Tamela Polanin, LCPC

Tamela Polanin is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) in Illinois with 20 years in mental health. She welcomes people who are feeling overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, depression, grief, or life changes. She also helps with relationship concerns, parenting struggles, addiction-related issues, and challenges tied to self-esteem and career pressures.

Tamela combines a client-centered way of working with practical strategies. She listens first and helps clients set goals that matter to them. She draws on approaches such as cognitive behavioral methods, emotion-focused work, dialectical behavior skills, and trauma-focused tools to guide sessions.

Her background includes two decades of hands-on experience in mental health in Illinois. She mentions personal experience with trauma and a long-standing focus on trauma work. That lived perspective informs how she supports people through painful memories and major transitions.

Outside of work she is a parent and raises registered pygmy goats living in the country, details she shares to add a human side to the therapy relationship. She accepts international clients and conducts sessions in English.

Her practice emphasizes collaboration. Clients are encouraged to lead discussions about their priorities while she offers techniques and reflections to help shift unhelpful thoughts and habits. To begin, prospective clients complete a short matching questionnaire and schedule sessions based on therapist availability.

How her approaches translate to online work

Client-centered work focuses on the person's goals and priorities. The therapist listens closely and helps clients set the agenda for each session, whether addressing anxiety, parenting stress, or relationship patterns.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) offers clear, practical steps to notice and change unhelpful thoughts and everyday habits. It is useful for anxiety, depression, and coping with life changes by teaching skills people can practice between sessions.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a trauma-focused method used with people processing painful memories. It aims to reduce the emotional charge of troubling memories while supporting safer daily functioning.

Finding the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will help figure out which methods fit the client's needs, goals, and preferences and will adjust the plan as progress is made.

The biography does not specify which session formats are offered, so confirm available options before booking. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week, shorten travel time, and allow more flexible scheduling. It can also let someone choose a quieter place, opt for less bandwidth when needed, or have shorter check-ins during a workday. Licensed professionals can bring the same client-centered and skills-based work to remote sessions when formats match the client's needs.