Hi! My name is Dr. Ellen Jorstad-Stein. This is my first ever blog post, not just my first psychology practice blog post. This blog post is an introduction to myself, my services, and my hopes for the blog. I am a licensed clinical psychologist in Illinois and I started my own specialized private psychology practice recently in Hinsdale called Verdandi Anxiety Clinic & Consulting. I have a PhD in clinical psychology from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA, and an MSc in health psychology from Staffordshire University in the UK. During my internship at the Hines VA and postdoctoral appointments at UIC, I specialized in both clinical and health psychology by engaging in both clinical practice and research. I also enjoy teaching and training, and I led a health psychology seminar for clinical psychology pre-doctoral interns and graduate students at UIC. I also provided clinical supervision to trainees in the Health Psychology Service at UIC.

I am passionate about the nature and treatment of anxiety disorders and anxiety related to medical conditions or aspects of health care. Although anxiety is part of the natural human experience, moderate to severe anxiety can be disabling and debilitating if left untreated. It can devastate a person’s life as it increases in severity over time, or prevent a person from reaching their potential and live a full life. When I see clients, I want to understand the anxiety they experience presently so I can provide effective and compassionate psychotherapy to improve life satisfaction and well-being. I view “meeting my clients where they are” as a key feature in effective psychotherapy, yet another key feature is the willingness of the client to take some risks that would expose them to feared situations or thoughts. Willingness to experience anxiety gradually is a necessary component of effective anxiety treatment. I guide my clients through this careful dance between encouraging movement towards increased improvement and taking note of where each client is with emotions, thoughts, and behaviors in and out of sessions.

My dual specializations in the areas of clinical and health psychology mean that I have unique expertise that allows me to meet individual needs by integrating aspects of health psychology interventions into clinical psychology interventions, such as using components of behavioral treatments for sleep disorders with clients who have anxiety disorders with severe sleep disturbance, or implementing effective treatments traditionally used for anxiety with clients who experience worry or phobias about a medical condition diagnosed by a physician or scheduled health care procedure. I will write about these areas in other blog posts.

In some ways, this blog post and starting a blog for my psychology practice is a bit of an exposure for me. I have always enjoyed writing and have thought for several years since near the infancy of blogs that it would be fun to write a blog. There were always other activities in life that took precedence, particularly during my graduate school and training years, and at those times these other activities were weighted heavier and carried more importance than starting a blog that would require interesting material to be posted at least on a somewhat regular schedule. Now seems to be a good time for me to do this. I am planning to blog about a range of mental health topics although there will most likely be a somewhat stronger focus on anxiety disorders. I expect to also write about conditions related to anxiety disorder such as depression, alcohol and substance use, and sleep disturbance. I also expect to write about medical conditions or procedures where anxiety or anxiety disorders are common such as cancer and cancer survivorship, diabetes, or dental health care. You will also read from time to time about practical tips that may improve your mental and physical wellbeing. Finally, I plan to report on interesting research findings related to anxiety and anxiety disorders on occasion. I am hopeful that you will find my blog interesting and a worthwhile read.

Take care and I hope you will come back for future blog posts!

Thank you!

Tags: Anxiety, burr ridge, chicago, counseling, darien, depression, downers grove, health, hinsdale, lagrange, oak brook, psychologist, stress, therapist, therapy, treatment, western springs, western suburbs, westmont, willowbrook