IFSTherapists

The therapist listings are provided by BetterHelp and we will earn a commission if you use our link - at no cost to you.

LCSW

Lindsay McClernan, LCSW

  • Experience11 years
  • LocationWisconsin
  • Focus areasStress and Anxiety, Family, and Trauma and abuse
  • Therapy approachesInternal Family Systems and Attachment-Based Therapy
Continue with Lindsay

Review online therapy options and next steps on BetterHelp.

About Lindsay

Lindsay McClernan is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) in Wisconsin who combines compassionate, person-centered care with practical, evidence-based techniques.

Background and approach

She centers therapy on understanding how internal parts, attachment patterns, and present-moment experiences influence coping and relationships, helping clients build tools for managing stress, anxiety, mood changes, and addiction concerns. With 11 years of clinical experience, Lindsay integrates varied approaches to address trauma, family dynamics, grief, and career or life transitions in a collaborative, strengths-focused way.

Clients can expect work aimed at increasing self-compassion, improving communication, and reducing isolation while developing concrete strategies for daily living and emotional regulation. Lindsay attends to complex presentations such as co-morbidity, dissociation, attachment disruptions, and the effects of discrimination or multicultural stress.

Her goal is to support people in reclaiming purpose and resilience through tailored therapeutic plans that draw on Internal Family Systems, attachment work, CBT, DBT, and other grounding methods. Practice details reflect a flexible online format offering video, phone, live chat, and text-based messaging.

Lindsay holds WI LCSW 9648-123 and conducts sessions in English for clients located in Wisconsin, using a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.

Integrating therapeutic approaches for online healing

Internal Family Systems (IFS) invites clients to explore internal parts and the relationships among them, fostering compassion for aspects of the self that hold pain or protective roles; this approach can be helpful for trauma, complex emotions, and patterns that feel stuck. Attachment-Based Therapy focuses on how early relational patterns shape current connections and emotion regulation, supporting work on communication, grief, and relationship concerns. Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes empathic listening and the client’s own capacity for growth, creating a respectful space to clarify values and goals and to build self-compassion.

Deciding which path to follow is part of the therapeutic journey, and Lindsay approaches that decision collaboratively. She will work with each person to identify goals, trial techniques, and adjust methods based on what resonates and what produces meaningful change, rather than prescribing a single fixed model.

Online sessions using video calls, phone conversations, live chat, or text-based messaging provide practical flexibility for fitting therapy into busy lives. These formats make it easier to maintain continuity across life transitions, attend sessions from home in Wisconsin, and choose the communication style that best supports the work at hand.

Frequently asked questions

What kinds of concerns does she address?
Lindsay works with a broad range of issues including stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, addiction, relationship and family dynamics, grief, depression, career challenges, ADHD, and compassion fatigue.
Which therapeutic styles guide her work?
Her practice draws on Internal Family Systems alongside attachment-based, client-centered, CBT, and DBT approaches to tailor care to each person’s needs.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She brings 11 years of clinical experience to her work, using that background to inform treatment planning and interventions.
Where is she licensed and practicing?
She is a licensed clinical social worker in Wisconsin holding WI LCSW 9648-123 and conducts sessions for clients located in that state.
Does she offer services in other languages or to international clients?
Sessions are offered in English only, and she is not currently accepting international clients.
What session formats are available?
Available formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to accommodate different communication preferences.
How are fees and payment handled?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions are provided through a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin therapy with her?
To get started, select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to therapist availability.

Areas of expertise

Primary focus

Stress, AnxietyFamily conflictsTrauma and abuseCoping with life changes

Also works with

AddictionsLGBTRelationship issuesGriefParenting issuesAnger managementSelf esteemCareer difficultiesDepressionCompassion fatigueADHD

Additional focus areas

AbandonmentAdoption and foster careAttachment issuesAutism and Asperger SyndromeBlended family issuesCaregiver issues and stressCo-morbidityCodependencyCommunication problemsControl issuesCoping with natural or human-caused disasterDissociationDomestic violenceDrug and alcohol addictionEmptinessFamily of origin issuesFamily problemsForgivenessGuilt and shameImmigration issuesIsolation / lonelinessLife purposeMidlife crisisMoney and financial issuesMood disordersMulticultural concernsPost-traumatic stressPrejudice and discriminationSeasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)Self-harmSelf-loveSexual assault and abuseSocial anxiety and phobiaWomen's issuesYoung adult issues

Therapeutic approaches

Attachment-Based TherapyClient-Centered TherapyCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)Mindfulness TherapyMotivational InterviewingNarrative TherapySolution-Focused TherapySomatic TherapyTrauma-Focused TherapyInternal Family Systems

Experience

11+ years

Licensed

Wisconsin

Languages

English