Faculty & Clinical Associates
Faculty at 20th Anniversary Conference Fall 2012
Chicago Center for Family Health faculty are recognized internationally for outstanding teaching, publications, and practice initiatives at the forefront of the field of family therapy for over three decades. Our faculty members, with a wide range of expertise, hold advanced degrees in psychiatry, psychology, social work, counseling and/or marriage and family therapy.
Many CCFH faculty members and our Clinical Associates provide expert therapy and counseling online and in offices in Chicago’s loop, neighborhoods, and suburbs. They are skilled in working collaboratively with families, couples, and individual clients to resolve problems, repair and strengthen relationships, restore optimal functioning, and facilitate positive growth and well-being.
Faculty Network: Bios & Specializations
For information and help in referral, contact our clinical coordinator:
ccfh.admin@ccfhchicago.org, or call (312)372-4731
Co-Founders / Co-Directors:
CCFH Founding Faculty ~ 1991
CCFH Faculty members ~Workshop by Michele Scheinkman
NorthPier - CCFH First Home 1991
Faculty & Clinical Associates
Bessie Sulton Akuamoah LCSW
Bessie Sulton Akuamoah, LCSW specializes in individual, family, and couples therapy, and has particular expertise in parenting strategies and conflict management.At CCFH she taught in the Family & School Partnerships Program and co-facilitated a consultation group for school-based professionals and co-teaches at workshops.
Ms. Sulton Akuamoah is the past Division Director of Circle Family Care, serving low-income families on Chicago’s west side. She is a Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) Certified Trainer in Child Welfare. Ms. Akuamoah is a member of the American Family Therapy Academy.
Office location: Hyde Park & Virtual:
Expertise/Specialization: Family therapy; child-focused issues.
Michele Baldwin Phd, LCSW
Michele Baldwin, PhD, LCSW, has had a long and distinguished career as a couple and family therapist. Dr. Baldwin worked with Virginia Satir over many years. They co-authored two seminal books: Satir Step by Step (1984) and The Use of Self in Therapy (1987), and she edited the 3rd ed. of The Use of Self in Therapy (2012). She has also written a number of articles for professional and lay audiences. For many years, she has taught PAIRS, a psychoeducational course for couples’ relational enrichment, and has trained clinicians in this approach. Dr. Baldwin is also expert in intergenerational work and in promoting positive aging and the wisdom of elders.
Born in Paris, France, Dr. Baldwin was a Fulbright Scholar and received her BA in Anthropology, the University of Washington, her Diplome from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques in Paris' her MSSW from Simmons College School of Social Work, and her PhD from the Union Graduate School. certified by the Academy of Certified Social Workers and by the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (AAMFT), and an AAMFT approved supervisor.
Private Practice Location: Chicago
Expertise & Specializations: Couple & family therapy
Mary Jo Barrett MSW
Mary Jo Barrett, MSW, is Co-Founder and Executive Director, Center for Contextual Change, specializing in training and therapy in The Collaborative Stage Model for working with individuals, families, and groups. A nationally prominent expert in the treatment of trauma and traumatic violence in the family, her collaborative, resilience-oriented systemic model creates healing plans for lasting change. She also helps therapists to prevent Compassion Fatigue and heal from Vicarious Traumatization.
For over 4 decades, she has been a leading authority on family violence, including physical & sexual abuse of children, neglect, incest, and spouse abuse. Her professional books are: Treating Complex Trauma: A Relational Blueprint for Collaboration & Change (2014) (co-author, Linda Stone Fish); and earlier, (with Dr. Terry Trepper) Treating Incest: A Multiple Systems Perspective and The Systemic Treatment of Incest: A Therapeutic Handbook. Her many publications focus on systemic and feminist treatment of women, adult survivors of sexual abuse and trauma, eating disorders, couples therapy and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Ms. Barrett holds a Master’s Degree, Jane Addams School of Social Work, University of Illinois. She has taught on the faculties of SSA (Crown School), at the University of Chicago, and the Family Institute, Northwestern University. She provides consultations, workshops, and courses, nationally and internationally, to families, lawyers, psychotherapists, social service providers, staff in residential treatment and governmental agencies.
Expertise & Specializations: Training, consultation, & practice on Trauma, Family Violence, Compassion Fatigue, & Family/Couple Therapy
Office Location: Skokie and virtual
Cheryl Berg LCSW
Cheryl Berg, LCSW, maintains a private therapy practice working with individuals, couples, and families.
She received her Master’s Degree in Social Work from the School of Social Service Administration (now the Crown Family School) at the University of Chicago.
She has been a valued clinical teacher in the Couple Therapy Program at CCFH, as well as The Family Institute at Northwestern University, at Northwestern University Medical School and clinical supervisor of postgraduate trainees in a number of couple therapy degree and certification programs. She is highly respected for her integrative approach in psychotherapy.
Expertise / Specialization: Couple and Family Therapy; a wide range of relational issues.
Office Location: Skokie and virtual
Pamela Brand PsyD, LMFT
Pamela Brand, PsyD., LMFT, has extensive experience in teaching, supervision, and clinical practice with children, adolescents, couples, and families. She taught for many years in CCFH’s certificate program in couple and family therapy. She is also an adjunct faculty member, Adler School of Professional Psychology, teaching a marriage and family therapy course.
Dr. Brand holds Masters and Doctorate degrees in clinical psychology, with licensure as a Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT). She has training and certification in substance abuse counseling. She has worked in Chicago-area social service agencies, e.g. Catholic Charities, Ravenswood Community Mental Health Clinic, and Christopher House, serving low income and culturally diverse families. In these agencies she provided individual, group and family counseling to varied populations including pregnant teens and teen mothers, youth offenders in a preventative program, and children and families in state-funded daycare and after school programs. In collaboration with CCFH, she provided supportive family services and resilience-oriented psycho-educational groups to the National Able Network, which served displaced workers. Dr. Brand also worked as a medical social worker at St. Joseph Hospital and provided consultation for a medical practice at the Illinois Masonic Medical Center.
Private Practice Locations: Chicago Northside and Virtual
Expertise / Specializations: Couples therapy, eating disorders, & issues concerning adolescent girls
Gene Combs MD
Gene Combs, M.D., a CCFH founding faculty member, is Co-Director of Evanston Family Therapy Center.
Now retired from his position as clinical associate professor at The University of Chicago, he has served as a board member for the American Family Therapy Academy. With his partner, Jill Freedman, Gene is internationally recognized for his advances in narrative theory and training.
He and Jill received the 2009 Award for Innovative Contribution to Family Therapy from the American Family Therapy Academy (AFTA). They have co-authored more than 30 journal articles and book chapters and 3 books -- Symbol, story, and ceremony: Using metaphor in individual and family therapy, Narrative therapy: The social construction of preferred realities, and Narrative therapy with couples.... and a whole lot more!
Expertise / Specializations: Narrative Therapy Training
Website: www.narrativetherapychicago.com
Mona Fishbane PhD
Mona Fishbane, Ph.D., clinical psychologist, is faculty and former Director of Couple Therapy Training, Chicago Center for Family Health.
While she has retired from her clinical practice, Mona continues to lecture nationally and internationally. She has published numerous articles on couple therapy, intergenerational relationships, and interpersonal neurobiology.
Mona received the 2017 Family Psychologist of the Year Award from The American Psychological Association (Society for Couple & Family Psychology); and the 2023 Distinguished Contribution to Family Therapy Award from AFTA (American Family Therapy Academy). Mona’s book, Loving with the Brain in Mind: Neurobiology & Couple Therapy (2013), is part of the Norton Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology.
Expertise / specialization: neurobiology and couple therapy; intergenerational family relations
Website: www.monafishbane.com
Jill Freedman MSW
Jill Freedman, MSW, a CCFH founding faculty member, is Co-Director of Evanston Family Therapy Center, where she also has a private practice. She is the co-author of Narrative Therapy: The Social Construction of Preferred Realities, Symbol, Story, and Ceremony: Using Metaphor in Individual and Family Therapy, and Narrative Therapy with Couples…and a whole lot more: A collection of papers, essays and exercises, and Strengthening Resistance: The use of narrative practices in working with genocide survivors.
Ms. Freedman is a member of the American Family Therapy Academy, American Association for Marriage & Family Therapy, and National Association of Social Workers. She is on the International Faculty of the Dulwich Centre in Australia and teaches in the University of Melbourne and Dulwich Centre's Masters of Narrative Therapy Program. She presents internationally on narrative approaches to practice, with interests in gender and culture.
Expertise / Specializations: Narrative Therapy Training; Couples Therapy, Trauma, Grief
Private Practice Location: Evanston and virtual
Website: www.narrativetherapychicago.com
Ruth Fuerst LCSW
Ruth Fuerst, LCSW, is a clinical social worker with a long-term interest in children, families and school social work.
AT CCFH, she developed and directed the highly successful Family & School Partnerships Program, which became a professional development program at Loyola University School of Social Work. Previously, she was a clinical instructor in social work at Columbia University and worked in a residential school through the Jewish Board of Guardians in New York.
In Chicago, at the Ray School in Hyde Park, she piloted a systemically oriented program, Project Connect, for The Center for Family Development. For many years she was a clinical lecturer and field liaison for the School Social Work Concentration in the School of Social Service Administration (now the Crown Family School) at the University of Chicago. When not working in her private practice, Ruth sings in cabaret venues around the Chicago area.
Office Location: Hyde Park and virtual
Phone: 773-373-1976, 773-320-2827 Email: ruthfuerst@gmail.com
Expertise / Specializations: individual, couples therapy (age 18 through later life)
Miriam Gutmann MD
Miriam Gutmann lectures on child-related topics in various CCFH course offerings. Dr. Gutmann is a board certified adult and child psychiatrist and a member of the American Family Therapy Academy. She is on the faculty of Children’s Memorial Hospital and Northwestern Memorial Hospital at Northwestern University. Her practice focuses on therapy and treatment planning for a variety of childhood behavioral and developmental problems, with a special interest in the 0-5 years old population.
Her areas of special interest include autism, pervasive developmental disorders and attention deficit disorders. Dr. Gutmann is also experienced in addressing parent-child interactional difficulties and divorce/custody-related issues. Couples therapy is an area of expertise with the additional ability to simultaneously address the needs and challenges of children in a family where parents are under stress. Individual adult psychotherapy and medication management of both children and adults are part of Dr. Gutmann’s comprehensive approach to treatment.
Private Practice Locations: Chicago Loop, Skokie
Expertise & Specializations: Child and family therapy
Miriam Klevan LCSW, PhD
Dr. Klevan works with couples and families struggling with fertility, illness, and injury. She uses Emotionally Focused Therapy to help couples and families cooperate, reconnect, and to communicate directly and honestly with each other about their relationships and the roles fertility and chronic illness play in their lives. She has particular expertise with fertility and neurological conditions, including concussion, traumatic brain injury, encephalitis and dementia. She is a member of ICEEFT, the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, the National Association of Social Workers, and the Chicago Center for Emotionally Focused Therapy.
Miriam enjoys teaching others about her specialties. She has given talks on working with couples with infertility for the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, the Jefferson Conference on Infertility, and the Chicago Center for EFT, among others. She has also presented on dementias at the Chicago Center for EFT and encephalitis at the 2023 IAMFT’s “Sex in the Windy City” conference.
Office Location: Chicago, northside and virtual
Expertise / Specializations: Fertility, illness; injury; neurological conditions
Website: www.fulfillingfamilies.com
Jay Lebow PhD, ABPP
Jay Lebow, Ph.D., ABPP, a CCFH founding faculty member, is Senior Scholar and Senior Therapist at the Family Institute at Northwestern and Clinical Professor of Psychology at Northwestern University.
He is the former editor of Family Process journal. He also is author of 7 books including Couple and Family Therapy and Treating the Difficult Divorce, editor of 8 books including Clinical Handbook of Couple Therapy and Handbook of Couple Therapy, and author of 200 articles and book chapters, most focused on couple and family therapy.
Dr. Lebow is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, Board Certified in Family Psychology, and an AAMFT approved supervisor. He serves on the editorial boards of several journals and is a former president of the Society of Couple and Family Psychology of the American Psychological Association. Dr. Lebow has served on the Board of Directors of the American Family Therapy Academy (AFTA), the American Board of Family Psychology, and the Illinois Association for Marital and Family Therapy (IAMFT).
Office Location: Evanston and Virtual
Expertise & Specializations: Divorce & post-divorce conflicts, couple-family therapy
https://www.family-institute.org/therapists-locations/staff/jay-lebow
Joshua Levy PhD, LMFT
Joshua Levy, PhD, LMFT, is a cognitive therapist, a certified biofeedback therapist, and a licensed marriage and family therapist. Dr. Levy treats adult anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, OCD, PTSD, phobias, panic attacks, and personality disorders with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) tailored to the presenting problem, which may include biofeedback training to help with stress regulation. He treats child and adolescent anxiety with a manualized cognitive behavioral therapy called Coping Cat (for children) and CAT Project (for teens). ADHD and behavioral problems in children and adolescents are treated with parent‑guided reinforcement strategies to help with attention difficulties, conflict at home, and cooperative behavior. Distressed couples are treated with an empirically-based therapy shown to improve relationships called Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy.
Dr. Levy received his doctorate in social work from the University of Chicago, post‑graduate training in cognitive therapy at the Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and biofeedback training with the Stens Corporation and Biofeedback Training Institute. He is a past Fellow of the CCFH Family Systems Certificate Program in family, couple, and child therapy and a graduate of the Family Systems Program at the University of Illinois, Department of Psychiatry. Dr. Levy is a member of the American Family Therapy Academy, a member of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, and a member of the Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback.
Private Practice Locations: Chicago Loop and telehealth
Phone: (312) 321-6047
Expertise & Specializations: Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and biofeedback treatment for adult anxiety, mood disorders, & PTSD; CBT for child & adolescent anxiety & depression; behavioral therapy for children with ADHD & behavioral problems; Emotionally Focused Therapy for couples.
Bill Martin LCSW
Bill Martin, LCSW, has taught and provided supervision in the Families, Illness & Collaborative Healthcare Program certificate program and was an adjunct faculty at the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration.
Bill uses the Center for Family Health’s integrative and resilience-oriented model in his work with survivors of trauma, especially adult men who experienced childhood sexual abuse. He also integrates Interactional Guided Imagery and EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) therapy in his treatment approach with male survivors of abuse.
Also, Bill worked as part of a collaborative, integrative therapy team at Bonaventure House and Strong Spirit Wellness Center, a program of Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center. His clinical focus there was brief and long-term psychotherapy with adults living with chronic and life- threatening illness, particularly HIV/AIDS.
Expertise & Specializations: Individual therapy for adult men sexually abused as children
Website: https://billmartin.info
Private Practice Locations: Telehealth, Illinois and Pennsylvania
Bill Martin, LCSW
Philadelphia, Pa 19103
773-936-3607
Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9042712046
Phone # to call into Zoom session: 312 626 6799
Neuroscience Workbook: https://billmartin.info/neuroscience-home-course/
Arthur Nielsen M.D.
Arthur Nielsen, M.D. is a board-certified psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, and couple therapist. He earned his undergraduate degree at Harvard College and his MD at Johns Hopkins, with his psychiatry residency at Yale and family therapy training at The Philadelphia Child Guidance Clinic, and graduated from The Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis. He is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association.
Dr. Nielsen is a Professor of Clinical Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine; and serves on the faculty of the Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis, where he teaches couple therapy; and on the faculty of The Family Institute at Northwestern University. For many years, he developed and coordinated a for-credit course for Northwestern undergraduates, Marriage 101: Building Loving and Lasting Relationships. He is the author of over 40 papers in the fields of psychiatry, psychoanalysis, and couple therapy, and two textbooks: A Roadmap for Couple Therapy: Integrating Systemic, Psychodynamic, and Behavioral Approaches and Integrative Couple Therapy in Action: A Practical Guide for Handling Common Relationship Problems and Crises.
Expertise & Specialization: Couple & family therapy; psychoanalytic psychotherapy.
Office Location: 333 E. Ontario Street, Chicago and virtual
Phone: (312) 649-0570; E-mail: anielsenmd@comcast.net
David Schwartz PhD
David Schwartz, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in developmental and learning difficulties in adolescence and has taught and supervised clinical work on a range of adolescent and family issues.
He received an MA in Educational Psychology from the University of Chicago, and a PhD in clinical psychology from Northwestern University. Dr. Schwartz has been adjunct faculty at the University of Chicago, and has taught at the Adler School for Professional Psychology, DePaul University, and St. Xavier College.
For many years, he was Director of the Clinical Department of the Juvenile Detention Center in Chicago. Previously, he taught public school in New York for five years, and was deeply involved in groundbreaking efforts in creating school partnerships with the community.
Expertise / Specializations: Adolescent developmental & learning difficulties, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), affective dysregulation, delinquency, and school performance.
Office Location: Skokie and virtual
Nancy T. Segall LCSW
Nancy T. Segall, LCSW consults with programs providing service to infants, toddlers, and their families. She is a clinical social worker in private practice in Chicago and the surrounding suburban communities, specializing in maternal depression with a home visiting component when appropriate.
Nancy is a founder and lead therapist of the new Evanston based program, Beyond the Baby Blues, a 6 week group for women who are struggling with postpartum mood disorders. This adjunctive service is offered with BBB’s Community Partner, the Perinatal Depression Program at Evanston Hospital.
Private Practice Location: Evanston
Expertise & Specializations: Mother / parent – infant bonding concerns, postpartum depression
Website: www.beyondthebabyblues.org
Susan Sholtes LCSW
Susan Sholtes, LCSW, is a CCFH has taught and supervised in the Families, Illness & Healthcare Program at CCFH. She also supervised in the Family & School Partnerships Program, now at Loyola University School of Social Work, where she was on the part-time faculty.
A Licensed Clinical Social Worker, she specializes in individual, couples and family therapy related to chronic medical illness, disabilities and loss; and psychosocial aspects of medical care. Ms. Sholtes is the Founder of Caring Voices, a proactive support group for persons living with serious and debilitating illness. She is also the Executive Producer of the documentary film, It’s About Living, an intimate portrayal of 5 people’s daily struggles and triumphs living with chronic illness.
Office Location: Evanston & Virtual
Expertise & Specializations: Therapy with adults and adolescents related to chronic medical illness, disabilities and loss.
Steven Zuckerman PhD, LMFT
Steven Zuckerman, PhD, LMFT supervises the CCFH Fellows in Families, Illness, and Collaborative Healthcare at their Ravenswood practice site.
He has taught Family Medicine Residents for the past twenty years, and is currently the Behavioral Science Coordinator at the Advocate Family Practice Residency at Illinois Masonic Medical Center. Dr. Zuckerman holds an appointment as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychology in Family Practice and is a Clinical Instructor at the University of Illinois College of Medicine.
He earned his doctorate in Anthropology at the University of Chicago after studying culture change in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea. His path twisted a bit after that to work at an inpatient psychoanalytic unit, and finally culminated at the Family Institute at Northwestern University where he trained as a Marriage and Family Therapist.
In addition to academic and clinical work at Illinois Masonic, Dr. Zuckerman has a private practice at offices in Chicago and Evanston. He specializes in individual and couples work, as well as issues around illness or culture. When not working, Dr. Zuckerman enjoys reading, bicycling and fly-fishing. He is married, and has two children in the throes of adolescence and early adulthood.
Private Practice Locations: Chicago Loop and Evanston
Expertise & Specializations: Individual and couples therapy, issues around illness or culture.
Caitlin Swallow PhD, MA
Caitlin Swallow, PhD, MA, is Clinical Associate, CCFH Clinical Coordinator, former Doctoral Fellow, who completed her PhD in the Couple and Family Therapy program at Adler University. Her current position is at NorthShore in Pediatrics. She provides counseling/therapy with a range of couple and family concerns.
She specializes in medical family therapy, with experience in couple’s therapy, behavioral health consultation and collaboration, and working with families with complex medical conditions.
Her research focuses on families with children and adolescents with complex medical conditions, such as cancer, and the implications for siblings and their relationships. She holds degrees from the University of Connecticut (BA in Human Development and Family Studies) and Southern Connecticut State University (Masters in Family Therapy) and is a Certified Gestalt Therapist.
She is a member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy and the North American Society of Adlerian Psychology.
Caitlin’s approach to therapy is direct, compassionate, and collaborative. As a therapist she utilizes a family systems perspective and focuses on helping her clients know themselves better and help their families gain healthier ways to manage their lives and relationships.
Carol Salas PhD, MA, QMPH, LMFT
Dr. Salas received her Couples and family therapy doctoral degree from Adler University, with a particular interest in Medical Family Therapy. She graduated from the Illinois School of Professional Psychology with a Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy. She completed a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a minor in Social Work from Chicago State University. She works with individuals, couples, and families from an integrated systemic perspective, emphasizing Structural Therapy, Solutions-Focused Brief Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Family Illness System Model, Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Psychoeducational models.
She has experience and interest in working with individuals, couples, and families impacted by chronic illness, specifically with Latino/Hispanic individuals, couples, or families that have limited access to mental health due to the language barrier. Dr. Salas provides therapy in Spanish and English. She has experience in treating depression, anxiety, trauma, grief and loss, neurodevelopmental disorders, personality disorders, disruptive and conduct disorders, chronic medical illness, and difficulties in coping with daily life stressors. She enjoys working with a wide variety of individuals, couples, and families experiencing dysfunctional dynamics and emotional challenges, and they need help identifying strengths and finding a balance to improve their functioning and increase their welfare and family homeostasis.
I am providing therapy virtually.
Accepting new referrals
Self-pay
BCBS is still pending
phone # 872 216-1822
Alexandra Zaikova PhD, LMFT, CLC, CPST
Alexandra Zaikova-Jackson, Ph.D., LMFT, CLC, CPST, is a Clinical Associate at CCFH, and is the Healthy Steps Specialist at Lutheran General's pediatric outpatient clinic in Park Ridge, providing child development education, lactation consultation, car seat safety, and post-partum support for families and residents.
Sasha completed her B.A. in Psychology at Case Western Reserve University, and her Master’s and Doctorate degrees in Couple & Family Therapy at Adler University in Chicago, with her dissertation on PCOS and couples.
She works from a systemic and integrative perspective, with an emphasis on Contextual and Experiential theories, and particularly enjoys working with adolescents and couples. She works with a trauma-informed and biopsychosocial lens.
Office location: Chicago and virtual.
Psychotherapy Expertise / Specializations: Medical Family therapy; OB/GYN, fertility & post-partum issues; eating disorders; adolescents; couples therapy