Elaine Blickenstaff, LIMHP, LPC
Elaine Blickenstaff is a licensed mental health therapist with more than 36 years of experience supporting individuals through life’s most challenging moments. She began her career working as a mental health technician in hospital settings and providing in-home support before earning her master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Since obtaining her licensure in 2003, Elaine has worked in a variety of counseling roles, building extensive experience in crisis intervention, therapy, and community-based mental health services.
For the past 13 years, Elaine has been part of Lutheran Family Services in Omaha, Nebraska. She spent seven years working full-time as a Crisis Response Therapist, collaborating closely with law enforcement, homeless shelters, and crisis hotlines to provide on-site assessments and immediate support during emergencies. Today, she serves as Senior Care Coordinator, providing individual and group counseling to older adults living in Immanuel Communities’ subsidized housing facilities in Omaha and Papillion. In addition to her full-time role, she continues to serve on-call for crisis response, assisting with calls from the Nebraska Family Helpline, the 988 crisis line, and local law enforcement agencies across multiple counties.
Alongside her work with Lutheran Family Services, Elaine recently founded Lotus Center, a private practice where she focuses on grief and loss counseling, trauma recovery, and supporting first responders and adults dealing with stress, depression, and anxiety. Her personal experiences with loss, including the passing of her spouse, have deepened her compassion and ability to connect with clients navigating grief. Throughout her career, Elaine credits her determination and the guidance of mentors and colleagues for helping shape her path and fueling her ongoing commitment to helping others heal and move forward.
• University of Nebraska at Omaha
• Master's degree in Mental Health Counseling
• LIMHP (Licensed Independent Mental Health Practitioner)
• LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor)
• CPR Certified
Areas of Specialization/Expertise
- Grief and Loss
- Trauma
- First Responder Mental Health
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Stress
What do you enjoy most about practicing medicine?
I love working with law enforcement and being able to give back to the community through crisis response work. When I'm in somebody's crisis moment, I'm not just hearing about it - I'm there with them, which creates a different kind of connection. With my work in senior living, I've learned so much from my own experiences with loss. I lost my dad, my grandma, and my husband died three years ago, and I think I connect to some people when I say, I know what this is like, I've lost my spouse too. People don't expect somebody younger to have experienced that kind of loss, but it helps me provide comfort to those who are walking that path. I loved crisis response so much that even after transitioning to my Senior Care Coordinator role, I still do it on-call a few nights a month because I still love working with the police and it's a great way to give back to the community.