- Years in practice
- 32
- Credentials
- LCPC
- Licensed in
- Illinois
- Languages
- English
- Focus
- Stress, Anxiety
- Focus
- Addictions
- Focus
- Self esteem
About Rita
Rita Porter is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor with 32 years of experience in Illinois. She focuses on helping people who feel stuck by offering steady, practical support. Her work often centers on stress, anxiety, depression, addictions, and parenting concerns.
Rita listens carefully to each person's story and helps them name the problems that matter most. She uses plain, direct conversation and concrete strategies so people can make small changes that add up.
Background and approach
Parents find her approach useful for managing daily overwhelm and setting clearer boundaries. Her style blends emotional attention with actionable tools. Clients practice skills for managing strong feelings and for shifting unhelpful thoughts and behaviors.
Rita also helps people repair relationship patterns and improve communication habits. She draws from several evidence-informed methods, including cognitive behavioral ideas, mindfulness, and emotion-focused work. Those methods are applied in a way that matches each person's goals rather than following a rigid plan.
The aim is steady progress and greater self-compassion. Rita works with adults facing life transitions, grief, career stress, ADHD-related challenges, and family-related concerns. She brings particular experience around blended family issues, caregiving stress, addiction, and the effects of family-of-origin dynamics.
Her practice is grounded in respect and practical problem solving.
What Rita works with
Everything Rita lists, in the therapist's own terms. Parenting is the reason this directory exists; the rest shows what else Rita helps people with.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Addictions
- Self esteem
- Depression
- Coping with life changes
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
- Trauma and abuse
- Grief
- Parenting issues
- Anger management
- Career difficulties
- ADHD
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Blended family issues
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Codependency
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Divorce and separation
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Immigration issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Mood disorders
- Postpartum depression
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-love
- Women's issues
Approaches Rita lists
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Solution-Focused Therapy
Listing an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist names and does not check training records.
Therapeutic approaches and how they work online
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) encourages people to notice unhelpful thoughts and choose actions that match their values. It is useful for stress, anxiety, and when someone wants clearer direction in life. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying thought patterns and testing them with practical behavioral experiments to reduce symptoms like low mood or anxious thinking. Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) helps people name and work with deeper emotions that drive relationship patterns and personal distress.Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. Rita will discuss your goals, try techniques, and adjust the plan based on what helps most. Clients and therapist decide together which methods fit the issue, personality, and pace of change desired.
Online sessions include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to make therapy flexible. Video is helpful for in-depth conversations and skill practice. Phone can be easier when bandwidth is limited or when you need a quick check-in. Live chat and text messaging work well for brief updates, homework review, or steady support between longer sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy into busy family or work schedules and to keep momentum between meetings.
Questions people ask about Rita
What issues does Rita commonly address?
She helps with stress, anxiety, depression, addictions, parenting concerns, grief, anger, relationship and family problems, career strain, ADHD, and life changes.
What is her basic therapeutic style?
Her style is collaborative and down-to-earth. Sessions mix emotional exploration with practical exercises and communication practice.
How many years has she been practicing?
Rita has 32 years of clinical experience working with adults on a wide range of emotional and behavioral concerns.
Where is she licensed and located?
She is an Illinois Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, practicing in Illinois.
Which languages are supported in sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
What session formats are available?
Rita meets through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to suit different needs and schedules.
How does billing and cost work?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, completing a short matching questionnaire, and then scheduling according to therapist availability.
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