Janet Craig , LCSW

Janet Craig brings 35 years of social work, advocacy, and counseling experience to her clinical practice in Illinois. As an LCSW - a Licensed Clinical Social Worker - she has worked across a range of settings including child welfare, hospice, and schools, and she is comfortable supporting people at every stage of life as they explore what causes them pain and how they can care for themselves.

She has particular expertise helping parents navigate the challenges of raising children, with a strong focus on supporting parents of teenagers as families move through new developmental territory. In her role as a bereavement counselor she has helped individuals and families cope with loss and the complex emotions that can follow, offering space to sort through thoughts and feelings with a caring professional outside the family.

Janet’s practice emphasizes compassion, careful listening, and collaborative goal setting. She guides individuals toward goals they define for themselves and works from a foundation of acceptance, respect, and kindness. She believes people have the capacity to heal and do not have to make that journey alone. Her personal motto, reflected on a bumper sticker, reads, "Human kind (be both)."

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Care

Janet draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Client-Centered Therapy, and Mindfulness Therapy to guide her work. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice difficult thoughts and feelings without being driven by them, and it supports taking value-driven action even in the presence of discomfort - useful for anxiety, stress, and life transitions. Client-Centered Therapy centers the person's own goals and experience; through empathetic listening and reflective support the therapist helps clients build self-understanding and confidence to address relationship, parenting, or self-esteem concerns. Mindfulness Therapy emphasizes present-moment awareness and grounding practices to reduce reactivity and improve coping with stress, sleep difficulties, and emotional overwhelm.

Choosing the right approach is part of the therapeutic process, and Janet works collaboratively with each person to determine what fits best based on their needs, goals, and preferences. She tailors techniques from these approaches to meet the priorities the client sets, adapting as progress unfolds.

Online therapy offers practical benefits for accessing this work - sessions can occur by video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging, allowing for flexible scheduling and the ability to continue care from home or other convenient locations. These options make it easier to maintain consistency in treatment and to use the communication style that best supports each person’s progress.