Welcome!
I am a person, who like many other human beings, has skills and talents. As a qualified mental health care provider with a doctorate in Clinical/Community Psychology, I have been using my talents to help people afflicted with anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, post traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia, and other psychological disorders. While I appreciate the wide-range benefits of an eclectic approach, I prefer and tend to apply cognitive-behavioral, humanistic, and sociocultural models in counseling and therapy sessions.
I view life as a journey in which we, as human beings, use our mind, body, and spirit to solve problems, overcome adversity, and enjoy life. Besides helping people alleviate symptoms derived from mental illness, I provide support for personal growth within the context life coaching and wellness sessions.
The span of my career is more than twenty years. The local and global scopes of my vision as a healer, have led me to provide community psychology services in Chicagoland, numerous cities in other parts of the United States, and Ghana (Africa). These community-wide services entail conducting presentations at community health fairs, disseminating information for various type of awareness campaigns (examples: suicide prevention, domestic violence, PTSD, HIV/AIDS, smoking cessation, substance abuse, and Covid19). Moreover, I have imparted information about mental health through the media.
I love providing psychological services! I am grateful to be gifted as a healer! Furthermore, I look forward to serving you!
Enjoy balance in body, mind, and spirit,
Dr. Athena Porter
Additional areas of focus: Addictions, Relationship issues, Family conflicts, Trauma and abuse, Grief, Intimacy-related issues, Parenting issues, Career difficulties, Bipolar disorder, Coaching, ADHD, Caregiver issues and stress, Communication problems, Coping with natural or human-caused disaster, Family of origin issues, Isolation / loneliness, Midlife crisis, Veteran and Armed Forces Issues, Mood disorders, Multicultural concerns, Panic disorder and panic attacks, Paranoia, Post-traumatic stress, Prejudice and discrimination, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), Smoking / vaping cessation, Social anxiety and phobia, Women's issues, Young adult issues
Clinical approaches: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Existential Therapy, Hypnotherapy, Mindfulness Therapy, Psychodynamic Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, Trauma-Focused Therapy
IL LCPC 180.002727
These quotes represent just a few of the many positive reviews that we have received for Dr. Athena Porter. We don't pay anyone to provide their review and they are all made voluntarily. Some people's experience receiving therapy with BetterHelp might be different.
Dr. Porter cares, she listens, and she responds to my concerns with empathy. She genuinely wants to help and get to know me better in hopes of helping me learn new ways to cope with stress and grief.
Written on Oct 28, 2024 after therapy with Athena for 2 weeks on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, relationship issues, grief, self esteem, coping with life changes, and coaching
Dr. Porter is great. She’s so relatable, nonjudgmental and approachable that it can feel like you are talking to someone you’ve known for years. Yet, all the while her expertise is guiding you to think through things, have breakthroughs and make changes that make you better. She is very professional and good at explaining the psychology of things. She is patient and a good listener, so she can tell how to best use her skills to help you. I highly recommend her.
Written on Sep 30, 2024 after therapy with Athena for 6 months on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, relationship issues, trauma and abuse, intimacy-related issues, self esteem, and coping with life changes
Never been listened to like I am with Dr. Porter. Great counselor, through and through!
Written on Sep 21, 2024 after therapy with Athena for 1 year and 5 months on issues concerning stress, anxiety, addictions, grief, and adhd
Dr. Porter is wise, knowledge, and provides me with great realization on my own on the way she asks me questions. She dives deep into what I'm saying by actively listening and responds in a way that helps me realize what I'm saying. It might seem hard to understand if youve never had therapy. I highly recommend her and wish her well
Written on Jun 19, 2024 after therapy with Athena for 2 weeks on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, relationship issues, and anger management
She’s a great therapist and listens very well. She’s excellent at analyzing what I’m saying and pulls things together to make them relevant.
Written on Apr 07, 2024 after therapy with Athena for 1 year and 2 months on issues concerning stress, anxiety, self esteem, and coping with life changes
Dr. Porter gets me, but most importantly, where I trying to go as a better version of myself.
Written on Jan 05, 2024 after therapy with Athena for 3 weeks on issues concerning relationship issues, family conflicts, career difficulties, and coping with life changes