Raul Rodriguez, LCSW

Raul Rodriguez is a licensed clinical social worker who focuses on helping people manage anxiety, grief, and depression. He speaks English and Spanish and aims to make therapy direct and understandable for people feeling overwhelmed. Raul draws on approaches that prioritize the person's experience and goals in each session.

Raul centers his work in psychodynamic psychotherapy while also using client-centered ideas and practical cognitive techniques. Sessions tend to look at patterns from the past that affect feelings today. He also uses tools from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to address unhelpful thoughts and behaviors in the moment.

He brings four years of licensed social work experience to his therapeutic work and emphasizes a straightforward, compassionate style. Clients often talk about current stress, coping with life changes, addictions, or struggles with self-esteem and social anxiety. Raul also supports people facing cancer, immigration concerns, loneliness, and multicultural issues.

Raul uses motivational interviewing techniques when people want help making changes, such as cutting back on substance use or starting healthier routines. He works to meet each person where they are and build toward small, realistic steps. Sessions are conducted in English and Spanish and he accepts international clients, with services provided from Illinois.

To begin, people complete a short matching questionnaire and schedule sessions according to the therapist's availability. Raul communicates clearly about goals and collaborates with each person to shape the work ahead.

How Raul's Approaches Translate Online

Psychodynamic therapy explores how past relationships and patterns influence current feelings and behaviors. In online sessions this means talking about memories, family dynamics, and recurring themes to better understand why certain reactions happen now.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at the link between thoughts, feelings, and actions. Online CBT sessions often include identifying unhelpful thoughts and practicing new ways of thinking and behaving to reduce anxiety or low mood.

Motivational Interviewing is a collaborative way to support change. It helps people clarify what they want, weigh options, and commit to small steps like reducing substance use or building healthier routines.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Raul will discuss goals, preferences, and life demands with each person and then suggest which methods to try first. He treats the choice as a shared decision and adapts the plan over time based on what helps most.

Confirm the therapist's current online session options before booking since formats are not specified here. Online therapy can make it easier to fit appointments into a busy schedule, allow for shorter check-ins when time is tight, and remove travel time. These practical benefits can help people stay consistent with sessions while working on anxiety, grief, depression, and other concerns.