow face-to-face conversation. Phone sessions are lower bandwidth and can be a good option when a shorter check-in is needed. Live chat and text messaging support ongoing reflection, quick questions, or brief coaching-style exchanges between longer appointments. These options make it easier to use therapy in the moments when symptoms or stressors arise.
Questions people ask
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What this therapist works with
Most often
- Stress, Anxiety
- Addictions
- Family conflicts
Also listed
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Anger management
- Bipolar disorder
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Codependency
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Grief
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Mood disorders
- Parenting issues
- Relationship issues
- Self esteem
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 40 years
- Licensed
- Illinois
- Languages
- English
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