Profile / United States
Tamela Polanin, LCPC
Illinois
LCPC in Illinois - Stress and Trauma
See online therapy options- CBT strategies
- Trauma-focused EMDR
- DBT skills
About Tamela
Tamela Polanin is an Illinois Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) with 20 years of experience. She focuses on stress, anxiety, relationship and family concerns, trauma and abuse, depression, addictions, grief, parenting and related challenges. Tamela writes plainly and listens for practical problems people want to change.
She describes a client-centered way of working where the person sets the pace and goals. Sessions emphasize noticing unhelpful thoughts, testing new responses, and building skills that fit daily life. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is one of the approaches she uses to help people change thinking and behavior patterns.
Tamela also draws on Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) ideas when emotional regulation or relationship patterns are central. For trauma work she uses Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) along with trauma-focused strategies. These approaches are used according to what each person brings to the work.
Her experience includes a broad range of concerns such as intimacy issues, parenting strain, ADHD, grief, and career stress. She notes particular interest in abandonment, adoption and foster care, attachment issues, blended family matters, body image and codependency. Practical problem solving and coaching-style support are part of her practice.
Tamela lives in Illinois and brings two decades of clinical work to sessions. She invites people to consider which problems feel most urgent and to start with a short matching questionnaire and an initial session to outline goals and next steps.
How Tamela’s approaches translate to online work
CBT focuses on identifying thoughts and behaviors that keep problems going and then trying specific, small experiments to change them. It is useful for anxiety, depression, stress, and many day-to-day problems where practical skills help reduce symptoms and improve functioning.EMDR is a trauma-focused method that works with distressing memories by pairing guided attention with processing techniques to reduce emotional intensity. DBT emphasizes concrete skills for emotion regulation, distress tolerance and clearer communication when emotions run high.
Finding the right approach is collaborative. Tamela will discuss goals and preferences and suggest which methods to try first. She adjusts the plan as progress becomes clear or priorities change.
The therapist’s biography does not list specific online formats, so confirm current session options before booking. In general, online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy schedule, allow for shorter check-ins when needed, and remove travel time. They also let people use different ways of working with tools and worksheets between meetings to reinforce skills learned in session.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
20+ years
Listed in
Illinois
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does she address most often?
She works with stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, depression, addictions, grief, parenting and relationship-related issues.
How does she use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?
CBT is used to identify unhelpful thoughts and habits and to practice new responses that change behavior over time.
What kind of background does she bring to sessions?
She has 20 years of experience in mental health and describes a practical, client-centered way of working.
What credential does she hold and where is she based?
She is an Illinois LCPC and practices from Illinois.
In which languages can sessions be conducted?
Sessions are offered in English and international clients are accepted.
Which session formats are used?
The original biography does not specify session formats; confirm current session options before booking.
How are fees handled?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
What are the first steps to begin?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. A license can be checked with the state board.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are not safe, use the crisis numbers.