Rita Porter , LCPC

Rita Porter is a licensed clinical professional counselor with 32 years of experience in Illinois. She focuses on helping people manage stress, anxiety, depression, and addictive behaviors. Rita pays attention to the realities women often face and to life stages like midlife transitions.

She works with people wrestling with relationship problems, family issues, grief, parenting strains, and career stress. Rita uses a steady, respectful approach that centers each person's story. Sessions are meant to be practical and down to earth, not full of jargon.

Rita blends several commonsense methods when she talks with people. She helps clients notice thoughts and patterns, try small behavior shifts, and practice skills to handle hard emotions. Mindfulness and acceptance tools are used alongside problem-focused strategies to help with everyday functioning.

Her style is collaborative and straightforward. Clients are invited to set goals and test what works between sessions. Rita encourages skills people can use right away to reduce overwhelm and build self-trust.

Over her career Rita has supported people through trauma, addictions, parenting challenges, and major life changes. She pays attention to family of origin concerns, communication breakdowns, and caregiver stress. The work aims to help people feel steadier and more able to make choices that match their values.

Therapeutic approaches and online care

Rita often uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to help people notice difficult thoughts and choose actions that match their values. ACT can be useful for stress, anxiety, and issues where people feel stuck in unhelpful thought patterns.

She also draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to identify thinking habits and try small behavior changes that reduce symptoms over time. CBT is practical for depression, anxiety, and problems that respond to skill practice and tracking progress.

Finding the right approach is a team effort. Rita works with each person to figure out which methods fit their goals and comfort level. She adjusts techniques as needs change and checks in about what helps most.

Online therapy offers flexible ways to connect. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation and visual cues. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited or a shorter check-in is needed. Live chat and text-based messaging support ongoing work between sessions and quick skill practice. These options make it simpler to fit therapy into work or family schedules while keeping the focus on practical progress.