Licensed to practice in Illinois and accepts 46 insurances. Specializes in LGBTQ, Grief, Anxiety and 10 more.
Joanie Paradis
(she/her)
About me
My counseling style is relaxed and conversational and one of meeting someone where they are on their path. I recognize it takes courage to seek therapy and implement changes and would love to assist you on your journey of discovery. I understand that it may be difficult to open up and talk to someone and I pride myself on being an active and nonjudgemental listener. I am genuinely interested in helping everyone I come in contact with thrive in all aspects of their personal and/or professional lives. I will constantly work to promote an empathetic experience where an individual’s needs, concerns, and personal values are met with compassion and respect. I am devoted to creating a safe place that both fosters and aids emotional growth and healing.
Get to know me
In our first session together, here's what you can expect
In our first session I would like to learn your history and what specific challenges you would like to address and how you've been managing your mental well being. I would also like to discuss what methods of coping have been working as well as what hasn't been working so we can talk through how I may best assist you. I will also answer any questions you have of me.
The biggest strengths that I bring into our sessions
My strength is actively listening with empathy, compassion and without judgment. I understand how difficult it can be to build trust and rapport and strive to create a safe space to assist you in empowering yourself to recognize maladaptive patterns and explore changes to improve your overall emotional well being.
Specialties
Top specialties
Anxiety
Grief
LGBTQ
Other specialties
Bipolar Disorder
Crisis Intervention
Depression
Family Conflict
First Responders/Healthcare Workers
Mood Disorders
Older Adults
Self Esteem
Suicidal Ideation
Women's Issues
Identifies as
LGBTQ
White
Woman
Serves ages
Adults (18 to 64)
Elders (65 and above)
Licensed in
Illinois
Accepts
Aetna
Aetna - ASR Health Benefits
Aetna - Allied Benefits
Aetna - Lucent Health
Aetna - Luminare
Aetna - Medicare
Aetna - Moda
Aetna - WebTPA
Aetna – HealthEZ
All Savers
Amerihealth Administrators
Amerihealth NJ Medicare Advantage
Arlo
AvMed
Blue Cross Blue Shield
Anthem
Independence Blue Cross
Independence Administrators
Cash - $120 per session
Centivo
Cigna
Cigna - HealthEZ
EAP:Cigna
EAP:Evernorth
EAP:UnitedHealthcare/Optum
Evernorth
GTEB
Golden Rule
Harvard Pilgrim/UnitedHealthcare
Humana - Medicare
Humana Dual (Medicare & Medicaid)
UnitedHealthcare/Optum
Optum
OptumHealth Complex Medical Conditions
Oscar
Oxford
Surest (formerly Bind)
Tufts Health/Cigna
UMR - Advocate Aurora Health
United Medical Resources
UnitedHealthcare Dual (Medicare & Medicaid)
UnitedHealthcare Life Insurance
UnitedHealthcare Shared Services
UnitedHealthcare StudentResources
UnitedHealthcare/Optum - Medicare
UnitedHealthcare Complete Care (C-SNP)
Location
Virtual
My treatment methods
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
In my experience CBT empowers clients to disconnect from unhealthy ways of thinking and perceiving their experiences and stressors. By focusing on how thoughts, beliefs and attitude affect behavior you can develop better strategies to respond to stress, anxiety, depression, substance abuse and personal relationships.
5 ratings with written reviews
July 27, 2026
She listens without criticism. She validates my feeling's. She offers insight on issues that I may have not considered before, like accepting another person's feeling's about something that effected me deeply, as just as true and important to them, without comparing experiences based on which was "worse or more tragic" than the other. Her patience for my rants are impressive, and when I apologize she just tells me she's glad I got it out. She's very down to earth and personable.
Verified client, age 45-54
May 29, 2026
Speaking with Joanie is like talking with an old friend who understands you. She is open minded and comforting with gentle solutions and a great demeanor.
Verified client, age 55-64
May 21, 2026
I went in with limited to no experience and she was open, warm, and just real with me in a sense that felt more like talking to a friend or family member than talking to a stranger. She challenged my negative thoughts and habits while simultaneously making me aware of positive habits and thoughts I already had and wasn't aware of. I went in nervous and sad, and I left feeling hopeful that things WILL be better and I'm extremely grateful for her help today.