Couples therapists in Rockford, IL

I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over ten years of experience, working with adults and couples in individual therapy. I draw from Mindfulness, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), and Internal Family Systems (IFS) to support clients facing ADHD, anxiety, depression, domestic violence, grief and loss, self injury, spirituality, substance use, and trauma or PTSD.

Thank you for taking the first step in sharing your story—your Mental Health Matters, and you deserve to be heard, supported, and understood.

Welcome to Integrated Family Behavioral Health & Counseling PLLC! I'm Mihaela Vladu, PMHNP-BC, a Board-Certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner with over 16+ years of experience in healthcare, dedicated to helping individuals achieve lasting mental wellness and regain control of their lives.

I provide compassionate, personalized, and evidence-based care in a safe and supportive environment where you can feel heard, understood, and empowered. My approach focuses on treating the whole person—not just symptoms—while working collaboratively with you to reach your goals.

I specialize in working with a diverse range of individuals, including younger/older adults, children aged 6 and up, women dealing specifically with trauma and abuse, and veterans, as well as active-duty personnel experiencing PTSD. As a certified ADHD specialist, I provide targeted, evidence-based interventions to help individuals improve focus and daily functioning. I also have extensive experience treating bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, depression, panic disorder, OCD, and other complex mental health conditions.

Areas of Expertise:

• Dual-Diagnosis Care (SUD + mood/anxiety​/​psychotic disorders)

• MAT: Buprenorphine​/​Suboxone inductions & maintenance; relapse-prevention planning

• Alcohol​/​Opioid Withdrawal & Detox protocols (court order MAT program, inpatient, outpatient, and halfway houses)

• Depression, Anxiety, Bipolar Disorder, Psychosis

• Residential​/​PHP​/​IOP programmed care & step-down planning

• Trauma-informed care, veteran populations, and complex comorbidity

As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 10 years of experience, I work with teens and adults navigating stress, anxiety, life changes, relationships, grief, and emotional overwhelm. Sometimes you may not have the words for what you’re feeling—you just know something feels off. I offer a warm, judgment-free space to slow down, make sense of what you’re experiencing, and figure out what you need.

With more than 30 years of experience, I've helped individuals navigate anxiety, ADHD, trauma, and life's many transitions with compassion, understanding, and practical support.

I know reaching out for help isn't always easy. My goal is to create a safe, welcoming space where you feel heard, supported, and empowered to move toward greater confidence, healing, and peace of mind.

I believe one of the most courageous things you can do is begin to understand your own story.

My goal is to create a safe, grounded, and trusting space where you can begin your process of healing and growth. I work collaboratively with you to build a relationship that feels supportive, attuned, and meaningful—so you can explore what’s been weighing on you and move toward real, lasting change.

My work is rooted in supporting adults navigating trauma and its impact on emotional, relational, and day-to-day functioning. I use an individualized, evidence-based approach, integrating modalities such as CBT, DBT, ACT, and trauma-focused therapies to ensure your care is tailored specifically to you.

I have worked with individuals, families, and diverse populations across multiple settings, including private practice, hospitals, and community-based programs.

I earned my Master’s in Counseling Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, with a concentration in Trauma and Crisis Intervention. Prior to this, I obtained my MD from Garyunis University in Benghazi, where I began my career as a psychiatrist, working in high-intensity and war-affected environments. That experience shaped my deep commitment to understanding trauma and the human capacity for resilience.

Since then, my work has expanded across different countries and clinical settings, including private practice, hospitals, and advocacy programs addressing domestic violence, sexual trauma, and gender-based violence.

What I value most in this work is witnessing your growth—supporting you in making sense of your experiences, reconnecting with yourself, and stepping into a more grounded, meaningful life.

If you've been carrying the weight of trauma, grief, or anxiety for longer than you can remember, you're not alone.

I've spent 12 years as a licensed counselor in Chicago working with people of all ages, from young children to seniors. What keeps me in this work is the moment a client realizes they've been surviving something hard, and that there's a different way forward.

I have a particular passion for working with mothers navigating postpartum struggles, families dealing with grief and loss, and adults working through trauma and PTSD. Many of my clients were looking for someone who would be real with them, not just professional. That's what you'll find here.

My therapeutic style is to ask a lot of questions and really try to find the answers to what is bothering you. In our sessions, you will cry, laugh, talk excessively or talk a little. Our sessions will be all about you and what you need in the moment. I want our sessions to be a safe place for you to be comfortable. Bring your treats and your tissues. Bring your patience and your strength. We will be together and I will support you when you are feeling weak. Usually, I see what makes you special first. You will need to tell me what is wrong.

You shouldn’t have to spend half of therapy explaining your disability, neurodivergence, or why certain things are harder for you than they might be for someone else. I’m a totally blind therapist, and I specialize in working with disabled and neurodivergent people. My approach is disability-affirming and neurodivergent-affirming, which means I’m not here to teach you how to mask better or treat parts of who you are as something that needs to be fixed. I want therapy to be a place where you can be yourself and feel understood. I also work with people dealing with anxiety, burnout, major life changes, difficult relationships, and complex family dynamics. A lot of my work focuses on things like boundaries, self-advocacy, confidence, emotional regulation, and figuring out how to navigate relationships or systems that don’t always understand your needs. I especially enjoy working with people who have spent a lot of their lives feeling misunderstood. I also work with parents and caregivers of disabled and neurodivergent children who are dealing with stress, advocacy, changing family roles, or simply trying to balance caring for someone else with taking care of themselves. My style is warm, straightforward, and collaborative. I’m not going to sit silently and expect you to figure everything out on your own. We’ll talk things through, look at what is and isn’t working, and find practical strategies that actually make sense for your life. Whether you’ve been disabled your whole life, are adjusting to a new diagnosis or disability, are trying to better understand your neurodivergence, or are dealing with complicated family or relationship dynamics, you don’t have to have everything figured out before reaching out.

I believe people deserve to feel understood before they’re asked to change. My approach to therapy is direct and collaborative. I work primarily with men and couples who feel stuck in patterns of conflict, disconnection, defensiveness, or shutting down, and want to better understand themselves and the people they care about.