Den Exter Blokland, Vicki, N

An experienced licensed clinical psychologist.When life gets overwhelming, it helps to have someone to turn to. Dr. Susan R. Smith is willing to listen to you and help you work through your problems. A licensed clinical psychologist with more than 25 years of experience, Dr. Smith's goal is to offer older adolescent and adult clients assistance with making, and working through, life changes. Because every person has his or her own unique personality and coping techniques, she develops personalized treatment plans that incorporate the client's strengths, available resources, and ultimate goals based on cognitive-behavioral, interpersonal process, problem solving, and positive psychology clinical models.Working in both life and career coach capacities, Dr. Smith helps people achieve a balance between work and everyday life, offers assistance for people struggling with health-related life-style changes and career transitions. She forms positive partnerships with her clients to work toward achieving the desired goals. Clinical specialty areas include: Eating disorders and weight management Relationship conflicts Anxiety Stress Retirement/aging concerns Career and life coaching Equine assisted psychotherapy on a limited basisPlease call today to find out more about our services, or to schedule your appointment.

We provide psychological care and counseling to address depression, anxiety, and life transition issues, as well as a variety of other concerns - pain management, grief and loss, marital and family issues, dementia, panic attacks, and many other concerns. At Willow we pride ourselves on associating with only the highest quality staff, individuals who are expert in their fields. We-a psychologist and a pastor-created Willow in 2004 as a unique space, where our great joy ( working with older adults ) met with our community's deep need for psychotherapy services that were both aging-friendly and spiritually-informed. We began with beautiful art pieces, soundproofing, and chairs considerate of aching knees ; our clients brought the space to life with their hope, their courage, and yes, their tears. Since we began Willow, we have expanded our staff in ways that better serve our clients and their families-and in so doing, have expanded the range of adults we can help. One of our psychologists practices couples/family therapy and focuses on improving relationships and communication ; another enjoys helping individuals work through life's transitions and changes. Our licensed clinical social worker assists individuals and couples to cope with chronic illness, with an expertise in Multiple Sclerosis ( MS ). Another therapist has special training in health and nutrition education, and helps makes connections between food and mood, as well as overall wellness. And our graduate students help us provide high-quality psychological evaluations. We also offer spiritual direction to adults of all ages and any ( or no ) religious affiliation. In addition, we have extended our reach into the community-providing psychotherapy services at assisted living and nursing facilities ; facilitating parenting classes at local churches ; speaking at senior centers and national conferences alike. Indeed, this website is an effort to reach out to those who may not be able to access our physical offices. We provide information on current topics ; list links to some favorite web resources ; and have a blog where we share our thoughts, answer your questions, and respond to comments you send us. Our focus on aging means that we can be experts on issues related to midlife, old age, and all the years in between. We know the books to read, the doctors to recommend, the best-of-the-best community resources. We know how to assess depression, anxiety, memory loss, and dementia ; and we know which treatments are recommended. We provide those treatments within our scope of knowledge and experience ; and we refer out to others who have different strengths. In so doing, we provide relief during a very complicated time for most people-more and different types of illnesses, questions of whether it's safe to drive or live alone, tensions between caring for aging parents and raising teenagers, changes in career and life activity, loss to death or illness of those people who have meant the most to you. Remaining in the forefront is our mission to provide a healing space where people feel secure that their life stories are honored, their privacy protected, and their deepest truths respected. People of all ages want to know that someone is there for them, to listen and to care. We all want to make the most of this time on earth, however long or short the years, and Willow is here to help make that possible. Abundant life for the rest of your life-that's our goal. We hope that it is yours, too. Willow Wellness Center 1400 Renaissance Drive, IL 60068 Park Ridge Suite 401