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
Professional experience
21 yrs in practice
Stress, AnxietyAnger managementSelf esteem, MotivationDepressionCoping with life changes
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
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 is very considerate and understanding. I enjoy her outlook and sense of humor about things but mostly how supportive she is. I also enjoy how she respects my spiritual beliefs and incorporates them into my therapy.
Written on May 23, 2026 after therapy with Athena for 2 weeks on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, addictions, relationship issues, trauma and abuse, and grief
Dr. Porter is absolutely wonderful, and she has helped me on this journey in guiding me to where I wanted to be. 100% recommend Dr. Porter.
Written on May 02, 2026 after therapy with Athena for 3 years on issues concerning stress, anxiety, addictions, grief, and adhd
So far so great!
Written on Apr 13, 2026 after therapy with Athena for 3 weeks on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, relationship issues, trauma and abuse, and self esteem
I have only had 1 session with her. I feel it was a great session amd she really follows up with me.
Written on Apr 12, 2026 after therapy with Athena for 3 weeks on issues concerning stress, anxiety, and relationship issues
She is the best and I appreciate her expertise.
Written on Apr 05, 2026 after therapy with Athena for 2 weeks on issues concerning stress, anxiety, relationship issues, grief, self esteem, and anger management
Dr.Porter has helped me through a number of topics. She’s great at listening and giving feedback!
Written on Jan 04, 2026 after therapy with Athena for 2 weeks on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, relationship issues, family conflicts, trauma and abuse, eating disorders, sleeping disorders, and self esteem
This journey has been amazing with Dr. Porter! Highly recommend
Written on May 11, 2025 after therapy with Athena for 2 months on issues concerning stress, anxiety, relationship issues, family conflicts, grief, self esteem, career difficulties, and coping with life changes
Dr. Porter is really helping me to workout some areas of improvement. I've only had three sessions, but I can already feel the difference! I'm really optimistic about the direction we're going and I know my future self will be grateful for the work I'm doing now!
Written on May 11, 2025 after therapy with Athena for 2 weeks on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, addictions, relationship issues, family conflicts, trauma and abuse, intimacy-related issues, and self esteem
Dr. Porter consistently listens to my thoughts and concerns without judgement and she always responds with respect and care. She is great at what she does and she gives insightful feedback when needed. I notice positive changes in my life since I’ve been working with Dr. Porter.
Written on May 06, 2025 after therapy with Athena for 6 months on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, relationship issues, grief, self esteem, coping with life changes, and coaching
I've been working with Dr. Porter for a bit over 3 years. She has helped me grow and has supported me all this time to the point where we have concluded daily therapy. Her knowledge, intellect, and experience have helped me greatly in my journey
Written on Feb 25, 2025 after therapy with Athena for 4 years and 3 months
Dr. Porter is very professional and compassionate. She has helped me identify issues I need to work through and provided me with tips and tools to do so.
Written on Dec 07, 2024 after therapy with Athena for 4 months on issues concerning stress, anxiety
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
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
I love my time with Dr. Porter. It’s so easy to talk to her. It’s almost like spending time catching up with an old friend how comfortable she make you feel. The advice she gives, the grace in how she helps you shift your perspective on things . The exercises she gives at the end of each session so you can continue the process of healing until our next session . Overall the best experience on this healing journey
Written on May 12, 2023 after therapy with Athena for 9 months on issues concerning grief, self esteem, career difficulties, and coping with life changes
Dr porter listen and understand what you need and how to try to get where you should be in your life
Written on Oct 31, 2022 after therapy with Athena for 3 weeks on issues concerning depression, anger management, coping with life changes, and adhd
I’ve only seen her one week, but I feel it went very well. I’ve scheduled my news appointment.
Written on Sep 14, 2022 after therapy with Athena for 2 weeks on issues concerning relationship issues, intimacy-related issues, and coping with life changes
She is awesome!
Written on Jul 20, 2022 after therapy with Athena for 5 months on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, relationship issues, family conflicts, trauma and abuse, grief, intimacy-related issues, eating disorders, sleeping disorders, self esteem, career difficulties, and coping with life changes
Highly recommend Dr. Porter. She is very empathetic and encouraging. She understands different walks of life and is a true healer. I also really appreciate her firmness when I need it to make progress. It has been a joy working with her.
Written on Jun 11, 2022 after therapy with Athena for 1 year on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, and trauma and abuse
I've only had one session with Dr. Porter and it was really good. I feel like sis listens to me, asks questions for better understanding. She gives me great hope that she can help me and I'm excited about therapy with her
Written on May 19, 2022 after therapy with Athena for 4 months on issues concerning relationship issues, intimacy-related issues, and coping with life changes
Best therapist ever!
Written on Apr 23, 2022 after therapy with Athena for 6 months on issues concerning stress, anxiety, relationship issues, family conflicts, and trauma and abuse
My experience with Dr. Porter has been positive in every way. She is caring, supportive, and insightful and I look forward to our sessions.
The only criticism I have is for betterhelp: technical issues, poor audio, and service interruptions have made the platform frustrating to use. I hope BetterHelp can improve to be on par with other virtual meeting tools which perform much more reliably.
Written on Oct 04, 2021 after therapy with Athena for 2 months on issues concerning stress, anxiety, addictions, family conflicts, and trauma and abuse
Dr. Porter has a wealth of experience. This is evident in her profile but even more so in our discussions. I appreciate her perspective, her questions and willingness to speak in depth on the topics we're covering. I feel lucky that I have been connected to Dr. Porter through better health.
Written on Oct 03, 2021 after therapy with Athena for 2 weeks on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, relationship issues, family conflicts, trauma and abuse, parenting issues, and coping with life changes
Dr. Porter is a very understanding counselor. She always makes me see situations in a new light, and that catches me off guard in a good way.
Written on Jun 13, 2021 after therapy with Athena for 9 months on issues concerning stress, anxiety, relationship issues, intimacy-related issues, and anger management
My time with BetterHelp and Dr. Porter is my first time in therapy and she has made it a delight. Something I look forward to weekly.
Written on Mar 23, 2021 after therapy with Athena for 2 months on issues concerning stress, anxiety, self esteem, career difficulties, coping with life changes, coaching, and adhd
I immediately clicked with Dr. Porter. She is so attentive and concerned with what I am feeling. She also gives feedback on what she thinks about the information I share. It seems like she genuinely cares about my issues and knows what advice to give.
Written on Jan 25, 2021 after therapy with Athena for 2 weeks on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, relationship issues, trauma and abuse, intimacy-related issues, self esteem, anger management, coping with life changes, and adhd
Dr. Porter is a very warm, welcoming, and understanding person. From the very first session I felt comfortable and like I was talking to a nonjudgmental confidante. I did not feel like I was talking to a therapist. I would recommend her to anyone.
Written on Sep 12, 2020 after therapy with Athena for 3 weeks
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