- trauma-informed work
- body-focused strategies
- relationship support
About Denise
Denise Thelander is an Iowa licensed independent social worker (LISW) with three years of clinical experience. She supports people facing relationship strain, family concerns, trauma and abuse, and depression. Denise also helps with coping through life changes and has experience addressing related topics such as attachment and abandonment issues.
Denise uses a trauma-informed, body-focused style to help people notice how stress shows up in their bodies and daily life. Sessions are practical and grounded. She helps people name patterns, practice new ways of responding, and build small habits that change how they handle stress and strong emotions.
Her background includes working with people managing grief, anger, anxiety, and the challenges of chronic illness or caregiving stress. She also works with concerns like communication problems, control issues, and feelings of isolation or shame. Denise pays attention to how past hurts can shape current relationships and behavior.
In sessions she emphasizes pacing and safety when trauma is part of the picture. That means moving at a person’s pace and using body-focused strategies alongside talk-based work. The approach supports people who find traditional talk therapy alone feels incomplete.
She accepts clients from outside the United States and offers services in English. Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time. To begin, prospective clients complete a short matching questionnaire and schedule a first session.
How therapeutic methods translate to online sessions
Denise works from a trauma-informed, body-focused perspective. This approach pays attention to how tension and stress appear in the body, and uses gentle techniques to help people notice and regulate those sensations. It can be useful for people managing the ongoing effects of trauma, strong emotions, or chronic stress. She also uses practical, evidence-based therapeutic techniques to help people change unhelpful patterns. These methods often include structured exercises and small behavioral experiments that can be practiced between sessions to address relationship problems, depression, or anxiety-related avoidance. Finding the right mix of approaches is a collaborative process. Denise will work with each person to choose methods that match their needs, goals, and comfort with body-focused work. She adjusts pace and techniques based on what feels manageable during sessions. The biography does not list which session formats she offers, so confirm current options before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week, reduce travel time, and allow for shorter check-ins when needed. It also lets people try body-awareness practices in familiar surroundings while getting guidance from a licensed professional.Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Additional focus areas
Experience
3+ years
Listed in
Iowa
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of concerns does she address?
She works with relationship strain, family issues, trauma and abuse, depression, and coping with life changes. Additional focus areas include attachment, abandonment, and communication problems.
What is her approach in sessions?
She takes a trauma-informed, body-focused approach. That means noticing bodily reactions to stress and using both talk and body-based techniques to address them.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has three years of professional experience as an LISW in Iowa. That experience has included work with grief, anger, anxiety, and caregiving stress.
What credential does she hold and where is she located?
She holds the LISW credential and practices from Iowa. The profile lists her credential exactly as LISW.
Which languages and international clients are supported?
Sessions are offered in English and she accepts international clients.
What session formats are available?
The original biography does not list specific session formats. Confirm current session options before booking.
How does pricing work?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I get started?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.