About Athena
Dr. Athena Porter is a licensed clinical professional counselor (LCPC) based in Illinois. She has practiced for 21 years and brings a long history of helping people manage anxiety, depression, bipolar mood concerns, and ADHD-related challenges.
She also addresses stress, grief, addictions, anger, and relationship and parenting concerns. Her background blends clinical work with community outreach. She has worked in Chicagoland and internationally, contributing to public health campaigns on topics such as suicide prevention, domestic violence, PTSD, HIV/AIDS, smoking cessation, substance use, and pandemic response.
Background and approach
That experience informs practical ways she talks about coping and resilience. In sessions she uses approaches drawn from cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, existential ideas, hypnotherapy, and mindfulness. She aims to help people notice unhelpful patterns, practice new skills, and find meaning when life feels overwhelming.
She also offers coaching-style support for life changes and wellness goals. Her style is direct and person-centered. She encourages clear goals, steady skill practice, and honest conversation about what is working and what is not.
People who want concrete strategies alongside space to reflect often find this approach useful. Dr. Porter mixes therapy and public education.
She draws on two decades of experience to offer short-term skill building or longer-term work on deeper issues. The emphasis is on making changes that fit everyday life and daily routines.
Approaches that guide online sessions
CBT, or cognitive behavioral therapy, focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing them against real life. It teaches practical skills for managing anxiety, mood swings, procrastination, and attention challenges that often come with ADHD. DBT, or dialectical behavior therapy, emphasizes emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and improved communication. It is useful when strong emotions or impulsive reactions get in the way of daily functioning and relationships. Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with each person to decide which methods match their goals, needs, and preferences. That might mean a mix of skill training, mindfulness practice, existential reflection, or brief coaching work. Online formats make care more flexible. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation and screen-sharing of worksheets. Phone sessions can fit a lunch break or be used when bandwidth is limited. Live chat and text-based messaging support brief check-ins, skill reminders, and ongoing coaching between longer sessions. These options help people fit therapy into busy days and keep momentum between appointments.Questions people ask
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What this therapist works with
Most often
- Stress, Anxiety
- Anger management
- Self esteem
Also listed
- Addictions
- ADHD
- Bipolar disorder
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Coaching
- Communication problems
- Coping with life changes
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Depression
- Family conflicts
- Family of origin issues
- Grief
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- Midlife crisis
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Parenting issues
- Post-traumatic stress
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Relationship issues
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Smoking / vaping cessation
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Trauma and abuse
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Women's issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 21 years
- Licensed
- Illinois
- Languages
- English
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