Milica Popović, LCSW, CADC (She/Her)

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Care with Milica

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"Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way." -Viktor E. Frankl

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Forging a space for healing. ​In the therapeutic journey, my aim is to create a space where the patient’s lived experiences and inherent wisdom act as our guiding lights. Through this process, we work together to strengthen their skills, deepen their insight, and foster self-compassion in pursuit of cultivating their most value-aligned life.

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Forging a path to willingness. Willingness is often thought of as an external action - a willingness to do. This notion, often strengthened by culture and society, is representative of the thing that seems to propel one forward in life. And yet, when turned inward, this kind of willingness doesn’t seem to work in quite the same way. We often greet this impasse with fear and blame, proceeding to dig our heels into the ground in efforts to try harder – to figure out how to do different, how to do better, how to do more. Yet, somehow, we find ourselves staying stuck all the same. By incorporating an acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) framework, I invite patients to begin to shift their relationship to language. Rather than being willing to do different, might we have to be willing to be with whatever shows up in a present moment, and carry it with us in pursuit of what matters?

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Forging our power. We are often taught to believe that we must first get rid of negative and undesirable internal experiences to lead a positive, fulfilling life. It is not for lack of effort that current and past challenges persist. Through the therapeutic journey, my aim is to support patients in widening their perspective to shed light on a unique paradigm – that our power does not reside in how well we get rid of difficult thoughts or emotions but, rather, in how we choose to respond to them. With a curated blend of interventions, patients can learn to acknowledge the presence of even their most distressing internal experiences without allowing them to dictate their actions. Instead, and with great intentionality, patients steer their lives one value-aligned step at a time.

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Professional Experience​

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• The majority of my professional training and experience has been centered around supporting patients in their trauma and substance use recovery processes within the realms of community mental health, a VA medical center, as well as more acute settings.  These diverse environments have supported my training and success in working with patients experiencing a wider array of challenges, ranging from anxiety and depression to life transitions to personality-related phenomena.

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• Most recently, I acted as the Associate Director of Compass Health Center’s Trauma PHP (partial hospitalization) and IOP (intensive outpatient) programs (2022-2024).  In this role, I provided individual and group psychotherapy to patients experiencing acute distress that often negatively impacted their functioning and overall wellbeing.  Additionally, I trained and supervised a team of social work interns, clinical psychologists, licensed professional counselors, substance use counselors, and clinical social workers with the intentions of strengthening patient care and cultivating a space for personal and professional growth.

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• My approach is often integrated and depth oriented, much of which is carefully selected to support a patient in connecting with a holistic understanding of themselves within the context of their environment. In having trained across a variety of modalities, a patient may receive interventions derived from cognitive-behavior, acceptance and commitment, dialectical-behavior, mindfulness, existential, and narrative approaches.

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Education

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• Loyola University Chicago, Alcohol and Other Drug Counseling Program (CADC)

• University of Chicago, Master of Social Work (AM)

• Loyola University Chicago, Bachelor of Social Work (BSW)

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Professional Recognition & Affiliations

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• Compass Health Center, Associate Director - Trauma Program (Chicago) 2022-2024

• Milica Popović, LCSW, CADC, PLLC - Founder and Clinician, 2022-Present

• Field Placement Clinical Supervisor - University of Illinois and Loyola University Chicago MSW Students, 2021-Present

• Certified Alcohol and Other Drug Counselor, 2022

• International Order of Odd Fellows - Christine Smith Graduate Studies Scholarship Recipient, 2019

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