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The Pediatric Stress and Anxiety Disorders Clinic (PSADC) specializes in early identification, comprehensive evaluation, and evidence-based treatment of anxiety disorders in diverse youth from age 4 years through older adolescents. The PSADC has a multidisciplinary team that includes Liza Suarez, PhD (Clinic Director and Clinician), Kelley Volpe, M.D. (Medical Director and Clinician) and multidisciplinary trainees including child psychiatry fellows, psychology interns and externs, social work interns, and medical students. The PSADC team strives to work with families to create an individualized treatment program tailored to each patient and their symptoms. Individualized treatment programming may include cognitive behavioral therapy, parent guidance, family therapy, coordination with schools for school-based interventions, and medication management. Treatment provided is on an outpatient basis.
Clinicians and researchers work collaboratively in the PSADC to understand risk and protective factors in diverse youth with anxiety disorders, facilitate transportability of evidence-based practices for anxiety to the school and community, and explore neurobiological correlates of childhood anxiety. Anxiety disorders treated include: Separation Anxiety Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Social Phobia, Selective Mutism, Specific Phobias, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Panic Disorder, and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Anxiety-related school refusal/school phobia behavior, and adjustment to a variety of stresses or traumas. More specialized assessment and treatment expertise includes Selective Mutism, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and Trauma along with its comorbidity with Substance Abuse.
PSADC is also accepting referrals for enrollment in a treatment program for teens aged 13-17 who have experienced trauma and are using drugs or alcohol.
A detailed history of the concerning symptoms, medical and family history, and semi-structured anxiety disorder based interview will be conducted by our multidisciplinary team.
The treatment plan is developed collaboratively with the family considering the anxiety based diagnosis, comorbid conditions, and individual child and family needs.
Education for care-givers to manage difficult behaviors and learn new ways to support their child’s needs.
Cognitive behavioral therapy is the first line treatment for most anxiety disorders in children. Evidence-informed therapeutic approaches are tailored to the child’s individual needs and might include:
Collaborating with schools as necessary to identify needs for accommodations and advocate for school based interventions
Many children with anxiety disorders benefit from the addition of evidence based management of medication to their treatment.
Dr. Suarez’ interests focus on adolescent traumatic stress and substance abuse, treatment for anxiety disorders among urban youth, and empowering communities to address community violence and its impact on youth and families. Dr. Suarez has developed and is currently evaluating and disseminating an integrated intervention targeting traumatic stress and substance abuse problems in adolescents.
Dr. Volpe is the Medical Director of the Pediatric Stress and Anxiety Disorder Clinic. She is also the Program Director of the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship. Dr. Volpe is interested in the diagnosis and treatment of anxiety disorders, particularly selective mutism, OCD, and posttraumatic stress disorder. She focuses on implementing evidence-based treatments for these and other anxiety disorders. In addition, she is interested in collaborating with primary care providers to disseminate high quality mental health care to in need populations with less access to child psychiatrists. She works with the Illinois DocAssist program providing education and consultation to pediatric primary care providers as well as teaching trainees within the hospital and college of medicine.
Amanda Myers is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. In 2016, she received her master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Illinois Chicago’s Jane Addams College of Social Work (JACSW). In addition, Ms. Myers received a certificate from the Integrated Evidence-Based Behavioral Health Care Training program while at JACSW, which focuses on practical skill development of evidence-based therapy techniques for individuals aged 5-15 years old.
Roberto Lopez-Tamayo, PhD., is a licensed clinical psychologist in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the program evaluator of the Urban Youth Trauma Center (UYTC). Dr. Lopez-Tamayo serves as instructor of clinical psychiatry, coordinates program evaluation efforts, including data collection, tracking, and management, for grant reporting and scholarly project activities. Dr. Lopez-Tamayo also participates in adapting program materials to address the needs of urban ethnic minority youth, religious minorities, and immigrant populations. Dr. Lopez-Tamayo obtained a B.A. in Philosophy from Universidad del Valle de Atemajac in his hometown Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, an M.A. in Clinical Counseling from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, and a Ph.D. in Clinical-Community Psychology from DePaul University. His broad interests are diversity, cultural adaptation, acculturation, anxiety, trauma/PTSD, and substance abuse prevention. Dr. Lopez-Tamayo is interested in developing, implementing, and evaluating parent-based prevention/intervention programs to promote resilience and adaptive coping for low-income urban minority children and their families.
If interested, please visit Urban Youth Trauma Center (UYTC)
Call today to speak with one of our intake coordinators. 312.996.7723
