Hello! My name is Steve Konopka and I am a school social worker licensed in Illinois with over 20 years of experience working with school aged children, adolescents and families. I have worked with clients with a wide range of concerns including stress, anxiety, depression, self-esteem, relationship, parenting, substance, LGBTQIA+, career challenges, OCD and ADHD. I also helped many people who have experienced physical trauma or emotional abuse. As a school social worker I have worked with many children, adolescents and adults as they adjust and cope with the changes in their lives due to the covid pandemic. In addition I have worked with both adolescent and adult populations who struggle with substance issues.
My counseling style is warm and interactive. I work hard to know and understand you as a person because I believe you are the expert on your own life. Many clients have told me they love my approach. They will say that I was the first counselor that ever helped them and it is refreshing to talk with someone who doesn’t rely on “counseling jargon” but who really cares about them and their problems. I like to use client centered and solution-focused therapy, and have utilized cognitive-behavioral, rational-emotive and acceptance commitment therapies in my approach. Once we get to know each other we can figure out what type of counseling is going to be most beneficial to you.
It can be a difficult thing to say to someone that you are struggling in life and I will treat you with the dignity and respect you deserve for taking that brave step. I feel incredibly honored and privileged when a client opens up to me and because of the trust you shared in me I will promise to work side by side with you until you work through your situation. I look forward to working with you!
SPECIALTIES
Stress,
Anxiety
Depression
Relationship issues
Parenting Issues
Substance Issues
Self Esteem
Also experienced in:
Substance Issues, Family conflicts , Career difficulties , Coping with life changes , Blended Family Issues , Divorce and Separation , Family of Origin Issues., LGBTQIA+, Adoption Preservation, OCD and ADHD. Read more...
Clinical approaches:
Client-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Rational Emotive Therapy, Mindfulness Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.
Years of Experience: 20+
Additional areas of focus: LGBT, Family conflicts, Trauma and abuse, Grief, Intimacy-related issues, Eating disorders, Parenting issues, Self esteem, Career difficulties, Bipolar disorder, Depression, Coping with life changes, Coaching, Compassion fatigue, ADHD, Abandonment, Adoption and foster care, Aging and geriatric issues, Attachment issues, Autism and Asperger Syndrome, Blended family issues, Caregiver issues and stress, Chronic pain, illness, and disability, Commitment issues, Communication problems, Control issues, Coping with natural or human-caused disaster, Dependent personality, Divorce and separation, Drug and alcohol addiction, Emptiness, Family of origin issues, Family problems, Fatherhood issues, First responder issues, Forgiveness, Gender dysphoria, Guilt and shame, Hospice and end-of-life counseling, Impulsivity, Infidelity, Intellectual disability, Isolation / loneliness, Jealousy, Life purpose, Men's issues, Midlife crisis, Money and financial issues, Mood disorders, Multicultural concerns, Panic disorder and panic attacks, Paranoia, Post-traumatic stress, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), Self-love, Sexual assault and abuse, Smoking / vaping cessation, Social anxiety and phobia, Somatization, Workplace issues, Young adult issues
Clinical approaches: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Client-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Solution-Focused Therapy, Trauma-Focused Therapy
IL LCSW 149.011554