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LCPC, LPC

Anita Thomas-Bua, LCPC, LPC

  • Experience20 years
  • LocationIllinois
  • Focus areasStress and Anxiety, Relationship, and Trauma and abuse
  • Therapy approachesInternal Family Systems and Client-Centered Therapy
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About Anita

Anita Thomas-Bua is a licensed psychotherapist with two decades of experience helping people navigate stress, anxiety, trauma, relationship challenges, grief, mood disorders, and a wide range of life transitions.

Background and approach

She combines therapeutic counseling and life coaching to support clients working on self-esteem, career concerns, parenting questions, eating and body image issues, ADHD, compassion fatigue, and complex concerns such as chronic illness, caregiver stress, and domestic violence. Anita brings attention to both emotional healing and practical coping skills.

Her approach is warm, interactive, and rooted in respect and compassion. She draws from Internal Family Systems along with client-centered, cognitive behavioral, emotionally-focused, and Imago relationship techniques to tailor work to each person’s needs.

Patients can expect collaborative sessions focused on strengthening inner resources, clarifying values, and building concrete strategies for everyday challenges. Anita’s practice is informed by a belief that growth often follows difficulty; she aims to educate and empower clients toward restored balance of mind, body, and spirit.

Licensed in Illinois and Wisconsin, Anita supports people seeking thoughtful, experienced guidance for both therapy and coaching. She emphasizes courage, practical change, and compassionate connection as foundations for longer-term wellbeing.

How therapeutic approaches translate to online care

Internal Family Systems (IFS) helps clients notice and relate to different parts of themselves with curiosity rather than judgment. This approach can be useful for working with trauma responses, self-criticism, and internal conflict by fostering internal cooperation and self-leadership. Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes empathy, active listening, and unconditional positive regard to create a space where people feel understood and can explore values and goals. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and patterns and developing practical skills to manage mood, anxiety, and behavior through structured exercises and strategies.

Finding the right combination of approaches is part of the therapeutic work. Anita collaborates with each person to assess needs, goals, and preferences and then integrates methods that fit the individual’s situation. This collaborative process helps shape a plan that balances emotional understanding with concrete tools for change.

Online sessions are offered via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to increase flexibility and access. These formats make it easier to fit therapy into busy schedules, maintain continuity during life transitions, and choose the mode of communication that feels most comfortable for each person.

Frequently asked questions

What concerns does Anita commonly address?
She works with stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, relationship and intimacy issues, grief, anger, eating and body image concerns, parenting, career challenges, bipolar disorder, ADHD, and related life changes.
What is her general therapeutic style and approach?
The style is warm and interactive, emphasizing respect, sensitivity, and collaboration. She uses client-centered techniques alongside modalities such as CBT, EFT, Imago, Jungian-influenced ideas, and Internal Family Systems to adapt to each person.
How much experience does she bring to sessions?
She has 20 years of experience working in mental health, providing psychotherapy, counseling, and life coaching across a variety of clinical concerns and settings.
What credentials and licensure does she hold and where is she based?
Anita holds LCPC and LPC credentials with Illinois license IL LCPC 180008157 and Wisconsin license WI LPC 3755 - 125, and she is based in Illinois.
Does she offer services in other languages or accept international clients?
Sessions are offered in English, and she does accept international clients as part of her practice.
In what formats are sessions available?
Clients can meet through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to accommodate different needs and schedules.
How are fees and subscriptions handled?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions are provided via a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
What are the steps to begin working together?
To get started, select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to therapist availability.

Areas of expertise

Primary focus

Stress, AnxietyRelationship issuesTrauma and abuseAnger managementDepression

Also works with

Family conflictsGriefIntimacy-related issuesEating disordersParenting issuesSelf esteemCareer difficultiesBipolar disorderCoping with life changesCoachingCompassion fatigueADHD

Additional focus areas

AbandonmentAging and geriatric issuesAttachment issuesBlended family issuesBody imageCancerCaregiver issues and stressChronic pain, illness, and disabilityCo-morbidityCommitment issuesCommunication problemsControl issuesCoping with natural or human-caused disasterDivorce and separationDomestic violenceFamily of origin issuesFamily problemsFatherhood issuesFertility issuesFirst responder issuesForgivenessGuilt and shameHIV / AIDSHospice and end-of-life counselingImpulsivityInfidelityIsolation / lonelinessJealousyLife purposeMidlife crisisVeteran and Armed Forces IssuesMoney and financial issuesMood disordersMulticultural concernsNarcissismObsessions, compulsions, and OCDPanic disorder and panic attacksPhobiasPostpartum depressionPost-traumatic stressPregnancy and childbirthPrejudice and discriminationSeasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)Self-harmSelf-loveSexual assault and abuseSocial anxiety and phobiaWomen's issuesWorkplace issuesYoung adult issues

Therapeutic approaches

Client-Centered TherapyCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)Imago Relationship TherapyJungian TherapyMotivational InterviewingSolution-Focused TherapyTrauma-Focused TherapyInternal Family Systems

Experience

20+ years

Licensed

Illinois, Wisconsin

Languages

English