About April
April Balzhiser helps people cope with stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and relationship challenges. She is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor with 18 years of experience. April focuses on practical steps people can use right away to feel steadier in daily life.
She prefers a straightforward, empathetic style. Sessions aim to be a place where clients can speak openly and be heard without judgment. April pays attention to how past experiences affect current choices and relationships.
How April works
She also helps people who face grief, addiction, compassion fatigue, or changes like caregiving and health concerns. Her work blends several approaches so therapy suits each person. April uses client-centered conversations to understand what matters most to the client.
She pairs that with cognitive behavioral tools to spot unhelpful thoughts and with mindfulness practices to ease intense emotions. April has spent many years in social services and mental health settings across Illinois. Her background includes work related to trauma, abuse, domestic violence, foster care and school alternatives.
That experience informs how she supports people through safety, trust, and practical problem solving. In sessions she helps clients set clear goals and tries to keep interventions simple and doable. People often leave with specific skills for communication, managing strong feelings, and making steady progress through life transitions.
April aims to be collaborative and respectful of each person’s pace.
April lists 8 ways of working on the entry:
What April works with
The areas below are the ones April selected when setting up a profile. The first few are listed as the main focus; the rest are also named.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
Also listed
- Abandonment
- Addictions
- Adoption and foster care
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Attachment issues
- Bipolar disorder
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Co-morbidity
- Coaching
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Dependent personality
- Depression
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Eating and food-related issues
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Midlife crisis
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Narcissism
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Personality disorders
- Post-traumatic stress
- Postpartum depression
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self esteem
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sexuality
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Somatization
- Trauma and abuse
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Training and background
| Register | LCPC |
|---|---|
| Years in practice | 18 |
| Languages | English |
| Session format | Online: video, phone, live chat or messaging |
| Country | Illinois |
Memberships and registers are shown as supplied; they are not licences, and this directory does not verify them.
Online support options
How therapy approaches translate to online care
Client-centered therapy focuses on listening and understanding the client's experience. The therapist offers empathy and reflection to help people clarify goals and feel supported during change. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at how thoughts, feelings, and actions connect and teaches concrete skills to reduce distress and shift patterns that cause problems.Finding the right approach is part of the work. April will discuss goals, preferences, and what feels most helpful, then adjust methods together. That collaborative process means techniques can be mixed and revised as progress is made.
Online sessions are offered as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to fit different needs. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation and a fuller exchange. Phone sessions can be used when bandwidth is limited or when clients prefer not to be on camera. Live chat and text-based messaging offer shorter check-ins or ongoing support between longer sessions. These options make it easier to schedule therapy around work, caregiving, or health concerns while keeping the focus on practical skills and steady progress.
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Common questions
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A practical next step
Write down two things you would want to be different in six months. That is the most useful thing to bring to a first session, whoever it is with. If you would rather start now than keep reading, online sessions are the quickest route.
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