Natalie Lane
Natalie Lane is an experienced social service professional based in the Greater Chicago Area, with over 16 years dedicated to youth development, foster care services, and family support. Inspired by her mother, who raised seven children while serving as a caring figure to many neighborhood kids, Natalie developed a deep commitment to helping families and youth navigate complex social challenges. She pursued a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Roosevelt University and earned her Master of Arts in Clinical, Counseling, and Applied Psychology from National-Louis University, equipping her with the skills to provide compassionate and effective support to those in need.
Throughout her career, Natalie has held diverse roles in social services, including placement stabilization worker, youth development specialist, caseworker, juvenile justice specialist, and residential advisor. She has worked extensively in foster care, juvenile justice, and welfare-to-work programs, helping individuals and families stabilize, reunify, and successfully transition to greater independence. Her hands-on experience has honed her expertise in case management, family dynamics, and youth advocacy, and has instilled in her a profound respect for each person’s unique journey.
In addition to her professional work, Natalie is a published author. Her books, Beyond the Couch: How Therapy Changes Lives and Familiar Strangers: How to Deal with Your Family, draw on her personal experiences and years of therapy to provide guidance on family relationships and personal growth. She is currently working on two more books, including a poetry collection. Natalie's work, both professionally and personally, is grounded in empathy, resilience, and a lifelong commitment to empowering individuals and families to thrive.
• National Louis University - MA
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to my upbringing, my mom, my dad, and my family. I lost my mom when I was 23 and she was 49 when she left me. After she passed, my dad stepped up and he and I lived together for a while, and he helped me buy my first piece of property. He moved in with me, and ever since then, it has just been by the grace of God, there go I. Everything that I do is about my mom and my dad.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I ever received was from Dr. Parker, one of my professors at Roosevelt University. We had an African-American psychology class, and he told me, if you don't invest in yourself, no one else will. He said the one thing no one can ever take away from you is your education. They can take your house, they can take your car, but they can never take away your education, so invest in that.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice to women entering my industry is don't judge it. Be open, and be patient. Be patient and kind to yourself first.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of the biggest challenges I'm facing is that there is a lack of resources to provide the appropriate care for youth who are in care, especially those youth that are over the age of 12. There are no placements for them, so a lot of them are left in facilities beyond the need that they need to be there, whether it's JTDC, whether it's Heart Grove, whether it's Streamwood, whether it's Dale. These places are housing youth, and the system does not have placements for them, and that's disheartening. I wish the system would focus on identifying housing for these youth, as opposed to leaving them in these places like they're left behind, because it's not fair to them and you can't justify doing that. The other challenge is working under administration with individuals who probably did the work that I did, but they've been so far removed from doing the work that they forget what it takes to do the work. They forget, and I don't ever want to be a person that if I ever get to a position where I can effect a change, I don't ever want to forget the work that goes into doing the work. I don't want to be that removed, where I'm looking down my nose and saying, oh, you can get this done. That's not always the case when your hands are tied and there's no resources.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me in my work and personal life are integrity, honesty, transparency, genuineness, and compassion.