Health Psychology & Behavioral Medicine
Health psychology is therapy for the psychological side of a physical condition — adjusting to a diagnosis, living with pain, changing a habit, or preparing for surgery.
A cardiac event, a cancer diagnosis, a chronic pain condition or a bariatric surgery referral all come with a psychological load that the medical appointment rarely has time for. Health psychology is the part of care that addresses it, and it is not the same thing as general talk therapy.
Our health psychology work is led by a clinician with post-doctoral training in the field and experience embedded in primary care offices and on general medicine floors in teaching hospitals — which means working alongside physicians rather than in parallel with them.
We see clients at our Northbrook office on Academy Drive and our Libertyville office on Hollister Drive, and by telehealth anywhere in Illinois.
What this covers
- Adjusting to a new diagnosis, or to a condition that has changed what you can do
- Cardiac disease — a particular area of interest and published research for our team
- Chronic pain, and the relationship between pain, mood and sleep
- Preparing for bariatric surgery, including pre-surgical psychological evaluation
- Building habits that have not stuck before: exercise, weight, smoking cessation
- Medical trauma, and anxiety around procedures, scans and appointments
How we work
The approach is a scientist-practitioner one: research-tested methods applied to your situation, with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy as the primary framework. CBT is particularly well suited here because it works on the specific actions and thinking patterns that make a condition harder to live with.
Much of the work is motivational rather than instructional. Most people already know what would help; what gets in the way is ambivalence, a history of failed attempts, or a plan that was never realistic for their life. We work on that directly.
Where your physician is involved, we coordinate with them with your consent, so the psychological and medical plans are not pulling in different directions.
Clinicians who work in this area
Matched from each clinician's own stated specialisms. Our Intake Team will pair you with the right person for your situation rather than the next available slot.
- Christine Petersen, Psy.D.Licensed Clinical Psychologist
- Angela Eads, Ph.D.Licensed Clinical Psychologist
- Carol Dreyer, LMFT, LCPCMarriage & Family Therapist
- Bella Sisarica, MA, LCPCLicensed Clinical Professional Counselor
- Rebecca Rice, LCSW, R-DMTLicensed Clinical Social Worker · Registered Dance/Movement Therapist
- Abby Merel, LCSWLicensed Clinical Social Worker
- Kelsey Salsman, MA, LPCLicensed Professional Counselor
- Gabby Clow, LPCLicensed Professional Counselor
Insurance, including Medicare
Grand Oaks Behavioral Health is in-network with most major plans — Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, Aetna, Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Evernorth (Cigna), UnitedHealthcare, BCBS Community Medicaid, Oscar — and with Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans, which a good number of behavioral health practices in the area do not accept. We also take BCBS Community Medicaid. Our Intake Team verifies your specific benefits and tells you your cost before your first appointment.
Where we see clients
604 Academy Drive, Northbrook, IL 60062 and 1800 Hollister Drive, Suite 201, Libertyville, IL 60048, plus telehealth anywhere in Illinois. We regularly see clients from Northbrook, Glenview, Deerfield, Highland Park, Northfield, Wilmette and across Lake County and the North Shore.
Common questions
Health psychology focuses on the psychological dimensions of a physical health condition — adjusting to illness, managing pain, changing health behaviours, preparing for surgery. General therapy addresses mental health concerns in their own right. The two overlap, and many people need both; what differs is the starting point.
Yes. Pre-surgical psychological evaluation is part of our behavioral medicine work. If your surgical team has requested one, call (847) 549-1189 and our Intake Team will tell you what is involved, how long it takes, and what it will cost before you book.
Grand Oaks Behavioral Health is in-network with Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans, which matters here because many people seeking behavioral medicine are managing conditions alongside Medicare coverage. Our Intake Team verifies your specific benefits before your first appointment.
With your written consent, yes — and in this area it is usually worth it. Our clinician has worked embedded in primary care and on hospital medicine floors, and care tends to go better when the psychological and medical sides are coordinated rather than running separately.
Related
Not sure which of these fits? That is what the first call is for. Phone (847) 549-1189 and our Intake Team will talk it through with you before anything is booked.
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