Welcome to my profile! You may be here because you're not really sure what to do with all of the proverbial balls in the air in your life. Nothing like a global pandemic to throw an added wrench in your plans for yourself, whether it's related to work, relationships, parenting, emotional health, or your social life. Spending all of that time with yourself, or with your family, has perhaps reminded you that therapy seems like a good idea. You want someone who can be responsive, compassionate, and help you manage all of this, while making some changes to how you do things along the way. Maybe you have a lot of stress and trauma in your history or your upbringing, and you're concerned about how it's impacting you today? Perhaps you're experiencing a wave of doing well some days, and not wanting to get out of bed on others? If these things describe you, I'm here to help! I've been helping people with attachment-focused work since 2006, in real time and through distance work. I've worked with children, teens, and adults, and really appreciate being able to help people explore, grow, and most importantly thrive through their journeys. For some that's navigating and leaving abusive situations, or healing from past experiences of abuse and trauma. For others, it may be exploring their sense of themselves with respect to gender, sexuality, and all that comes with it. Life presents different kinds of challenges at different points, whether that's making a career shift or job change, leaving or entering college, or changing who and how you show up in relationships. Most importantly, I can help!
My professional background is pretty extensive, but the highlights are that I am independently licensed to practice as a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) in the state of Illinois. I completed my graduate training at Northern Illinois University, and also have post-graduate training in play therapy, Theraplay, substance abuse counseling, sexual assault and abuse, domestic violence, and experiential therapies such as drama, art, and music therapy. In addition, I have specialized training and ongoing consultation surrounding issues of trauma and dissociation, and am trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR.) I'm currently in a combined training program to complete my Registered Drama Therapy and Registered Expressive Arts Therapy credentials, and enjoy using experiential work with clients. While experiential work is adaptable to video-based therapy, I am also trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT). I've worked in all levels of care including emergency rooms, inpatient psychiatric units, and Partial Hospital Programs (also called PHP's), as well as community mental health, group practice, and private practice. I really like to use a mix of techniques to best fit a person's needs, traditionally involving psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioral therapy. Sometimes that involves learning more tools for your coping skill tool box. Sometimes that involves understanding more about your history and your journey, as well as your personal attachment style, so that you know your tendencies in interactions with others. My clients describe me as a good mix of helping with present-day concerns, while also exploring and helping to change longer-term patterns that underlie their current concerns. I appreciate helping people in understanding how their life journeys have led them to their present concerns, and work hard at uncovering and helping people to undo patterns they may find less effective.
Personally, I've done a lot of my own therapeutic work, and continue to participate in my own growth opportunities, including therapy. At different times in my journey, I've also used online types of therapy as well as traditional in-person settings. I really like the flexibility that online therapy provides, and work hard to create a space of mutual respect, trust, and safety where clients can feel free to show up as they are in the moment. Some days that's pajamas, some days that's coming to session with a list of things you'd like to address, we're all different! Balancing thoughtful and constructive feedback with lighter moments of humor or play is important in how I prefer to work with folks. People need space to experience a range of feelings - including positive ones - in therapy. Otherwise, why would folks keep coming back to hear about what's wrong or not working all the time? Change is hard enough as it is - let's at least enjoy the process together!
Additional areas of focus: Addictions, Relationship issues, Family conflicts, Grief, Intimacy-related issues, Sleeping disorders, Self esteem, Career difficulties, Bipolar disorder, Coping with life changes, Coaching, Compassion fatigue, ADHD, Abandonment, Adoption and Foster Care, Attachment issues, Autism and Asperger Syndrome, BDSM, Kink, Alternative Sex Culture, Blended Family Issues, Caregiver issues and stress, Chronic pain illness and disability, Codependency, Communication problems, Control issues, Coping with Natural or Human-Caused Disaster, Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD), Dissociation, Domestic Violence, Emptiness, Family of Origin Issues, Family Problems, Fatherhood Issues, First Responder Issues, Guilt and shame, Hearing Impaired, Isolation / loneliness, Life purpose, Midlife crisis, Mood disorders , Personality Disorders, Post-traumatic stress, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), Self-Harm, Sexual Assault and Abuse, Somatization, Trichotillomania, Women's issues, Workplace issues, Young Adult Issues
Clinical approaches: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Attachment-Based Therapy, Client-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Existential Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Hypnotherapy, Motivational Interviewing, Narrative Therapy, Psychodynamic Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, Somatic Therapy, Trauma-Focused Therapy, Internal Family Systems
IL LCPC 180.0006950
These quotes represent just a few of the many positive reviews that we have received for Tracy Muklewicz. We don't pay anyone to provide their review and they are all made voluntarily. Some people's experience receiving therapy with BetterHelp might be different.
Tracy Muklewicz is awesome! She gets straight to business, and attends to the whole person, not just one facet of your life. She also helps to prioritize your most pressing issues.
Thank you
Written on May 11, 2022 after therapy with Tracy for 2 weeks on issues concerning stress, anxiety, relationship issues, family conflicts, career difficulties, coping with life changes, and coaching
My experience with my therapist has been great so far, and very beneficial to my well being so far. I strongly recommend Ms.Muklewicz as she is very personable, accommodating, and all around easy to talk to.
Written on Apr 20, 2022 after therapy with Tracy for 1 month on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, family conflicts, grief, eating disorders, sleeping disorders, self esteem, anger management, and adhd
Very satisfied
Written on Apr 09, 2022 after therapy with Tracy for 3 weeks on issues concerning stress, anxiety, and relationship issues
I highly recommend Tracy as an option if you take a more "academic" approach to your mental health. She's a therapy encyclopedia with a sense of humor.
I was really impressed with Tracy immediately in my first session. She realized that I am a bookworm and was willing to spend our entire time talking about the CBT books I've read. Tracy didn't dismiss my own reading, and instead (gently) suggested research that supports opposing views, and did a great job of talking about what is "certain" and what is "pop psych".
Written on Jul 07, 2021 after therapy with Tracy for 1 month on issues concerning depression, relationship issues, intimacy-related issues, sleeping disorders, and adhd
Tracy is an excellent listener, very perceptive, and everything I was looking for on BetterHelp. In the brief time I've been meeting with Tracy, I've quickly grown to appreciate her expertise and ability to recognize things I'm overlooking. There's a rare friendliness and determination to get to know me through my interests, that enable her to use effective analogies or metaphors she knows will resonate well with me; in one case, she used a scene with Yoda to help explain a difficult concept that brought clarity to my situation immediately. I'm grateful to work with a therapist who's very determined to get to know me and help me navigate my challenges in life.
Written on Apr 02, 2021 after therapy with Tracy for 2 weeks on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, self esteem, and adhd
So far she’s awesome. She seems to have a lot of knowledge I feel very open to talk to her. There is no judgement she does not give off any bad negativity. I can’t wait to see how much more I can accomplish with working with her
Written on Mar 31, 2021 after therapy with Tracy for 2 weeks on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, lgbt, relationship issues, family conflicts, grief, sleeping disorders, career difficulties, and coping with life changes