Your therapist

Portrait of John Opalka MA. LPC., a mental health therapist, smiling in front of a brick background.

My name is John Opalka and I am therapist and owner at Focused Counseling Services in Springfield, MO. I am a Licensed Professional Counselor who has been practicing for over 19 years specializing in helping young people with anxiety, depression, adjustment issues, family struggles and other mental health issues. I’m a big fan of CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) but I also use several other types of treatment approaches as well. I work to make counseling as comfortable yet challenging and attempt to help clients by thinking outside the box in ways they may have not considered before. I’ve created a comfortable space so people feel safe to process their life.

My senior year of high school I was sitting in front of my computer in my room thinking, what am I going to do in life? It was at that moment the years of being a teenager helping peers and others flashed before me and I then knew being a therapist was my calling. This created a passion for teens and young adults because I remember being in that stage of life and finding it difficult to know what to do or who to talk to. I’ve worked with young people in a variety of settings from schools, group homes and churches. I grew up on the East Coast not far from New York City. I have lived in Springfield two different times, once for college and then again to finish my education and then never left.

Some things to know about me…

  • I have a Masters of Arts in Counseling and am licensed in the state of Missouri.

  • You pronounce my last name O-Pal-Ka (Opalka)

  • My favorite food is gourmet cheese burgers

  • I am a car enthusiast.

  • I enjoy driving, as much as when I first got my license.

  • I enjoy road trips and have many destinations left on my list.

  • My dream vacation would be to Australia, something about that place seems interesting.

  • I did counseling as a teenager and hated it, when i became a counselor I told myself I was going to do it different.

  • I have quite the eclectic taste in music, so much so friends have given me weird looks when a playlist plays through in the car.

  • I enjoy plants, thought about giving plants to clients as part of the counseling process. (If you would like a plant as part of your therapy journey let me know)