Delis Counseling Group aims to offer more than ‘just talking’

Cheryl Hentz

Contributor

August 3, 2026

WISCONSIN RAPIDS – Owner and Therapist Candace Delis said her recently opened practice, Delis Counseling Group, takes a different approach to therapy by creating a more relaxed, conversational experience for clients.

“We have a more realistic approach,” she said. “We think in terms of meeting people where they are and asking them what tools they think they need rather than just talking about how they feel.”

Those tools, Candace said, could include journaling, meditation or yoga – “things like that.”

“But what works for one isn’t necessarily going to work for someone else,” she said. “Or, just because one person likes journaling, the next person might not.” 

Candace said getting to know clients on a personal level helps create a different type of therapeutic relationship – one built on trust and mutual respect. 

“I trust people to tell me how they’re feeling, and to be honest about it,” she said. “And they trust me to help them from a place of genuine caring and concern.”

Candace said the practice also embraces individuality among its staff.

Her nontraditional appearance, she said, differs from the more traditional style of Licensed Professional Counselor-in-Training Janelle Tubbs.

“I’m sort of nontraditional, just in general,” she said. “I’m 50 years old with tattoos and purple hair, so that’s not something you run into very often in Central Wisconsin.”

Candace said creating a comfortable and safe environment for clients is a priority, adding that even small touches throughout the practice are intended to make people feel welcome.

This, she said, includes offering text communication as an alternative for people who may feel anxious about making phone calls or navigating traditional scheduling processes. 

“If you can text someone, sometimes that’s the thing that makes the difference between someone starting therapy or not, because it’s less scary,” she said. “You have time to think about what you want to say.” 

Candace said Delis Counseling Group’s approach to therapy is direct, practical and focused on helping clients navigate real-life challenges in ways that work for them.

She said the goal is not perfection, but rather helping clients build understanding, growth and strategies that make daily life feel more manageable.

Candace said the practice’s approach is grounded in evidence-based mental health care, while recognizing that each person’s experiences, circumstances and needs are different.

“Bottom line: it’s not our job to sugarcoat things,” she said. “It’s our job to help people.”

All walks of life

Candace said the practice recognizes that clients come to therapy with different identities, beliefs, backgrounds, relationships and life experiences.

She said clients do not need to fit a certain mold to feel welcome at Delis Counseling Group, where the goal is to provide a space for open conversations without judgment.

Candace said the practice provides outpatient counseling services for adolescents and adults, helping clients address concerns including anxiety, depression, ADHD, burnout, relationships, trauma, identity and major life changes. 

“We do cognitive behavioral therapy, which is teaching people the right skills and reframing the way you think about things,” she said. “We do supportive therapy, which is just listening sometimes. And, for people with trauma, we offer brainspotting – which is really exciting because, as far as I know, there’s only one other place in the Rapids area that does it.”

Brainspotting, Tubbs said, is a therapeutic technique that helps clients process trauma, emotional pain and stress by using specific eye positions connected to stored experiences in the brain and body. 

“It helps with trauma, PTSD, anxiety, a lot of different traumatic, nervous-system things,” she said. “And the nice thing about it is you don’t necessarily have to talk at length about the trauma or the experience.”

Tubbs said brainspotting allows clients to process difficult experiences without having to repeatedly discuss or relive traumatic events.

Instead, she said clients can focus on the emotions connected to those experiences.

“Afterwards, your body just kind of processes it, and that makes you feel a little bit lighter and helps you kind of work through that stress,” she said. “Brainspotting goes into the core of your brain where some of these traumatic memories are stored.” 

Though the practice serves clients facing a wide range of challenges, Candace said anxiety-related concerns make up the largest portion of her caseload, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“Anxiety has gone up a lot in the general population and more people struggle with anxiety now than before 2020,” she said.

About the practice

Located at 1910 7th St. S. in Wisconsin Rapids, Candace – who is licensed in six states, including Wisconsin, and serves clients across all six – said Delis Counseling Group provides in-person and secure telehealth counseling options.

Candace said the practice accepts Wisconsin Medicaid, private pay and most health insurance plans.

Though Delis Counseling Group does not currently accept Medicare, she said efforts are underway to add that option.

Candace said accepting Medicaid was a priority because of the shortage of providers available to serve Medicaid patients.

“There’s a shortage of providers in general, but especially ones who accept Medicaid,” she said.

With two open offices available in the lower level of Delis Counseling Group’s building, Candace said she hopes to create a wellness collective that brings together providers and services focused on overall wellness and quality of life. 

“It might be someone who does massage or acupuncture,” she said. “We want to have folks here so we’re able to focus on the whole body.”

Candace said Delis Counseling Group will hold a grand opening from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Aug. 7 with the Heart of Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce doing a ribbon cutting at noon. 

“People will get a chance to meet and talk with us and see how approachable we are,” she said.

Candace said the practice recently received a $2,500 Heart Tank grant from the chamber, which will help support future events focused on helping people find peace and connection through the outdoors.

“The first one in October or November will be wilderness education,” she said. “We’ll teach people how to relax in nature and disconnect from technology.”

Next summer, Candace said she plans to offer backpacking trips, creating an opportunity for people to experience the outdoors without having to invest in all of the equipment upfront.

“Plus, they can get outside for a few days without their phone,” she said. “It’ll probably be three or four days, because three days is the magic number for your brain to reset when you’re getting away from technology.”

For more information about Delis Counseling Group, visit deliscounseling.com.