Kathryn Wax, Psy.D.

I am a Licensed Clinical Psychologist who works with children, adolescents, adults, and families managing mood struggles, anxiety, depression, behavioral difficulties, risk taking behaviors, personality disorders, and neurodivergence in a neurotypical world.

Before founding Lincoln Park Psychology, I owned an operated a large group practice and several therapeutic day schools in the Chicago suburbs. This experience prepared me for building and maintaining a practice that offers the highest quality services through incredibly talented and creative clinicians. I founded Lincoln Park Psychology in order to fulfill my passion for helping others to make meaningful change in their lives. I believe strongly that a strength-based approach is essential to fostering a sense of self, a sense of empowerment, and a sense of identity within an individual, and within the family and school system. This is especially true for adolescents who seem to feel lost and overwhelmed by their world.

As a parent, I also understand the importance of family dynamics, sibling relationships, and parental stress. I offer parent coaching as well as family therapy when working with children and teens. When working with adults, as well as younger ages, I value each individual's experience, history, culture, influence, and viewpoints. It is important to follow the client's perspective in order to fully understand the human existence. However, it is equally important that the client and I work together to identify perspectives, thoughts, or behaviors that are maladaptive and resulting in a repeating cycle contributing to struggling mental health. I integrate parts of ACT, DBT, CBT, trauma informed, and psychodynamics into our work together, based on what will be most effective. The goal is lasting change that can be sustained by the client.

I believe that growth and coping is not measured by "happiness," because the human experience is emotional in itself. It's how one manages the emotional rollercoaster of life through changing perspective, increasing tolerance and resilience, finding peace, self-acceptance, and many other goals. In order to meet your goals, I am an active participant in the therapy process, often asking questions, finding flexibility in the storyline, and directly pointing out patterns and themes.

In addition to my own clinical work, I have found immense joy in supervising large cohorts of clinical trainees since 2010. Having spent much of my career dedicated to clinical training, my prior team and I developed an APA-Accredited internship training program and I once held the position of President of the Association of Chicagoland Externship and Practicum Training (ACEPT). I have found that supervising and consulting with others provides me with more learning and growth than even working with my own clients. I gain a new perspective, learn new techniques, and find new ways to promote growth with each supervising hour.