About Thomas
Dr. Thomas Kadela is an LCSW with three decades of clinical experience who focuses on practical help for stress, anxiety, sleep problems, anger, depression, addiction, and related concerns. He aims to work as a partner with each person, letting their goals guide sessions while offering structured options when useful.
He practices in Illinois and conducts therapy in English. His style blends proven behavioral strategies with acceptance and mindfulness. That means he may teach coping skills, gentle exposure to feared situations, or ways to shift unhelpful thinking.
How Thomas works
He often pairs those tools with coaching-style conversations when clients want help reaching life or career goals. Dr. Kadela has a long background in assessment and treatment across settings, including work with the Department of Veterans Affairs and service as a United States Army National Guard Behavioral Health Officer.
He also has experience teaching at the university level and presenting at professional conferences. In sessions clients choose the focus. Some people use him for short-term, goal-focused work that includes between-session exercises.
Others use a more open-ended approach that centers on listening and reflection. He offers a range of evidence-based methods and discusses what seems most useful for each person. Practical concerns are part of the conversation.
He can support people with parenting stress, relationship and intimacy-related issues, grief, caregiving strain, chronic pain or illness, ADHD, autism and Asperger syndrome, first responder stress, and gender-related questions. Therapy is framed so clients can try techniques and keep what helps.
Thomas lists 9 ways of working on the entry:
What Thomas works with
The areas below are the ones Thomas selected when setting up a profile. The first few are listed as the main focus; the rest are also named.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Trauma and abuse
- Sleeping disorders
Also listed
- Addictions
- ADHD
- Anger management
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Bipolar disorder
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Coaching
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Emptiness
- Family conflicts
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- First responder issues
- Gender dysphoria
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- Impulsivity
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- LGBT
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Midlife crisis
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Narcissism
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Parenting issues
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Post-traumatic stress
- Relationship issues
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self esteem
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sexual dysfunction
- Sexuality
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Training and background
| Register | LCSW |
|---|---|
| Years in practice | 30 |
| Languages | English |
| Session format | Online: video, phone, live chat or messaging |
| Country | Illinois |
Memberships and registers are shown as supplied; they are not licences, and this directory does not verify them.
Online support options
How therapeutic approaches translate to online care
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) focuses on helping people notice difficult thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them, then choose actions that match their values; it can be useful for anxiety, depression, and life transitions. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at patterns of thought and behavior and teaches practical strategies to change unhelpful thinking and build new habits; it often helps with depression, anxiety, sleep problems, and chronic pain. Mindfulness Therapy teaches attention and awareness skills to reduce reactivity and improve emotional balance, which supports stress management and coping with chronic conditions.Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will discuss options and help decide which methods match a person's goals, needs, and preferences. That choice is collaborative and can change over time based on what proves most helpful.
Online sessions can be scheduled as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. Video is useful for full conversations and visual cues, phone can be simpler when bandwidth is limited, and messaging or chat can fit quick check-ins or flexible scheduling. These options make it easier to fit therapy around work, family, and travel while still accessing licensed professionals who use evidence-based techniques.
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Common questions
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A practical next step
Write down two things you would want to be different in six months. That is the most useful thing to bring to a first session, whoever it is with. If you would rather start now than keep reading, online sessions are the quickest route.
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