- Years in practice
- 32
- Credentials
- LMSW
- Licensed in
- Michigan
- Languages
- English
- Focus
- Stress, Anxiety
- Focus
- Relationship issues
- Focus
- Self esteem
About Ilene
Ilene Vallance, LMSW, brings more than three decades of experience in mental health to her work. She practices in Michigan and helps adults who are feeling overwhelmed, stuck, or unsure how to move forward. Her manner is calm, nonjudgmental, and straightforward, and she aims to make sessions feel practical and approachable.
Clients often come to her with stress, anxiety, depression, or challenges around relationships and self-esteem. She also supports people coping with major life changes, grief, trauma, sleep problems, anger, and career concerns.
Background and approach
Parenting appears among her areas of focus, and she offers help around parenting-related stress and decision making. Her practice uses several therapy approaches to match what a person needs. Ilene uses cognitive behavioral strategies to spot unhelpful thinking and change routines.
She blends mindfulness and acceptance-based ideas to reduce reactivity and build day-to-day coping skills. Sessions aim to be practical and collaborative. She listens, helps set clear goals, and offers tools people can try between meetings.
The tone is validating while encouraging small steps that add up. Ilene has a long history of work in both public and personal settings. She schedules video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging and typically arranges appointments Monday through Thursday with some Saturdays.
If someone prefers flexibility, she will work to find times that fit their life.
What Ilene works with
Everything Ilene lists, in the therapist's own terms. Parenting is the reason this directory exists; the rest shows what else Ilene helps people with.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Self esteem
- Depression
- Coping with life changes
- Family conflicts
- Trauma and abuse
- Grief
- Sleeping disorders
- Parenting issues
- Anger management
- Career difficulties
- Bipolar disorder
- Coaching
- Compassion fatigue
- Abandonment
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Antisocial personality
- Attachment issues
- Avoidant personality
- Blended family issues
- Cancer
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Co-morbidity
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Dependent personality
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Divorce and separation
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- HIV / AIDS
- Hoarding
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Intellectual disability
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Narcissism
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Personality disorders
- Phobias
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Post-traumatic stress
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Somatization
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches Ilene lists
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Narrative Therapy
- Psychodynamic Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Somatic Therapy
Listing an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist names and does not check training records.
How certain approaches translate to online sessions
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) focuses on helping people notice unhelpful thoughts and choose actions that match their values. It’s useful for anxiety, stress, and feeling stuck because it emphasizes small, value-driven steps rather than trying to control every thought. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at connections between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and teaches practical exercises to shift unhelpful patterns. CBT often helps with anxiety, depression, sleep issues, and anger by giving clear tools to practice between sessions.Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will talk with each person about goals and preferences, then suggest one or a blend of approaches. That process is collaborative - treatments are adjusted as needs change and as what works becomes clearer.
Online therapy offers flexible ways to meet. Video calls let people talk face-to-face when a fuller conversation is needed. Phone sessions can fit a shorter check-in or work better when bandwidth is limited. Live chat and text-based messaging allow for brief updates, coaching-style support, or ongoing check-ins between longer sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life and to practice skills in real time.
Questions people ask about Ilene
What concerns does this therapist address?
She works with adults on stress, anxiety, depression, relationship and self-esteem issues. Parenting, grief, trauma, sleep problems, anger, career concerns, and compassion fatigue are also listed areas of focus.
What is her therapeutic style like?
Her style is relaxed and validating while focused on practical steps. Sessions aim to set goals, teach skills, and try concrete techniques between meetings.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has 32 years of experience working in both public and personal mental health settings.
What credentials and location are listed?
She holds an LMSW and practices in Michigan.
Which languages are supported and can international clients join?
Sessions are offered in English and she is not accepting international clients.
What session formats are available?
Therapy is offered via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to fit different needs and schedules.
How is cost handled?
Cost varies by location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working together?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button and completing a short matching questionnaire. Then schedule a session according to therapist availability.
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