With more than 25 years of experience I enjoy working with people who are interested in better understanding the reasons for the problems and symptoms which are limiting their fulfillment in life. After earning my doctorate I worked in a community mental health center, taught graduate school, and opened a private practice in Wilmette. I have published and presented articles in national journals and conferences on the psychology of women, transference/countertransference,and therapeutic technique. I am very interested in the creative process, the arts, the interface of culture and psychology. In my free time I write poetry, enjoy walking my dog in the forest, cooking, reading novels, and outdoor activities such as hiking and kayaking.

I believe that each individual is unique and that therapy/analysis works best when we can develop a trusting relationship where both patient and therapist can explore the emotional experience of the patient. Together we can begin to understand the sources of problems, symptoms, and roadblocks which are interfering in more comfortable and gratifying functioning in love, work, interpersonal relationships, and the creative process. My approach is essentially a developmental one, rather than theory bound. I am flexible in using what works for each person to deepen understanding and to facilitate growth in both psychotherapy and psychoanalysis.

I am a therapist working primarily with adults and adolescents. Awareness, acknowledgment, and discussion of social justice has been an important component of my training and remains central to my work. I welcome the opportunities to identify the ways in which our lives are impacted by larger forces, including systemic issues like racism, sexism, transphobia, homophobia, and others.

I describe my therapy approach as relational and collaborative. In my work with patients, I strive to join with them in exploring life dissatisfactions and troubles, and getting to a place of better understanding around these issues. I believe therapy should truly be a place to feel able to discuss any matter, and will work towards helping create an atmosphere in which you will feel safe, heard, and cared for.

My main focus is my work doing psychoanalytic psychotherapy and psychoanalysis. I also teach and supervise the next generation of therapists as a Professor at Northwestern University and a faculty member at the Chicago Psychoanalytic Institute. In my writing I do what is called psychobiography, looking at the lives of historical, literary, and political figure through a psychological lens. For 2017-2019 I am honored to serve as President of the Chicago Psychoanalytic Society.​

I made a serious effort to explain my approach on my website. Here is part of what I wrote: “During decades as a therapist, almost all my patients came to me because they were suffering from substantial pain and their lives were not working in significant ways. My goal, as may seem obvious, is for therapy to provide healing that lessens the pain and for our efforts together to result in a life that works better.” To read more, see my description at: jameswilliamanderson.wordpress.com/clinical​/

You may email me at j-anderson3@northwestern.edu

Ph.D., Michigan State University, 1975. Graduate, Core Adult Program in Psychoanalysis, Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis, 2013. Faculty, Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis. 3 times President, Chicago Association for Psychoanalytic Psychology. Currently, Metro Local Area Representative, Illinois Psychological Association. Former supervisor at Department of Psychiatry, University of Chicago.

My psychoanalytic approach is a combination of Ego and Self Psychologies. In psychotherapy I may use elements of other approaches to psychotherapy as part of treatment. In general I tend to be active rather than passive in my interactions with patients.

I help people address a broad range of mental health challenges, but have a special interest in academic and work-related struggles. I believe effective clinical work requires continuous learning and have completed ongoing training in LGBTQ affirmative, trauma informed, and multicultural practice. I find contemporary self and relational psychology helpful in understanding what gets between people and their goals, and have pursued training in this area at several institutes around the country. Before becoming a psychotherapist, I led several education non-profits and oversaw public affairs for a University of Chicago public policy center focused on children and families.

After nearly two decades helping large organizations in the non-profit world make the changes they needed to feel more effective, I decided to help individuals because I think change is an enriching part of life. I like helping people overcome concerns that keep them from embracing change. Using supportive exploration, I will work with you to understand why you feel stuck and unable to move forward. As a social worker, I pay particular attention to the communities and cultures you live in, and I especially enjoy working with the special challenges faced by immigrant families. I serve on the Board of Directors of the Chicago Psychoanalytic Institute and as editor of the Chicago Psychoanalytic Society’s month electronic newsletter. I earned my social work degree at the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration and completed the distance learning certificate clinical program of the Institute for the Psychoanalytic Study of Subjectivity. I earned my PhD in history at Columbia University, and my BA at Harvard College.

I’m passionate about helping people and have been working in the mental health field since 1995. Before launching my private practice, I had the privilege of working at the Community Mental Health Council on the South Side of Chicago for eight years, including serving as Director of Outpatient Mental Health and Director of Training. Prior to that, I worked as intern and postdoctoral therapist at the Asian Mental Health Clinic and Child and Adolescent Outpatient Clinic (now called Child/Adolescent Ambulatory Services) at Cambridge Hospital affiliated with Harvard Medical School. It was inspiring to be part of clinics that were invested in serving underserved populations. At the same time, I longed to do in-depth work on a more personal level. In 2005, I launched my private practice where I offer psychotherapy and psychoanalysis. I help adolescents and adults struggling with depression, anxiety, anger, trauma, abuse, relationships, loss, stress, low self-esteem, life transitions, inhibitions and illness. I have a special interest in working with diverse populations in a culturally sensitive manner. I enjoy giving people hope and helping them find their joy.

Therapy is a safe space for you to explore your past and present so you can move towards a better future. So often, the issues and feelings we need to talk about most are the ones we express least. As a therapist, I’m here to listen to you in a confidential, objective and nonjudgmental way and help you gain insight into what you truly want and need through the psychotherapy process.

I use an integrative approach that draws on various therapeutic strategies including psychodynamic/psychoanalytic therapy, interpersonal / relational therapies and cognitive behavioral therapy. I can tailor our psychotherapy work to best fit your needs and help you achieve your goals.

I am a licensed clinical psychologist with over 25 years experience in practice as a clinical psychologist. I received my B.A in Psychology from Binghamton University, and went on to earn my Psy. D. from the Graduate Institute of Professional Psychology at the University of Hartford. Following the completion of my doctorate, I completed a residency in psychology at the Institute of Living in Hartford, CT. I live and practice in Chicago, where I am a psychoanalytic candidate at the Chicago Psychoanalytic Institute.

My clinical practice focuses on the psycho-therapeutic treatment of adults and families from a psychoanalytic perspective. Specifically, my areas of interest and expertise are the unique aspects of the psychology of men, couples psychotherapy and group psychotherapy. I have worked extensively with individuals who struggle with substance dependence in conjunction with other behavioral health disorders.

I came to psychoanalysis via music and history. As an undergraduate I studied oboe at the Curtis Institute of Music, and pursued graduate studies in European history at the University of Chicago before embarking on clinical training at the Institute for Clinical Social Work (ICSW). I strive to bring this background to bear in practicing psychoanalytic therapy, engaging both the listening capacities cultivated in advanced musical training, and the attention to narrative fundamental to in the study of history, in helping patients come to know themselves and so heal from psychological difficulties.

Psychotherapy is a process for relieving emotional distress by restoring and cultivating its participants’ inborn capacities for thought and growth. Everyone engages with the world in idiosyncratic ways developed over the course of his or her path through life, and emotional suffering results when such adaptive measures go awry or no longer serve their original purpose. Repetitive unsatisfying relationships, low self esteem, anxiety, and other psychological symptoms can be alleviated when their origins are understood and reworked in the context of a supportive therapeutic relationship, which I strive to provide in both psychoanalytic psychotherapy and psychoanalysis.

I am an adjunct and doctoral candidate at Loyola University Chicago, School of Social Work. My research focuses on patients’ experience of psychoanalysis. I am also a candidate in training at the Chicago Psychoanalytic Institute.
I have experience both with people wanting to try therapy for the first time and those who have engaged in previous therapy and are now looking for an approach that focuses on long-term sustained change. Some patient’s find medication helpful. I work in consultation with psychiatrists when medication is indicated.

Every patient enters therapy with a unique set of needs. I tailor treatment to address individual needs and goals. In addition, I work with patients to manage distressing feelings and to understand the origin of problems. By working in this way therapy opens patients to a positive emotional experience which in turn transforms how patients live their lives. Therapy is an investment in the future and my commitment is to assist patients in living a life of vitality.
I work with patient’s with a range of issues from depression, anxiety, trauma and substance abuse. I specialize in serious mental illness with a particular focus on psychosis.

I’ve provided psychoanalytic psychotherapy in the Chicago area since 2001, working with adolescents, adults, and couples. I have a particular interest and expertise in the areas of depression and anxiety, relationships, men’s issues, self-esteem, adolescent development, attachment, blocks to creativity, and the intersection of psychoanalysis, psychology, and spirituality. I completed post-graduate clinical training at the Object Relations Institute for Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy of New York, The Center for Religion & Psychotherapy of Chicago, and I’m a certified educator with graduate degrees in both Music and Counselor Education.

While I have a strong resonance with Object Relations theory, I value contributions from across the spectrum of psychoanalytic thought. However, beyond any theory, my understanding of any given patient is informed by the complexity and mystery of the their individual human experience. As such, I am most interested in understanding each person’s unique story and what keeps them in emotional pain.

I have long interest and experience in helping people understand themselves, grow, and learn in the face of challenges. When physical concerns are present, I also draw on years of experience in science and medicine (neurology).

I value the rich understanding and opportunities for growth, that can arise in the therapeutic relationship. I draw on the tools of psychoanalysis, which I employ as and when appropriate. I value and use the related fields of neurology, psychiatry, psychopharmacology, group relations, and systems theory. I consider it in the best analytic tradition to approach each situation as new and unique. It follows that the deep and creative thought process we associate with psychoanalysis, in some applications, leads not to “traditional psychoanalysis” but rather to a unique adaptation, appropriate to the specific situation.