Works with
- Anger
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Self esteem
- Depression
- Coping with life changes
How Ilene works
Practical facts
- Credentials
- LMSW
- Licensed in
- Michigan
- Years in practice
- 32
- Languages
- English
- Session format
- Online, through our partner platform
About Ilene
Ilene Vallance, LMSW, has worked in mental health for over three decades in Michigan. She offers practical help for people feeling overwhelmed, struggling with mood, or facing major life changes. Her style is relaxed, nonjudgmental, and validating, aimed at making conversations feel straightforward and useful.
She brings 32 years of experience across public and personal settings. That background includes time helping people with stress, anxiety, depression, grief, trauma, and anger.
Background and approach
She also supports work on relationship strain, self-esteem, career concerns, parenting pressures, and caregiving stress. In sessions she uses a mix of well-known approaches to match each person's needs. She draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to focus on values and action, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to spot and shift unhelpful thinking, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills for emotional regulation and distress tolerance.
Mindfulness and client-centered techniques shape a calm, steady tone in the work. Appointments are offered by video, phone, live chat, or messaging to fit different schedules. Ilene aims to be flexible with timing and will work with clients to find what fits.
Her goal is to help people develop practical tools they can use between sessions. People who prefer a gentle, experienced guide for real-life problems often find her approach helpful. She listens without judgment and focuses on small, manageable steps toward clearer thinking and steadier emotion.
What Ilene works with
Everything Ilene lists, in the therapist's own terms. Anger is the reason this directory exists; the rest tells you what usually sits alongside it in Ilene's practice.
- 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.
Approaches that translate to online care
Ilene uses approaches that adapt well to remote sessions. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people clarify their values and take small steps toward them, useful for anxiety, depression, and life changes. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying and changing thought and behavior patterns that keep problems going, and it works well for mood, sleep, and stress. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) offers practical skills for regulating strong emotions and tolerating distress, which can help with anger and relationship strain.Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process. She will collaborate with each person to choose methods that fit their goals, lifestyle, and what feels most helpful. That decision is revisited as progress is made so the plan can change when needed.
Online therapy offers flexibility through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. Video is good for in-depth conversations and skill practice. Phone sessions can be easier to fit into a busy day or when bandwidth is limited. Live chat or messaging can work for quick check-ins, coaching-style support, or people who prefer typed communication. These options make it simpler to keep therapy consistent alongside work, caregiving, or other commitments.
Questions people ask about Ilene
What kinds of concerns does she help with?
She works with stress, anxiety, depression, grief, anger, trauma and abuse, relationship and communication problems, self-esteem issues, sleep difficulties, parenting and caregiver stress, career concerns, bipolar concerns, and related challenges.
What is her therapeutic style and approach?
Her style is relaxed and validating. She uses approaches like Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Mindfulness, and client-centered techniques to teach skills and support change.
How much experience does she have in mental health?
She has 32 years of experience working in both public and personal mental health settings, bringing long-term clinical experience to her work with adults.
What credentials and location should I know?
She holds an LMSW (Licensed Master Social Worker) and practices in Michigan.
Which languages and international clients are supported?
Sessions are offered in English and she is not currently accepting international clients.
What session formats are available?
Sessions can be scheduled as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to suit different needs and schedules.
How does billing and cost work?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I start working with her?
Begin by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to therapist availability.