DR. Michelle Kukla
Featured Articles
On this page you will find links to Dr. Kukla’s articles that have been published in GoodTherapy.org and other sites regarding mental health concerns. In addition, there are links to several media segments and interviews regarding HLCC’s efforts to team up with PAVE to fight sexual violence through our innovative Empowerment Summit and Haley Reinhart’s Benefit Concert.
Featured Article
Treating Postpartum Depression: What Are My Options?
Postpartum depression comes with various challenges, but there are many things you can do to feel better. Treatment options include therapy, medications, and self-care.
Recent Articles
Meet Dr. Michelle Kukla of Healthy Living Counseling Center in Palatine
I knew at a very early age that the focal point of my life was rooted in compassion for others. There are countless stories of me as a child displaying my empathy and sensitivity. One of my parents’ favorites is when I was about 5 years-old and I spied a very busy ant hill in a precarious spot about to get run over by a car. I apparently jumped into action and saved the ant hill from sure ruin from the car.
Vaginismus: What It Is and How It Can Be Treated
Many people reach adulthood without ever receiving adequate or accurate information about how their bodies work. As a result, many—women in particular—suffer in silence over symptoms they are embarrassed by. These hidden symptoms are often associated with vaginal, gynecological, and sexual issues. It’s time to remove the cloak of silence from one of these specific issues, called vaginismus.
How Not to React When Survivors of Sexual Trauma Disclose
A survey conducted in 2011 by The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence revealed one in five women and one in 71 men will be raped during their lifetime (Black, Basile, Breiding, Smith, Walters, Merrick, & Stevens, 2011). Additionally, one in four girls and one in six boys will be sexually abused before the age of 18 (Finkelhor, Hotaling, Lewis, & Smith, 1990). Given these alarmingly high numbers, it is not unlikely a survivor of sexual trauma may disclose to you in your lifetime.
Life After Cancer: The Emotional TSUNAMI of Being a Survivor
“Sexual assault is a common source of posttraumatic stress, particularly for women. Use the BRAVE communication model to support a survivor who confides in you.” (June 19, 2017)
Breaking the Silence: 5 Ways to Support Survivors of Sexual Violence
One of the populations most at risk for developing posttraumatic stress are survivors of sexual assault. In fact, sexual assault is the event that most commonly causes posttraumatic stress among women, with 94% reporting symptoms during the first 14 days (Riggs, Murdock, & Walsh, 1992). Additionally, 30% of sexual assault survivors continue to experience PTSD symptoms nine months later (Rothbaum & Foa, 1992). According to the National Crime Victimization Survey (2007), a woman is sexually assaulted somewhere in the United States every 120 seconds.
5 Mini-Mental Health Workouts You Can Do in a Matter of Minutes
Dr. Kukla’s Suburban Woman Magazine blog about trauma recovery published on December 8th, 2014.
Soaring In The Wake Of Trauma
Dr. Kukla contributes to Daily Herald Barry Rozner’s sports column on November 5th, 2015 about sexual violence in the sports industry and rape culture.
Rozner: No winner in Patrick Kane saga
DH Subscription needed to read this article.