About Loraine
Loraine (Lori) Sawyer is a Hawaii-based therapist who helps people facing stress, anxiety, depression, relationship strain, and parenting challenges. She offers practical support for those coping with trauma, addiction, sleep problems, anger, or changes in mood and focus. Lori brings a calm, direct approach aimed at everyday problems and small steps forward.
With 15 years of experience, Lori combines problem-solving methods with attention to how past events affect current life.
Background and approach
She uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to identify unhelpful thoughts and build new habits. She also draws on Motivational Interviewing to strengthen commitment to change and Solution-Focused Therapy to set clear, reachable goals. Her practice includes work around adoption and foster care, attachment issues, autism and Asperger syndrome, and challenges common to young adults.
She also addresses shame, guilt, isolation, and the effects of prejudice or discrimination on wellbeing. Lori listens for what matters most and helps people prioritize steps that fit their life. Sessions may include skills training, short experiments between meetings, and focused conversations to clarify values and choices.
She pays attention to practical needs like sleep, impulse control, and managing panic or obsessive concerns. Lori aims to make therapy useful and doable for busy people. She holds LPCC and LMHC credentials and has practiced in Hawaii for many years.
Her approach is collaborative and goal-oriented, with an emphasis on strengths and steady progress.
How Lori uses focused therapies online
Trauma-Focused Therapy helps people name what happened and learn skills to manage strong reactions. It guides pacing and grounding techniques so memories feel less overwhelming and daily life becomes more manageable.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at the links between thoughts, feelings, and actions. It teaches simple exercises to test unhelpful thoughts, change routines that worsen mood, and build practical coping skills for anxiety, panic, or obsessive worries.
Finding the right approach is part of the work. Lori will talk with each person about their needs, goals, and what feels helpful. Together they pick methods and tasks that match the client's situation and preferences, and adjust as progress is made.
Online formats make regular work easier. Video calls let the therapist and client meet face to face for skill practice and deeper conversations. Phone sessions can fit into a short break or require less bandwidth. Live chat and text-based messaging allow quick check-ins, focused problem-solving, or ongoing encouragement between sessions. These options help people keep therapy consistent while balancing family, school, or work.
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of problems does Lori help with?
What style of therapy does she use?
What is her clinical background?
Where is she licensed and located?
Can I work with her if I live outside the United States?
What session formats are available?
How are sessions paid for?
How do I begin working with Lori?
Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Trauma and abuse
Also works with
- Addictions
- ADHD
- Adoption and foster care
- Anger management
- Attachment issues
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Bipolar disorder
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Family conflicts
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Isolation / loneliness
- LGBT
- Mood disorders
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Parenting issues
- Post-traumatic stress
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Self esteem
- Sleeping disorders
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 15 years
- Licensed
- Hawaii, California
- Languages
- English