Natalie K. Holzman, MSW, LCSW

For the past 32 years of private practice, Ms Holzman has worked with adults presenting with a variety of anxiety-based and depressive disorders, as well as relationship, parent-child, workplace, and health related issues.  Her earlier clinical experience included work within psychiatric and child welfare settings, where she also provided staff and field instruction for students from Chicago-based schools of social work and Smith College School for Social Work.  In addition, she was an adjunct faculty member at Loyola University’s School of Social Work from 1988-2000.  Since 1989, Ms Holzman has been a member of the NASW Chapter Ethics Committee, which she chaired from 2000-2007. She has chaired professional review adjudication hearings involving cases of alleged ethical misconduct by social workers at both the chapter and national levels, consulted with complainants and respondents, and trained panelists, report writers, and consultants for the NASW.

Ruth Lipschutz. LCSW, ACSW

Ruth is a licensed clinical social worker with postgraduate certification in ethics, mediation, family therapy, Transformational Imagery (trainer level), hypnotherapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and Thought Field Therapy (TFT). She received her MSW from the University of Illinois in 1978 and went on to complete the two-year postgraduate training program of the Institute for Family Studies at Northwestern University. She has extensive experience in the areas of ethics, community mental health, addictions, traumatology, program development and implementation, supervision, consultation and Alternative Dispute Resolution (mediation). She has worked in English and Spanish with individuals, couples, families and groups in a variety of settings. Ruth has presented workshops locally and nationally for over twenty years.  Ruth is a member of the NASW National Ethics Committee, and has traveled nationally for NASW doing mediations for ethics cases. She serves as a panelist, consultant, ADR facilitator and trainer for the NASW Illinois chapter ethics committee. She is currently in private practice.

Jill Fein Baker, LCSW

Jill is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (Illinois), a member of the Academy of Clinical Social Workers (a national accreditation) with a Masters in Social Work from the Jane Addams College of Social Work at the University of Illinois at Chicago.  Jill was certified as an Imago therapist by Dr. Hendrix in June of 1990, one of the first five therapists in the Chicago area to do so. Together with some of those colleagues, they founded the Institute for Imago Relationship Therapy of Greater Chicago, a professional training and support organization. She later went on to acquire more training becoming a Certified Workshop Presenter for couples and singles, and an Advanced Clinician in Imago Therapy.

Ann Bruckelmeyer, LCSW and Communications Trainer

Ann is a licensed clinical social worker in private practice in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. She is certified in substance abuse by the Illinois Department of Alcohol and Other Substance Abuse and a sponsor for continuing education (CEUS) in the State of Illinois for social workers, professional counselors (applied for) and certified addiction professionals. Ann is sole proprietor of Healaheart, Inc. Counseling for Individuals and Couples.

E. Jason Mask, LCSW

E. Jason Mask, LCSW is currently the Social Work Clinical Manger and Program Director of the Spinal Cord Injury at the Edward J. Hines VA Hospital.

Robin McGinnis, MSW

Robin McGinnis, MSW is Founder and CEO of Alternative Behavior Treatment Centers, a treatment and consultation agency that exclusively focuses on services for children, adolescents, families and adults who have been exposed to trauma and sexual abuse.  Robin has been working in the field of mental health for over 30 years in a variety of settings in both the private and public sectors.

Gayle McGowean, Director of Community Outreach

Gayle McGowean is the Director of Community Outreach at The Cradle, a non-profit adoption agency.  Gayle is a masters-prepared Registered Nurse from the State University of NY at Buffalo.  She is experienced with both adult and pediatric patients in medical-surgical, critical care and home health environments. As a former corporate executive, she is skilled in commercial sales, health care consulting and management, and is dedicated to promoting the mission of The Cradle to healthcare providers through education and best practice.

Necole Muhammad, LSW

Necole K. Muhammad is the Executive Director of Shades of Ebony, Inc. - an advocacy organization that is passionately empowering girls to be the "Women of Tomorrow."  She holds a Masters of Social Work, Type 73 from Chicago State University and is a Licensed Social Worker.

Mark Myers, LCSW

Mark Myers, LCSW, received his Master of Social Work Degree from Loyola University in 1987.  He is an Illinois Licensed Clinical Social Worker since 1990 and a Certified Alcohol and Other Drug Counselor since 1988.  Mark provides counseling to individuals, groups, and couples for a variety of areas including: drug and alcohol abuse, anger management issues, marital issues, depression, anxiety, and parenting issues.

Rebecca Palmer, MS

Rebecca Palmer, MS is currently VP of Program Development at Alternative Behavior Treatment Centers.  She did her post-graduate training in marriage and family therapy at the Institute for Juvenile Research (the University of Illinois) where she had been adjunct faculty in the Family Systems Program.  Rebecca is a member of the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers and serves on the Board of Directors and is Chair of the ATSA ethics committee.  Ms. Palmer has a special expertise in evaluation and treating sexual offenders.

Cheri Sinnott, LCSW

Cheri Sinnott, LCSW received her BA and MSW from Washington University in St. Louis.  She has worked as an outpatient therapist for a family counseling center, and with developmentally disabled adults in a residential facility.  Currently, she is the Director of a State Board of Education agency serving deaf/hard of hearing student behavioral needs and maintains a private practice.

Anthony M. Spillie, LCSW, ACSW

Anthony Spillie, LCSW, ACSW is currently the Social Work Executive at the Edward J. Hines VA Hospital and is also an Addiction Therapist at Private Practice Spillie & Associates.

Judy Stigger, LCSW

Judy Stigger, LCSW, is the Director of Professional Relations for Adoption Learning Partners, an interactive adoption and foster-care web-based educational series.  A licensed clinical social worker, Judy had provided counseling/therapy for adoptive teens, and adoptive and birth families; worked in domestic as well as directed international adoption programs; authored a book, Coping with Infertility, plus various chapters and articles, and much more.

Myra Walden, Trainer and Therapist

Susan Wisehart, M.S., LMFT, NCSP

Susan Wisehart, M.S, LMFT, NCSP is a holistic psychotherapist, licensed marriage and family therapist and a nationally certified school psychologist in private practice in Mundelein and Des Plaines, IL.  She has a master’s degree in psychology and has 34 years of professional experience.  She is the author of Soul Visioning: Clear the Past, Create Your Future.  Her specialty is integrating traditional and non-traditional therapies to bring into balance mind, body and spirit using a wide variety of modalities. 

Holly Zielke, Northern Region Coordinator Illinois Department on Aging Elder Abuse and Neglect Program

Ms. Zielke holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Human Services with a concentration in Gerontology from National Louis University and a Master’s Degree in Gerontology from Northeastern Illinois University. She has served as the northern region coordinator for the Illinois Department on Aging’s Elder Abuse and Neglect Program for the past 9 years.  Ms. Zielke also co-authored a chapter on Elder Abuse and Public Policy in Clinics in Geriatric Medicine May 2005.

Judith Matz, LCSW

Judith Matz is the co-author of two books on the topics of eating and weight issues:  The Diet Survivors Handbook:  60 Lessons in Eating, Acceptance and Self-Care (Sourcebooks 2006) and Beyond a Shadow of a Diet:  The Therapist's Guide to Treating Compulsive Eating (Brunner/Routledge 2004).  Judith is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and has worked in the field of eating problems for the past 25 years.  She received her master's degree from the University of Michigan and completed a post-graduate fellowship at Michael Reese Hospital, with an emphasis on eating disorders.  She is the director of the Chicago Center for Overcoming Overeating, Inc., an organization dedicated to ending the preoccupation with food and weight through educational programs and counseling.  Judith is a frequent presenter at local and national conferences, and she has a private practice in Skokie, Illinois.  Descriptions of her work have appeared in numerous magazines including Good Housekeeping, Self, Shape, Today's Dietitian, Today's Diet and Nutrition, North Shore Magazine and The Healing Arts Guide.  Her website is at www.dietsurvivors.com.

Patricia Trudeau, LCSW

Patricia M. Trudeau is the Clinical Director of Birth Parent Services at The Cradle.  She has twenty-five years of increasingly responsible positions involving clinical work, supervision and program development at leading Chicago child abuse agencies. She has demonstrated leadership and team building skills in the implementation of new programs.

Jan Reisch, LCSW, CADC, CEAP

Jan Reisch is a licensed clinical social worker, certified alcohol and other drug counselor, a certified employee assistance professional and a Substance Abuse Professional (SAP.)  Jan has a private practice in downtown Chicago and Northwest Indiana, she is the Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory (SASSI) trainer for the Midwest, and is President of the Northern Illinois Employee Assistance Professionals Association (NIEAPA.)

Matthew Jameson, LCSW

Matt Jameson is a licensed clinical social worker with 29 years of experience in various settings, working extensively with adolescents, both in psychiatric units and in public schools.  He has also worked in private practice providing individual, family and marital therapy.  He received a B.A. degree in Psychology from Northeastern Illinois University in 1974.  He attended George Williams College, where he received his MSW in 1979. 

Matt's treatment focus has been with families in both school settings and private practice.  He has an extensive background in "family systems theory" and "brief treatment."  Matt has been involved in personal research looking at how early attachments effect relationships later in life.  He has incorporated parts of John Bowlby's model of attachment theory in his work with adolescents and adults.  Matt utilizes a "Solution Focused" approach in his work and has presented various workshops on "Brief Solution Focused Therapy."

Russell G. Johnson, LCSW, ACSW

Russell G. Johnson is a licensed clinical social workers who has over 26 years of experience in a variety of settings including: police social services, adolescent psychiatric hospital, elementary schools, high schools and private practice.  He received a B.A. degree from North Central College, majoring in Psychology and Philosophy.  He attained his MSW degree in 1981 from George Williams College in Downers Grove.

Russ was trained as a Certified Practitioner of Neurolinguistic Programming in 1989 and Master Practitioner of Neurolinguistic Programming in 1991 through Midwest Institute of Neurolinguistic Programming.  He is currently employed as a school social worker at Carl Sandburg High School in Orland Park, IL.  Russ is the co-founder of "Meaningful Solutions," an organization that provides consultation and training to mental health practitioners on Solution Focused Therapy, implications of brain research in therapy, and Ericksonian approaches with clients.

Dan Williams, LCSW

Dan Williams is employed by Chicago Public Schools as a School Social Worker.  Dan earned his A.M. in Clinical Social Work from the University of Chicago in 1999 and a M.Sc.in Evidence-Based Social Intervention with an HIV-AIDS concentration from the University of Oxford in 2007.  Outside of his daytime position, Dan runs a private practice (Innovative Social Work Solutions, P.C.) where he specializes in helping individuals and couples who are experiencing sexual problems in their relationship(s).