Paulina Birgiolaite, LCSW | Online Therapist for Women in Illinois

Trauma-informed, relational therapy for women navigating anxiety, burnout, perfectionism, people-pleasing, and the effects of emotionally immature relationships.

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Hi! I’m Paulina, a therapist specializing in anxiety, adult children of emotionally immature parents (ACEIP), perfectionism, people-pleasing, and complex PTSD in women across Illinois through online therapy.

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I know what it feels like to look “high functioning” on the outside while quietly running on fumes underneath.

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As an immigrant from Lithuania raised with strong expectations around achievement, hard work, and resilience, I developed an early understanding of perfectionism, chronic stress, and the pressure to constantly prove yourself. Like many high-achieving women, I learned how to over function long before I learned how to rest.

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That personal experience now shapes the work I do with women who struggle with anxiety, burnout, emotional exhaustion, boundary-setting, and the invisible weight of always being the responsible one.

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A Therapist Who Understands Burnout, Perfectionism & High Achievement

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With over 10 years of experience in the mental health field, I’ve worked across residential treatment, university student support services, community mental health, and behavioral health program development. These experiences gave me a deep understanding of how stress, trauma, family dynamics, and systemic pressures affect emotional well-being across every stage of life.

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Today, I help women who are:

• Constantly overthinking and second-guessing themselves

• Struggling with perfectionism and self-criticism

• Burned out from caregiving, careers, or emotional labor

• Navigating anxiety, people-pleasing, and boundary issues

• Feeling overwhelmed by ADHD, mental load, or chronic stress

• Trying to balance ambition with actual quality of life

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Many of my clients are the “strong one” in their families, workplaces, or relationships. They’re capable, compassionate, and deeply self-aware, but exhausted from carrying so much for so long.

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My Approach to Therapy for Women

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My therapy style is warm, collaborative, insightful, and down-to-earth. I’m not the kind of therapist who will tell you what you should or shouldn't be doing (guarantee you have plenty of people already doing that for you!), but I will gently challenge you, encourage you, and root for you.

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I actively engage with clients to help them understand the deeper patterns driving anxiety, burnout, perfectionism, and relationship stress. Together, we explore how your upbringing, family dynamics, cultural experiences, nervous system patterns, and environment may be impacting your mental health today.

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I use an integrative, evidence-based approach tailored to each client’s needs, drawing from:

• Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT)

• NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM)

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

• Relational and insight-oriented therapy

• Solution-focused interventions

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I also completed advanced training in Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy through the Albert Ellis Institute.

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Professional Training and Clinical Experience

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• Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in Illinois

• More than 10 years of experience in mental health

• Advanced training in Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy through the Albert Ellis Institute

• Experience in residential treatment, university student support, community mental health, clinical supervision, and private practice

• Integrative approach incorporating REBT, CBT, ACT, relational therapy, insight-oriented work, and solution-focused interventions

• Specialized interest in burnout, perfectionism, people-pleasing, adult ADHD in women, complex trauma, and emotionally immature family dynamics

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Therapy That Feels Human

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Clients often tell me they appreciate that our sessions feel real. Therapy with me is not about becoming a “perfect healed version” of yourself. It’s about understanding yourself more deeply, building healthier patterns, and learning how to exist without constantly abandoning your own needs.

 

I strive to create a supportive, judgment-free space where women can:

• Learn how to set healthy boundaries

• Reduce anxiety and emotional overwhelm

• Recover from burnout and chronic stress

• Improve self-esteem and self-trust

• Build healthier relationships

• Feel more grounded, confident, and emotionally resilient

 

My practice has grown largely through word-of-mouth referrals, which I believe speaks to the trust, connection, and authenticity I bring into this work.

 

If you’re looking for a therapist who will simply tell you what to do, I may not be the best fit. But if you’re looking for someone who will genuinely walk alongside you while helping you better understand yourself, your relationships, and your emotional patterns, I’d love to connect.

 

A Little About Me Outside the Therapy Office

 

When I’m not working with clients, you’ll usually find me hiking, traveling, spending time with my husband and dog, attempting to improve at pickleball, or entering what can only be described as an emotionally committed relationship with an IKEA instruction manual.

 

Balance, after all, comes in many forms.

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Start Online Therapy for Women in Illinois

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If you’re looking for online therapy for anxiety, burnout, perfectionism, ADHD, people-pleasing, or relational trauma, I invite you to reach out.

 

I work with adult women throughout Illinois who want to better understand their patterns, strengthen boundaries, reduce emotional overwhelm, and build a more grounded relationship with themselves.

 

Schedule a free 15-minute consultation to learn more about my approach and whether working together may be a good fit.