Jodyne(Jody) Bilstrom, LCSW

Jodyne (Jody) Bilstrom is a licensed clinical social worker with 30 years of experience in social work and counseling. She holds a master's degree from the University of Illinois and has worked across mental health and chronic health settings. Jody has run a private practice for the past decade where she focused on trauma, grief, chronic health issues, depression, and anxiety.

Her style is relaxed and direct. She aims to treat people with respect, sensitivity, and compassion. Sessions tend to be supportive and often include a bit of humor to help ease hard conversations.

Jody helps people identify their strengths and build on them to tackle current struggles. She talks through practical steps alongside emotional work so clients can manage stress, grief, trauma, addiction concerns, mood changes, and relationship or intimacy issues. She also works with concerns like sleeping and eating problems, anger, ADHD, and bipolar-related challenges.

In building a plan, she adapts the work to each person’s needs rather than using a one-size-fits-all method. She finds online counseling effective for many issues and will shape sessions to fit what a client needs right now. Jody aims to give a straightforward, safe space where people can be honest without judgment.

People who are looking for calm guidance and practical strategies often find her approach helpful. She supports those facing midlife questions, major life changes, and long-term health or caregiving stresses.

How her approaches shape online therapy

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, focuses on clarifying what matters most to someone and taking actions that match those values while learning to sit with difficult thoughts and feelings. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, CBT, looks at connections between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and uses practical exercises to change unhelpful patterns. Emotionally-Focused Therapy, EFT, centers on understanding emotions in relationships and improving emotional communication and connection.

Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. Jody will work with each person to decide which methods fit their goals and preferences, and she adjusts the plan as progress is made. The work is shaped around the client's needs rather than forcing a single technique.

Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy life, such as avoiding travel time or having shorter check-ins during a workday. Online work has been useful for addressing trauma, grief, stress, chronic health concerns, and mood issues when in-person visits are difficult. Confirm current session options before booking so you know how Jody is meeting with clients.