To learn more about Tamara's General Counseling,
Food Allergy Counseling, or Consulting services, visit:
www.TamaraHubbardlcpc.com
Tamara Hubbard, MA, LCPC(Therapist. Advocate. Relationship Builder)
"Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can." - Arthur Ashe |
Tamara is a family therapy-trained Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) offering support for women/moms, young adults and those navigating life transitions. She also specializes in helping those managing food allergies navigate the emotional/social aspects, especially parents/caregivers.
Tamara created the Food Allergy Counselor website, the Food Allergy Counselor Directory, and the food allergy mental health resource page to fill an unmet need within the food allergy community. A relationship builder at heart, Tamara is always looking for opportunities to help build and enhance alliances, or take part in projects that lead to positive impacts for patients, communities, and organizations. |
Clinical Counseling Training & Skills
Tamara is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, with a Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy from Adler School of Professional Psychology. With over 16 years in the counseling field, she's worked with clients of all ages, and held an additional Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CADC) certification until 2014. She has worked in a variety of levels of care, including in hospital (inpatient/outpatient), partial and intensive outpatient programs, community agency, and private practice settings. Therefore, she has the clinical training that allows her to effectively help clients make improvements to their mental health, families, and relationships, whether they're managing food allergies/health conditions or not. Tamara's counseling style can be described as supportive and compassionate, yet solution-focused and strengths-based. She aims to help clients understand/accept their emotions while also focusing on skill-building. She utilizes a variety of counseling methodologies, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Solution-Focused, and Family Systems Theory to assist clients in building skills that help with coping, decision-making, and growing resilience/an empowered mindset. Tamara provides these services via her private practice (in-person and telehealth in IL), and is also available for educational workshops and speaking engagements.
She is a member of the American Counseling Association, and an Allied Health Professional member of both the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI) and the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (ACAAI), where she also serves as a member of the Allied Health Committee. Tamara is also a Community Advisory Board Member for the Center for Food Allergy & Asthma Research (CFAAR), part of the Institute for Public Health/Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago.
(To find out more about her counseling/consulting services or workshops, or to reach out about appointments, refer to her Psychology Today profile, or her counseling & consulting website at www.TamaraHubbardLCPC.com).
Experience Within Schools
Tamara has experience volunteering and working within school systems. Her previous roles include: former educator, high school Career Advisor, PTO President, PTO committee chair, and district referendum committee member. These positions have allowed her to work closely with a variety of staff, including nurses, teachers, principals, and administrators, including superintendents.
Food Allergy-Specific Experience
Food Allergy Knowledge: Tamara is the mom of a child managing a food allergy. Therefore, she gets it. She knows firsthand what it's like to navigate life with this chronic illness as part of the family system. She understands the daily nuances, the overwhelming feelings, and the need to find reputable food allergy information in order to create action plans and resilience. After identifying a gap in accessibility to food allergy-knowledgeable clinical counseling professionals, Tamara set out to create a remedy. As such, she created the Food Allergy Counselor Directory in 2018, the original state-by-state listing of food allergy-knowledgeable licensed clinical behavioral health clinicians in the US, which has since expanded to include other countries. The Food Allergy Counselor website houses the Food Allergy Mental Health resources page, a blog exploring related topics, and now a podcast called "Exploring Food Allergy Families". Tamara is the original founder of the Food Allergy Counseling Professionals Network, which transitioned into the professional networking group known as Food Allergy Behavioral Health Association (FABHA). Additionally, she is passionate about highlighting food allergy mental health, empowerment, and resilience, focusing on patient/family advocacy, as well as educating fellow therapists or doctors about working with food allergic families.
Food Allergy Advocacy/Speaking: In 2013, Tamara proposed recognizing Food Allergy Awareness Week at a village meeting, which resulted in her town's Mayor officially acknowledging it through a proclamation. Those advocacy efforts helped her local library coordinate a food allergy awareness community education session during that same week. She is also the creator and leader of an online support group for food allergy trial families. Tamara has presented at multiple conferences, primarily focused on food allergy mental health and family systems, including the 2018 & 2019 Midwest FACES Conference at Lurie Children's Hospital and FAACT events. Additionally, she's presented workshops to food allergy support groups, and a primer workshop about working with food allergic clients at clinical counseling networking events.
General Media/Social Media
Food Allergy-Related Media/Social Media/Content Projects
Tamara is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, with a Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy from Adler School of Professional Psychology. With over 16 years in the counseling field, she's worked with clients of all ages, and held an additional Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CADC) certification until 2014. She has worked in a variety of levels of care, including in hospital (inpatient/outpatient), partial and intensive outpatient programs, community agency, and private practice settings. Therefore, she has the clinical training that allows her to effectively help clients make improvements to their mental health, families, and relationships, whether they're managing food allergies/health conditions or not. Tamara's counseling style can be described as supportive and compassionate, yet solution-focused and strengths-based. She aims to help clients understand/accept their emotions while also focusing on skill-building. She utilizes a variety of counseling methodologies, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Solution-Focused, and Family Systems Theory to assist clients in building skills that help with coping, decision-making, and growing resilience/an empowered mindset. Tamara provides these services via her private practice (in-person and telehealth in IL), and is also available for educational workshops and speaking engagements.
She is a member of the American Counseling Association, and an Allied Health Professional member of both the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI) and the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (ACAAI), where she also serves as a member of the Allied Health Committee. Tamara is also a Community Advisory Board Member for the Center for Food Allergy & Asthma Research (CFAAR), part of the Institute for Public Health/Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago.
(To find out more about her counseling/consulting services or workshops, or to reach out about appointments, refer to her Psychology Today profile, or her counseling & consulting website at www.TamaraHubbardLCPC.com).
Experience Within Schools
Tamara has experience volunteering and working within school systems. Her previous roles include: former educator, high school Career Advisor, PTO President, PTO committee chair, and district referendum committee member. These positions have allowed her to work closely with a variety of staff, including nurses, teachers, principals, and administrators, including superintendents.
Food Allergy-Specific Experience
Food Allergy Knowledge: Tamara is the mom of a child managing a food allergy. Therefore, she gets it. She knows firsthand what it's like to navigate life with this chronic illness as part of the family system. She understands the daily nuances, the overwhelming feelings, and the need to find reputable food allergy information in order to create action plans and resilience. After identifying a gap in accessibility to food allergy-knowledgeable clinical counseling professionals, Tamara set out to create a remedy. As such, she created the Food Allergy Counselor Directory in 2018, the original state-by-state listing of food allergy-knowledgeable licensed clinical behavioral health clinicians in the US, which has since expanded to include other countries. The Food Allergy Counselor website houses the Food Allergy Mental Health resources page, a blog exploring related topics, and now a podcast called "Exploring Food Allergy Families". Tamara is the original founder of the Food Allergy Counseling Professionals Network, which transitioned into the professional networking group known as Food Allergy Behavioral Health Association (FABHA). Additionally, she is passionate about highlighting food allergy mental health, empowerment, and resilience, focusing on patient/family advocacy, as well as educating fellow therapists or doctors about working with food allergic families.
Food Allergy Advocacy/Speaking: In 2013, Tamara proposed recognizing Food Allergy Awareness Week at a village meeting, which resulted in her town's Mayor officially acknowledging it through a proclamation. Those advocacy efforts helped her local library coordinate a food allergy awareness community education session during that same week. She is also the creator and leader of an online support group for food allergy trial families. Tamara has presented at multiple conferences, primarily focused on food allergy mental health and family systems, including the 2018 & 2019 Midwest FACES Conference at Lurie Children's Hospital and FAACT events. Additionally, she's presented workshops to food allergy support groups, and a primer workshop about working with food allergic clients at clinical counseling networking events.
General Media/Social Media
- Currently, Tamara is active on social media in a professional capacity. You can find her on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. You can also follow Food Allergy Counselor updates via the FAC Facebook page.
- From 2009-2011, Tamara was a "mom blogger" known as The (Un)Experienced Mom, writing about her experiences transitioning from parenting one child to parenting two children.
- Tamara was featured on Mom Talk Radio with Maria Bailey as part of a round-table discussion on spending quality family time together.
- Served as the Chicagoland blogging correspondent for ConAgra Foundation's National "Child Hunger Ends Here" campaign in 2010, which included the support of celebrities such as the Desperate Housewives cast members & David Arquette.
Food Allergy-Related Media/Social Media/Content Projects
- Created the Food Allergy Counselor Directory: Listing of allergy-knowledgeable counseling providers by area
- Created the Exploring Food Allergy Families podcast: Find/listen/subscribe from your favorite podcast app
- Created various therapeutic interactive worksheets specific to food allergies
- Interviewed for Forbes article by Dr. Jessi Gold: "We Need to Talk About Another Pandemic Mental Health Crisis: Therapist Burnout"
- Interviewed for article in American Counseling Association's magazine, Counseling Today
- Interviewed for articles in Romper, NPR and Business Insider
- Allergic Living magazine - authored (2) articles in their electronic Food Allergy Anxiety Guide
- Interviewed by Esther Landhuis: "What's New in Food Allergy Etiquette" (Real Simple magazine, June 2020); "Food Allergies Can Trigger Stress & Anxiety" (Science News for Students, Feb. 2020); "New Success in Treating Allergies to Peanuts & Other Foods" (Science News for Students, Feb. 2020)
- Food allergy anxiety article published in Coping with Allergies & Asthma Fall/Winter 2019-2020 edition
- Food allergy parenting journey article shared via Scary Mommy
- Other notable mentions via The Land of Can & Food ASC
- Guest on Mighty Parenting Podcast episode #135: Emotional Support for Managing Allergies in Teens
- A recent guest on allergist Dr. Jason Lee's podcast, talking about the unmet need for psychosocial support and psycho-education in allergy care, how clinical counseling providers can fill that gap, and the work she's doing to encourage a collaborative care approach (2019)
- Guest on Allergic Living's "This Allergic Life" podcast discussing COVID-19 anxiety/stress for food allergic families with host Jen Jobrack (2020)
- In 2018, took part in an incredible nationwide NBC Universal/Comcast-affiliated food allergy education project (details to come!)
Testimonials
Hi Tamara,
I want to thank you again for the absolute treasure trove you have compiled at your website, Food Allergy Counselor. In my work with participants in clinical trials at the Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy & Asthma Research at Stanford University, I find these materials invaluable for parents and teens. Recently in private practice I had less than 30 minutes to get ready for a new intake all about FA Anxiety and OIT dosing, and I was able to print out a pile of resources for this family before their appointment time thanks to your website.
I don’t know that I could find all these resources online if you hadn’t compiled them at Food Allergy Counselor, but one thing I do know is that I am a better FA therapist because of you & your work! Thank you again!
-Marté J. Matthews, MA, MFT 45249
Clinical Director, Child & Family Counseling Group, San Jose CA
Consulting Family Therapist at Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy & Asthma Research, Stanford University, Stanford CA
"I used some of your wonderful tools today while helping a patient come to terms with anxieties related to her food allergies and several anaphylactic reactions. My patient found them so helpful, especially the Thinking Traps worksheet. The whole medical team read all your worksheets, and we all agreed they are applicable to everyone - we all took something from them! So, thank you for the time you take to create these pieces - know that they are helping so many!
-Allergy/Immunology Allied Healthcare Professional
"Our food allergy group had a truly amazing consultation with Tamara last night. She is a great speaker and all our minds and hearts were full of new empowered information and tools. She’s the real deal. A true helping professional."
-Food Allergy Support Group Leader
"Tamara is such a gift to the food allergy world. 99 percent of living with food allergies is about quality of life but few in the medical field are able to offer this resource. I can’t wait to follow her journey as she continues to influence the world.."
-Therapist and food allergy parent
"Tamara’s professional background as a therapist and personal experience as a food allergy parent is the perfect combo for understanding how to address mental wellness around food allergies. My preschool aged kiddo with severe food allergies opened up about his fears and anxiety over the possibility of having a severe allergic reaction. Tamara strategized and worked with me on a game plan on how to address and calm those fears. Her multifaceted approach was spot on. The worry and fear my kiddo felt has dissipated. Tamara also has a history of driving positive change for the children in our community. Our food allergy affected family is very excited that she is channeling her talent and energy into this cause. We appreciate Tamara and all that she has done to help us is more than she’ll ever know."
-A.E., food allergy parent
Connect with Tamara via her counseling website,
Facebook, Twitter, email or Psychology Today:
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Website Disclaimer Statement: Tamara Hubbard, MA, LCPC is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor. However, she does not provide counseling to individuals via this website or to those that are not her clients. This website does not provide medical, legal, or specific counseling advice. The purpose of this website is to share company information, as well as general resources. Information read here should not be used in lieu of seeking professional counseling or medical advice offline. Please consult with your allergist, doctor, or counselor for information specific to your situation. All information provided here and taken from this website or blog should be used at your own risk. Unless otherwise noted, the owner of this website is the legal copyright holder of all material on this website. Others cannot use it to reprint or publish without the owner's written consent. The owner reserves the right to change the focus on this site, shut it down, or change the terms of use at her own discretion. (Copyright 2018-2019).
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