Ellie Lauterwasser, MA, LPC, LCPC, C-DBT

Hello — I’m Ellie Lauterwasser, a Licensed Professional Counselor in Arizona and a Licensed  Clinical Professional Counselor in Illinois. I am also a Certified DBT Counselor (C-DBT) with over 15 years of experience helping clients gain insight, foster healing, and create meaningful change in their lives. I provide virtual therapy to clients throughout Arizona and Illinois. 

My clinical experience includes working with adolescents, adults, couples, and families across various levels of care and treatment settings. I specialize in treating eating disorders, personality disorders, trauma, self-injury, anxiety, depression, PTSD, and mood disorders. 

I believe therapy should feel safe, supportive, and collaborative. My goal is to help clients better understand themselves, strengthen emotional balance, improve relationships, and develop healthier ways of coping with life’s challenges. 

Ellie at a Glance 

I work best with: 

• Teens (14+) 
• College students 
• Adults 
• Couples 
• Families

I offer: 

• Virtual therapy for Illinois residents 
• Virtual therapy for Arizona residents 

My Approach to Therapy 

My approach is warm, compassionate, and insight-oriented. I am primarily a psychodynamic therapist, which means I help clients explore how unconscious patterns and past experiences influence current emotions, relationships, and behaviors. 

I integrate trauma-informed and relational approaches that emphasize connection, trust, and emotional safety. I believe healing happens when clients feel genuinely understood and supported in a nonjudgmental environment. 

By focusing on each client’s strengths, values, and personal goals, I help individuals learn healthier ways to navigate emotional distress, relationship difficulties, and life transitions.  Together, we work toward developing greater self-awareness, healthier relationships, emotional regulation, and a stronger sense of self. 

Specialized Experience & Advanced Training 

Ellie has extensive experience treating clients with eating disorders, trauma, personality disorders, mood disorders, and self-injurious behaviors in outpatient, residential, and inpatient treatment settings. 

She is also a Certified DBT Counselor (C-DBT) and incorporates Dialectical Behavior Therapy  to help clients develop skills related to: 

• Emotional regulation 
• Distress tolerance 
• Mindfulness 
• Interpersonal effectiveness 
• Reducing self-destructive behaviors 

Ellie particularly enjoys helping clients who feel emotionally overwhelmed, stuck in unhealthy relational or behavioral patterns, or disconnected from themselves learn how to navigate life with greater balance, resilience, and self-understanding. 

Clinical Focus & Areas of Support 

My clinical focus includes:

• Anxiety 
• Depression 
• PTSD and trauma 
• Mood disorders 
• Eating disorders 
• Personality disorders 
• Self-injury 
• Relationship stress and conflict 
• Blended family dynamics 
• Bipolar disorder 
• Women’s issues 
• Emotional regulation and self-esteem 

Modalities I Use 

My therapeutic frame is psychodynamic, and I integrate various evidence-based approaches  depending on each client’s needs, including: 

• Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) 
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) 
• Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) 
• Gottman Method for couples 
• Somatic-based therapy 
• Trauma-informed therapy 
• Relational therapy 

Who I Work With 

Many of the clients I support struggle with: 

• Navigating everyday life stressors 
• Difficulty regulating emotions 
• Unstable moods 
• Relationship conflict 
• Self-harming behaviors 
• Trauma recovery 
• Poor body image and self-esteem 
• Unhealthy relationships with food 
• Feeling disconnected from themselves or others 

Online Therapy

I provide virtual therapy to clients throughout Arizona and Illinois. Online therapy offers increased accessibility, flexibility, and convenience while allowing clients to receive support from the comfort and privacy of their own homes. 

Virtual therapy can reduce barriers such as transportation, scheduling conflicts, and geographic limitations while still creating a meaningful and connected therapeutic experience. 

My Philosophy 

My clinical philosophy is grounded in the belief that meaningful healing occurs through insight,  connection, and compassionate collaboration. I believe clients deserve the freedom to express themselves openly and move through the therapeutic process at their own pace. 

Together, we will create an individualized treatment approach that feels validating, supportive,  and growth-oriented. My goal is to help clients develop healthier coping strategies, improve relationships, strengthen their sense of self, and feel empowered to create lasting and meaningful change in their lives. 

I look forward to meeting you and being part of your journey.