#maybe experiencing a mid career life crisis during university is normal?? who knows but i know that the next rambling post will def be...

[healthandhealingtherapy]

Mental Health Counselor in Bartlett

Meet Morgan Kolecke!

I provide child, teen, and adult counseling services and I can help you make the positive, healthy, and lasting changes you’ve been longing for.

Have you ever had that gut feeling that something inside doesn’t feel right? Maybe you’ve realized how difficult things have been and how bad you’ve felt lately, and you realize other people probably aren’t struggling in the same way you are. You may think that somehow the difficult feelings you are trying to cope with are more than whatever “normal” is, and how you’ve been trying to cope, handle things, and get through just isn’t working that well. When you are honest with yourself, even though you are trying, you aren’t feeling better…at times you may even feel worse.

It’s not uncommon to have a period in our lives when we feel these kinds of feelings. Sometimes we’ve experienced something that was unwanted and unwelcomed into our lives, but we are having to deal with it and all the pain it brings. We struggle with coping and dealing with circumstances and situations we don’t want to have in our lives.

If this is happening for you, maybe it’s time to reach out and get some more help in addition to the people you’ve leaned on thus far. It’s probably why you are reading this website right now. You are looking for support, help, maybe even guidance and answers on what you can do to change how things are for you, so you can live your life differently. Maybe your desire is to bring back some of the good, positive, and pleasurable things that seem very absent right now.

You can have what you are looking for; you can make the needed changes so you can begin to feel more at peace, much happier, and overall healthier.

WHAT I HOPE TO PROVIDE DURING THERAPY WITH ADULTS

I’ve had the pleasure of working with adults and providing counseling services to them for the past 10 years. During that time I have come to believe that each person’s emotional well-being and how they obtain it is deeply personal and often needs a holistic approach.

In order to grow and live a fulfilled life, we need to examine the different areas of our lives, including: our lifestyle choices, overall values, relationships, our support system, how we communicate with ourselves and others, what expectations we have of ourselves, the negative beliefs about ourselves we struggle with, and our self-esteem and our level of self care and self-compassion.

Many of the people I work with struggle with one and/or more of the following:

Anxiety and worry about their life decisions, actions, what is happening in their life that is out of their control and in their future.

Negative feelings and beliefs about themselves that they aren’t good enough, not worthy of good things, or they carry shame and/or guilt about things they’ve done and how they handled things in the past.

High stress and overwhelmed feelings about all that is on their plate at this time in their life and they don’t know how to lighten their load, not sure if they can handle it all much longer, and are at a loss as to how to help themselves feel better.

Lack of confidence in how they are coping with and handling a situation or relationship in their life. Whether it’s how they are parenting their child who struggles with emotional and/or learning challenges, how to let go of their young adult child who is going to be living out on their own, getting through the mid-life challenges that are plaguing them, or handling an unhealthy and stressful work situation that shakes their confidence and feelings of being capableI believe we all have the ability to find the answers we need and are striving to find. Yet, there are times when the difficulties we are challenged with cause us to feel unprepared and unable to navigate. In these times of change, we need to seek help, guidance, and support to help us work through them so we can get back to feeling more like ourselves again.

By seeking help via counseling and therapy, we give ourselves the opportunity to receive some extra support and encouragement as we go through these uncharted territories. We deserve to allow ourselves to receive help when things in life are extra difficult and stressful.

My hope is to clearly convey to the people who I have the opportunity to work with that they have within themselves the power to improve their lives and heal.

COUNSELING CHILDREN, ADOLESCENTS, & TEENS

I’ve had the pleasure of providing therapy for children and adolescents for the past four years. When I work with kids and teens, I am interactive, playful, encouraging, and compassionate. My desire is for them is to feel heard and accepted, as well as encouraged to try and practice new things in a safe environment without judgment.

I will spend time getting to know your child and what it is like for them to be challenged by whatever is bothering them and causes them stress and upset feelings. Together we will identify some things and ways for how and what they can do to handle things differently so home life, school life, and friendships are less stressful and more positive, helpful, and fun.

We will work together to explore what they think, how they feel, what they need, and how to communicate and share their thoughts and feelings appropriately with others. Next, we can explore new ways of thinking and seeing situations, which will help them feel more in control and comfortable, leading to improved interactions and relationships with others.

I will do my best to ensure your child, adolescent/teen sees therapy as a helpful and enjoyable experience. Children and teens will learn how to identify their feelings, emotions, beliefs, needs, and wants, and develop ways to cope with difficult and uncomfortable feelings. Together, we will focus on helping your child or teen learn new ways to problem solve in situations that give them fear and stress and make it difficult for them to feel their best.

They will develop new and different skills so they can increase their ability to focus. Your child or teen will have the opportunity to also learn how to make more informed decisions, ways to calm down when they are upset, reduce their impulsive behavior, and learn how to think before acting in unhelpful ways.

Throughout counseling your child or teen, you as their parent will have the opportunity to gain an understanding of their behaviors and learn some “how to” strategies that can help end power struggles, emotional upset, and meltdowns at home and school. You can also be involved in learning ways to promote positive behaviors and how to decrease negative behaviors through positive discipline strategies. Together you and your child will be able to create a calmer home environment for your entire family.

MY ROLE IN HELPING YOU

I see my role as being a safe and supportive person who can help you through painful feelings and experiences, stuck points, and encourage you to identify and cope with unhelpful and uncomfortable thoughts, beliefs, behaviors, and feelings. During our time together we would review your values so we can then establish your goals in how you want your life to be and feel different. We will identify and and explore your thoughts, beliefs, feelings, reactions, etc., while helping you change the things in your life that aren’t working. You will get to decide what things you are ready to change and what you are not.

Encouragement through feedback and supportive challenges while exploring your current struggles and goals is what you might expect from a session with me. Together, we will gain a sense of some of the less helpful thoughts you experience and how they are impacting you in relation to your present goals. Next, we will find and implement strategies for change in helping you get to where you want to be. We would explore many different areas of your life while we focus on helping you feel better.

MY PROFESSIONAL JOURNEY AS A THERAPIST

I have been providing counseling and therapy services for the past 10 years. As a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, I have had the opportunity to work with individuals across the lifespan, couples, and families both in short-term and long-term supportive counseling relationships.

During my counseling career I have worked in outpatient mental health center settings, crisis situations in the emergency room, a substance abuse treatment center, and another private therapy practice. Through these experiences, I believe I have gained opportunities to be challenged, develop new skills, and achieve personal and professional growth.

Professional Bio

COUNSELING AND THERAPY APPROACHES

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

Play Therapy

Positive Discipline/Parent Education

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Skills (DBT)

Mindfulness

Stress Reduction Techniques

Motivational Interviewing (MI)

EDUCATION AND CERTIFICATIONS

B.A. in Psychology, Roosevelt University, Schaumburg, IL

Master of Arts Degree- Clinical Professional Counseling Psychology, Roosevelt University, Schaumburg, IL

Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor Illinois License #180.008919

Ready to create a life full of health, hope, and happiness?

Click here to schedule an appointment with Morgan.