About - ONLINE TELEHEALTH THERAPY APPOINTMENTS FOR ILLINOIS RESIDENTS | Verdandi Anxiety Clinic & Consulting

Meet the Psychologist, Dr. Ellen Jorstad-Stein

I am a licensed clinical psychologist (License Number: 071.009515) in Illinois with professional membership in the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. I have experience working with clients across the lifespan from older children and teenagers through young adults in college to adult and older adults. My treatment philosophy is committed to evidence-based practice that is grounded in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), motivational enhancement, and aspects of mindfulness-based interventions that draw from Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy, Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. I have over a decade of clinical experience dedicated extensively to CBT for anxiety disorders and related conditions, including exposure and response prevention for obsessive compulsive disorder and cognitive processing therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder, from the Adult Anxiety Clinic of Temple, the Anxiety and Agoraphobia Treatment Center, with the founding members of the Anxiety & OCD Treatment Center of Philadelphia, and the Trauma Services Program at the Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital. My mentor during my graduate school years at Temple University was Dr. Richard G. Heimberg, known internationally as an expert in the cognitive-behavioral treatment of social anxiety disorder and generalized anxiety disorder. Additionally, I have published in peer-reviewed journals and presented research findings at national and international conferences.

Education, Internship, and Fellowships

Dr. Jorstad-Stein received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Temple University in 2014. She also has a B.Sc.(Hons) in Psychology from the University of Birmingham and a M.Sc. in Health Psychology from Staffordshire University, both in England. Prior to starting her doctoral studies, Dr. Jorstad-Stein worked with Dr. Aaron Beck, the founder of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, at the University of Pennsylvania. She completed her pre-doctoral internship at the Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital including at the Psychosocial Oncology Program at Loyola University Medical Center. Her clinical postdoctoral fellowship was completed in Health Psychology with the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and was followed by postdoctoral research training in psycho-oncology in cancer survivorship funded by the National Cancer Institute as a R25 postdoctoral fellow with the Cancer Education and Career Development Program at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Interests outside of clinical work

I enjoy spending time with my family in my spare time, in particular going on hikes or taking part in other outdoor activities, and photographing landscapes. My camera is almost always packed in my daypack when we venture out on hikes. Regular yoga practice and baking are other activities that are of great importance to me. My family of origin places great value on community service, particularly in education. My grandfather was a teacher and became a principal later in his career. Following retirement, he served on the board of education where he lived and worked. My mother served for several years on the PTA board of the local grade school, including as President. I have continued our family tradition, as I have been serving on various councils, committees, and task forces in Downers Grove Grade School District 58 since 2017 and continue to do so to date. I also served on Community High School District 99's recent Citizen Task Force. On the athletic side of activities, I am an amateur speedskater and member of U.S. Speedskating. In the past few years, I have learned that I also enjoy rowing and running.

The story behind the name Verdandi Anxiety Clinic & Consulting

Verdandi Anxiety Clinic & Consulting was founded by Dr. Ellen Jorstad-Stein. The practice name was chosen for its meaning that resonates both with aspects of evidence-based psychotherapy for anxiety disorders as well as her Scandinavian heritage. The anxiety treatment integrates CBT approaches, mindfulness-based interventions, and motivational enhancement.

Verdandi was one of three Norns, the female beings in Norse mythology that the Norsemen believed to rule the destiny of gods and men similar to the Fates in other European mythologies. In Norse mythology, the Norns sat underneath the canopy of the world tree, Yggdrasil, and weaved destinies. Urd was responsible for the past, Skuld for the future, and Verdandi for the present. Therefore, Verdandi was believed to be the keeper of “what is,” or that which is occurring in this moment. She was present-focused just as anxiety treatment is present focused.

The moment in which we live is something we view every second of every day. In Buddhism, this is the “portion of the moment”, or the “living in the moment” that is often talked about. Verdandi was about understanding each moment without looking ahead or to the past, yet the past and the future were not ignored as history and personal values for life make up each individual person and their reasons for seeking change, like deciding to begin therapy. Living in the moment is akin to mindful awareness and opens the door to the possibility of making purposeful positive or desired changes in to your life. If you understand the present, you can choose to make in-the-moment actions towards a desired outcome in that moment, like noticing unhelpful thoughts and uncomfortable sensations in your body as you are giving a speech yet reminding yourself that you have prepared, feeling the effects food has on your body as you are eating, or making note of a worrying thought yet allowing yourself to put it aside to focus on a task at hand. You may also choose to make actions towards an outcome further down the line such as your overarching therapy goal. Dr. Jorstad-Stein will meet you where you are at this moment with your thoughts, behaviors, and emotions, and facilitate in a collaborative fashion your movement towards how you would like to live your life.