About PCPA

Established in 2011, we have been privileged to serve and support thousands of patients of all ages, ethnicities, races, genders, sexual orientations, and religious traditions in Chicago and the surrounding communities. We provide services in English, Bulgarian and Spanish languages. Our promise is to deliver nothing short of the best and the most effective psychological services available to you and your family!

Fiercely independent of corporate meddling and finance, from the day of our founding, our goal has been to create the best possible work environment for our staff, and the best source of assistance to our patients and the larger medical community. Our practice is currently co-owned by Drs. Shauna Freedman, Meryl Pankhurst, Valerie Weed and Boris Todorov. Each of the four partners was previously a staff member at PCPA. We strive to make decisions about the future of the practice by consensus, with strong input from the rest of our team.

At its core, our model of psychotherapy relies on what the science of psychology tells us works best - an integration of evidence-based practices in cognitive, behavioral, interpersonal, humanistic, and psychodynamic psychotherapy, as defined by the American Psychological Association. In an effort to go beyond treatment as usual, our therapists remain keenly in touch with the latest trends in our field through regular, practice-sponsored continuing education activities, and evolve their approach to your needs accordingly. 

We emphasize a holistic and compassionate approach to mental health, where the needs of the mind, the body, the family and the larger community are considered and become part of the treatment process. We work in collaboration with your primary and specialty care physicians, as well as other related agencies to foster patient wellness and satisfaction in a comprehensive manner. 

At the end of your treatment with us, we invite you to think of your therapist as part of your Primary Care Team. Utilize our services the same way you would with your Primary Care Physician - schedule a behavioral health wellness check-in once or twice a year, and enjoy easy access to a highly qualified therapist, who knows your history and concerns, anytime you need them again.

O​ur Cutting-edge, Comprehensive, Collaborative, and Compassionate approach helps you achieve results within weeks rather than years of therapy, and keeps you healthy for many years to come!

To deliver our promise to you, we have assembled a Dream Team of doctoral-level psychotherapists, with years of experience AND the ambition to be the best in our field. Doctoral-level psychologists are the highest trained mental health professionals, and are able to provide the broadest range of psychological care to you and your family. 

Many of our current therapists became licensed psychologists under the tutelage of PCPA’s prestigious training program. Our APA-accredited internship program, along with our postdoctoral and externship programs, attracts many highly qualified candidates from all over the country and abroad every year. Our therapists-in-training pass through a rigorous selection process, participate in a highly structured educational curriculum, and receive weekly supervision from licensed psychologists.