Dr. Karen Lynn Cassiday, PhD, ACT

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Get to know Psychologist Dr. Karen Lynn Cassiday, who serves patients in Illinois.

Dr. Cassiday is nationally recognized as an expert clinical psychologist in the diagnosis and treatment of anxiety disorders in children, teens, and adults. 

She is the Managing Director & Owner of The Anxiety Treatment Center of Greater Chicago with offices in Deerfield, Oakbrook, and Chicago. As such, she empowers patients to overcome their struggles with anxiety, compulsions, phobias, social anxiety, worry, and depression.

Approaching each patient with enthusiasm, persistence, and a keen sense of humor, Dr. Cassiday crafts individualized, research-based treatment plans for each person. Her goal is to make each patient an expert at managing their own anxiety, so that they can face any future event with confidence and courage. She loves being able to laugh and celebrate along with patients as they overcome their most difficult situations.

Often sought out to treat the most challenging patients who have not had success in other treatment environments, Dr. Cassiday is particularly skilled at working with complicated cases of anxiety disorders, young children, selective mutism, OCD, and school refusal.

Also specializing in working with parents, her experience as a special needs parent gives her a unique insider’s perspective. She understands the challenges of balancing work, family, and a child’s complex needs.

Throughout her academic career, Dr. Cassiday received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Wheaton College in 1982. She then went on to earn her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science in 1990. 

Nationally recognized as an expert in the diagnosis and treatment of anxiety disorders in children, teens and adults, she has conducted extensive research into anxiety and is widely published. 

On a mission to help others, Dr. Cassiday is the past president of the prestigious Anxiety and Depression Association of America. a Founding Fellow of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy, and served on the Board of Beyond OCD Chicago. She also serves on the faculty of the International Obsessive Compulsive Foundation Behavior Therapy Institute and at the Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science.  

Psychology is the science of behavior and mind. It includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, as well as feeling and thought. It is an academic discipline of immense scope. Psychologists assess, diagnose, and treat the psychological problems and behavioral dysfunctions resulting from, or related to, physical and mental health. In addition, they play a major role in the promotion of healthy behavior, preventing diseases and improving patients’ quality of life.

A sought after national speaker on television, radio and at professional training seminars, Dr. Cassiday has appeared as an expert consultant on Animal Hoarders on TNT and on NBC’s Today Show. Her expertise has been tapped through commentary in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Chicago Tribune, and numerous other publications.

A brilliant author, she has published two books: The No Worries Guide to Raising Your Anxious Child: A Handbook to Help You and Your Anxious Child Thrive & Freedom from Health Anxiety:  Understand and Overcome Obsessive Worry about Your Health or Someone Else’s and Find Peace of Mind.

A mother of five, Dr. Cassiday credits her blended family with fine-tuning her sense of humor and humility. She loves to spend her spare time volunteering in her church and hanging out with friends. Regardless of how busy she is, she cannot pass up a good book or great chocolate.

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