Tamara Hubbard LCPC / Counseling Services

FOOD ALLERGY & ALLERGIC DISEASE COUNSELING:

For those managing food allergies and allergic diseases, counseling with an allergy-informed behavioral healthcare provider can be so beneficial. Here are some reasons people have reached out to me for allergy-related counseling services:

As an adult or parent, you find it challenging to cope with your food allergy diagnosis and want to find a way to accept the diagnosis so you don't have to continue feeling sad and upset about it.
Maybe you find yourself struggling with excessive allergy-related anxiety or worry in general, or after a recent anaphylactic reaction or oral food challenge appointment.
You might feel as if your life experiences have to be limited because of your diagnosis, and you find yourself feeling too anxious to eat out at restaurants and travel.
Perhaps you need guidance on navigating family gatherings and social scenarios, developing self-advocacy within your child, and/or communicating your food allergy rules to others.
You're undergoing oral food challenges and/or oral immunotherapy for yourself or your child, and are feeling very anxious throughout the process, causing struggles

Allergy Counseling Services with Tamara:

Allergy counseling for those 18+ and parents/caregivers, as well as family systems focuses
Counseling sessions are 50-60 minutes long; see New Client Information for more details
Together, we will identify what will help you feel more adjusted to your /your child's allergy diagnosis
We will explore how to best help you refocus on living a full life even with allergies or allergic conditions
We will develop your personalized toolkit, filled with mindfulness skills, coping tools, and mindset strategies
You'll walk away from our work together feeling more empowered and able to navigate life with allergies!

Why Work with Tamara:

As an allergy mom traveling a similar path, I truly understand how you're feeling. Therefore, from the start of our work together, you'll feel understood and your very real emotions will be validated.

As an allied health member of both the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, and the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology who presents internationally on allergy mental health, I stay on top of best practices in allergy and immunology, and have relationships with many allergists and allied healthcare providers. Therefore, I have deep knowledge of IgE-mediated food allergy and related allergic conditions, which means I can help you process allergy information and develop clarifying questions for your healthcare team.

As a clinical counselor with more than 18 years of clinical experience and Marriage and Family Therapy training, I understand mental health conditions, lifestyle adjustments, and their impacts on family systems. Therefore, I am able to focus not only on individual therapeutic needs, but also the needs of the entire family system, even when not working with the whole family.

Using various therapeutic approaches, I aim to help allergic clients build skills that allow them to find a balance between allergy anxiety and a meaningful quality of life. The primary modalities used include:

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) - Focuses on increasing psychological flexibility to allow people to act in accordance with their values, even during distressing life moments;
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) - Focuses on identifying and adjusting unhelpful thoughts, feelings and actions, and can include exposure therapy work to decrease intensity of anxiety and fears;
Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) - Goal-directed collaborative approach which incorporates Positive Psychology principles and practices;
Systems/Family Systems Theory - Focuses on problem-solving through the lens of relationships, dynamics and patterns that exist within families.

Visit the "New Client Info" page for more specifics on scheduling an appointment, fees, in-network insurances, and what to expect during sessions. Note: I can only provide therapy services to those in IL.

Learn more about Tamara Hubbard's training and qualifications.
To locate an allergy-informed counseling provider in your state, visit the Food Allergy Counselor Directory
To learn more about general, non-allergy counseling services, visit the counseling page

Sample of the Food Allergy-Related Therapeutic Worksheets I've Created:

As the founder and CEO of The Food Allergy Counselor, Inc, I've developed an allergy psychosocial resource hub filled with evidence-based resources. Below are a few examples of allergy-specific therapeutic worksheets available on the Food Allergy Counselor website here:

For information about food allergy mental health resources, counselor directory, blog, and podcast, visit the Food Allergy Counselor website. There you'll find links to coping tools, articles, research, and book recommendations.

Also, be sure to subscribe to FAC emails to receive allergy anxiety and stress management tips and guidance.
Upon subscribing, you'll get an email with the FREE downloadable "Allergy Anxiety & Overwhelm Mini-Guide".

Office: 847-957-7575