Richard Watson, LCPC

Richard Watson is an Illinois Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) with nine years of clinical experience. He works with adults on issues such as depression, anxiety, substance use, anger, grief, sleep problems, and attention difficulties. He frames the client as the expert and uses collaboration to set goals and make changes.

He practices from a trauma-informed perspective and respects different life experiences and resilience. He asks clients to be willing to face discomfort, because change often involves working through difficult feelings and memories. Trust and openness are central to how he works in sessions.

His main therapeutic tools are Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Mindfulness-based CBT, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. In session he helps people notice unhelpful thinking, test assumptions, and try new behaviors. He also uses mindfulness exercises to reduce reactivity and increase present-moment awareness.

For people dealing with substance use or impulsivity, he integrates motivational interviewing-style questioning to clarify values and build motivation for change. He also offers solution-focused elements to set concrete, short-term steps toward practical goals. These methods are used to address problems like anger, codependency, communication problems, and coping with major life changes.

Richard acknowledges that asking for help is hard. He encourages straightforward conversations about difficulties such as loneliness, guilt, or overwhelm. He aims to help people move toward clearer choices and steadier day-to-day functioning.

How his approaches translate to online sessions