- Client-Centered Therapy
- EMDR approaches
- CBT and DBT skills
About Tamela
Tamela Polanin is an IL LCPC with 20 years of experience helping adults address stress, anxiety, relationship strains, trauma, and blended family issues. She practices from Illinois and offers services in English. Tamela presents herself as a steady, experienced clinician who speaks plainly about life changes and difficult family dynamics.
She describes a client-centered approach that places the client at the center of decisions. Sessions focus on practical steps and talking through current problems, not on jargon. Tamela notes a particular interest in trauma work and supports people coping with grief, addictions, parenting challenges, intimacy concerns, and ADHD-related struggles.
Her background includes two decades in mental health work and a personal familiarity with trauma and family life. She combines client-centered methods with approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, emotionally-focused work, and EMDR. This mix is used to address symptoms, patterns, and relationship interactions in straightforward ways.
In sessions she aims to help people identify clear goals, practice new skills, and manage intense emotions. She also works on communication problems, codependency, and navigating separations or blended household transitions. Practical coping tools and behavior-focused strategies are commonly part of the work.
Tamela accepts international clients and asks prospective clients to use the site's matching process to schedule a first appointment. Costs vary with location and services use a cancellable subscription model. For people in stepfamily situations, she offers focused conversation and skill-building around co-parenting, loyalty conflicts, and merging routines.
Therapeutic approaches and online sessions
Tamela works with a mix of methods to address trauma and relationship patterns. Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and helping the client set the direction of their work while the therapist offers support and reflection. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at how thoughts and behaviors interact and uses practical exercises to change unhelpful patterns. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is used for trauma-related symptoms and involves structured sessions that target traumatic memories and related reactions.Deciding which approach to use is a collaborative process. She discusses goals, past experiences, and what feels helpful, then recommends ways of working together. Clients and the therapist can adjust methods over time as needs and priorities change.
The original biography does not specify exact online formats, so confirm session options before booking. In general, online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into daily life by removing travel time, allowing shorter check-ins, or avoiding the need to be on camera for every meeting. Licensed professionals can use different methods adaptively in remote sessions to practice skills, review homework, and work through emotional material in ways that fit a client's routine.
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 issues does she help with related to blended households?
She works with stress, relationship strains, parenting challenges, blended family issues, loyalty conflicts, and communication problems.
What style of therapy does she use?
She uses a client-centered approach alongside methods such as CBT, DBT, EFT, and EMDR to address trauma, emotion regulation, and behavior change.
How much experience does she have?
She has 20 years of experience in mental health work and describes substantial clinical time focused on trauma and family concerns.
Where is she based and what credential does she hold?
She practices from Illinois and holds the IL LCPC credential.
Can I work with her if I live outside the United States?
Sessions are offered in English and she accepts international clients.
What session formats are offered?
The original biography does not list specific session formats; please confirm current session options before booking.
How are fees handled?
Costs vary with location and services use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Start by selecting the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Online talk therapy is for adults and is not emergency care, mediation or legal advice. If you or a child are in danger, use the emergency numbers. Find someone else by name.