I am a seasoned psychoanalyst and psychologist and have worked with people from ages 15 to 88. I have worked in the past at Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic and at CAPPS at the Northwestern Evanston campus. I have training in family and couples therapy. In graduate school and on internship I was exposed to many theories and schools of psychology and psychoanalytic thinking.
I like to look at the whole person in the context of their personal history, cultural background and their current relationships and occupation. I utilize my psychoanalytic training even if the treatment is not an analysis. In terms of psychoanalytic thinking, I am most comfortable with object relations, Self Psychology and relational theories of psychoanalysis. I see psychotherapy as a partnership between the therapist and the person seeking treatment. the therapeutic relationship is crucial to the treatment process.
My adult residency in Psychiatry was at Michael Reese. My Psychoanalytic training was at the Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis. I have been a faculty member of the Institute for approximately 30 years. I have a contemporary approach to psychoanalytic treatment.
In choosing psychotherapy, one opens to the pursuit of awareness and authenticity. While this journey is sometimes arduous, most experience a sense of fulfillment previously unknown. Those who choose to see me often wish to uncover barriers which prevent them from living creatively, peacefully, expressively, and authentically. I aim to provide a warm, nonjudgmental atmosphere where individuals feel comfortable exploring all aspects of their being, including hidden dreams and desires. Such exploration is often accompanied with reductions in anxiety, depression, impulsivity, or inhibition.
When we approach what is with friendly curiosity, a space for what may be arises. In this deeply meaningful process, one discovers that the complexities and contradictions inherent in being human can be understood and reintegrated in the therapeutic space.
I am a recent graduate of the Adult Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Program at the Chicago Psychoanalytic Institute.
I’ve been practicing psychoanalytic psychotherapy with adults for the past 25 years. I received my PhD from the University of Chicago and trained at the Center for Religion & Psychotherapy, where I now practice and where I have previously been the Director of Training. My first book, nominated for a Gradiva award, has just come out in a revised edition entitled Race in Psychoanalysis: Aboriginal Populations in the Mind (Routledge, 2018). I enjoy working with people who may find themselves on the margins of the social mainstream, and I’m interested in the spiritual dimension—for better and for worse—of emotional distress.
I see clients once or twice a week, and am most influenced by the relational school of psychoanalysis. This form of therapy sees our symptoms as aspects of ourselves of which we may not be fully aware; aspects which are often holdovers from earlier stages in our emotional development, where we became stymied by particular challenges which were never fully resolved. In therapy we build a relationship of trust where we can encounter and put into words the emotional “stuckness” that our symptoms represent. This helps us better resolve and integrate our challenges, and thus better engage more fully with the world around us.
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 did my psychiatry residency at Feinberg School of Medicine/Northwestern Memorial Hospital. I am currently an Advanced Candidate at the Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis.
I view treatment as a collaboration between myself and the patient. I usually begin with asking the patient what brought them to so see me. After a period of discussing their medical and psychiatric symptoms with attendant history a treatment plan with recommendations is formulated and discussed with the patient. From this, based on my recommendations and the patients wishes, a cause of treatment is developed which can include basic medication management up to and including psychoanalysis or combination thereof.
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’m a therapist primarily working with children, teens and parents. I have expertise in child development, childhood mental health, emotional, behavioral and relationship issues. Emotional conflicts in children can get in the way of their development and be a source of stress for the family. I provide a safe and empathetic environment where children and teens can express themselves, gain self-awareness, and work through their conflicts. I help parents to understand the meaning of their children’s behaviors, emotional life, and managing daily behavioral challenges.
My training is focused on modern psychoanalytic psychotherapy and attachment theories.
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
Psychoanalysis, Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, Other
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.
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.
