Todd Nelson, LCPC

Todd Nelson grew up in Central Illinois and continues to live in the same region. He began his working life as a millwright and carpenter, then returned to school after the job market changed in the early 1980s. To help support his family he enlisted in the Air Force, served for 10 years including the period around Desert Storm, and left active duty to pursue graduate training in counseling. While completing his master’s degree he worked as an on-call therapist at an outpatient mental health clinic, moved into a full-time therapist role there, spent time working in an inpatient youth facility, and later returned to the outpatient clinic. In 2009 he accepted a full-time position as a mental health professional with the Illinois Department of Corrections. In total he has 29 years of experience in the mental health field.

Todd describes his role in counseling with a simple metaphor - everyone has their own ship to sail through life and his job is to help the captain navigate. His practice is grounded in a person-centered, solution-focused orientation and he draws on approaches such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Internal Family Systems, and other practical methods without leaning on what he calls psychobabble. He takes a relaxed style in sessions, emphasizes clear communication, and works collaboratively to identify steps that fit each person’s goals.

He holds the LCPC credential, which stands for Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, and brings experience with a wide range of concerns including stress, anxiety, grief, self-esteem, depression, relationship and family issues, trauma and abuse, sleep problems, parenting challenges, anger, bipolar disorder, and coping with life changes. Additional focus areas include domestic violence, first responder issues, forgiveness, guilt and shame, infidelity, life purpose, veteran and armed forces issues, mood disorders, obsessive-compulsive concerns, post-traumatic stress, self-harm, self-love, and workplace difficulties.

Outside of clinical work he enjoys motorcycling and woodworking. He is currently accepting new clients though there are no evening openings; he manages his own schedule and asks prospective clients to indicate preferred meeting times rather than booking directly. He invites interested people to reach out to begin a conversation about working together.