“Overcoming difficulties leads to courage, self-respect, and knowing yourself.”
~ Alfred Adler
Paul J. Fitzgerald, PsyD, LCPC, NCC, CEAP
Hello!
Welcome to the website for my clinical psychology and counseling practice. I have been working in the mental health field since 1976 and have been a licensed mental health practitioner since 1995, providing employee assistance counseling and general psychotherapy.
NOTICE: January 28, 2022 – My practice is full and I am not available for new client appointments until at least February 28, 2022. Please check back then.
(This is not applicable to DOT SAP evaluations – please contact me if you need a SAP evaluation due to a DOT violation and I will try to get you in as soon as possible).
In the meantime, please feel free to contact either of two of the therapist groups with whom I have previously worked, to see if they can assist you. They are:
Perspectives Counseling and Psychotherapy Center, Downtown Chicago and suburban locations – (866) 296-5262
Centers for Family Change (DuPage County, Oak Lawn, and downtown locations) (630) 586-0900
These two groups have multiple therapists and are taking new clients at this time.
ABOUT ME: Paul J. Fitzgerald, Psy.D.
Confidential Voice Mail Number: (312) 834-3491 (Voice, no text)
- Licensed Clinical Psychologist
- Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor
- Certified Employee Assistance Professional
- Master Addiction Counselor
I am a clinical psychologist, counselor, and psychotherapist with over 20 years experience working with adults, adolescents, children, couples and families. I have worked in the Employee Assistance field as a counselor and clinical director. Prior to my EAP work, I also worked in inpatient psychiatric services and community mental health.
I entered this field because I have long been intrigued by the ways we as human beings see the world, and how our perceptions of ourselves, others, and our world guide our behavior and mood.
I enjoy working with clients from all walks of life, and specialize in working with adults. I have experience working with professionals who are experiencing challenges due to substance use, relationship problems, work stress, and other issues. I have worked with laborers, tradespeople, financial services professionals, physicians, lawyers, university professors, researchers, and attorneys. I have extensive experience assisting individuals with substance use disorders through assessment and referral to treatment, monitoring, follow-up, and relapse prevention.
In my work, I make use of cognitive-behavioral and Adlerian principles to help clients understand and change the self-defeating patterns of thinking, behavior, and communication that may be contributing to their distress. I earned a certificate in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy from Adler School of Professional Psychology.
Both Adlerian and Cognitive-behavioral therapy emphasize encouragement and support, while helping people to be more aware of (and to change) their beliefs and perceptions about themselves, other people, the world, and life circumstances.
I am a faculty member and former Training Director at Adler University’s Chicago campus, where I have taught graduate-level courses in Adlerian psychology, theories of psychotherapy and cousneling, addiction counseling, Adlerian Parenting, the Adlerian Life Style Assessment technique, ethical issues, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and research methods. I have taught courses in Sport and Performance Psychology using Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy. I have taught and supervised graduate students in counseling and clinical psychology programs. Adler University (formerly Adler School of Professional Psychology) is where I received my Master’s and doctoral degrees.
COVID-19 ANNOUNCEMENT:
PLEASE NOTE:
I will be scheduling sessions with patients ONLY using tele-health services until the COVID-19 spread has been better contained in Du Page County, or until May 1, 2022 (whichever is later). Please check back periodically to see if this has changed.
I provide tele-health using the Simple Practice app which is secure, private, and HIPAA-compliant. Please click the “Tele-health Services” link in the site menu for more information and my consent to use tele-health services.
Optum’s Virtual Visits self-scheduling function will generally not be available for me, due to the difficulty of trying to maintain duplicate schedules in their platform and my own schedule. Please call or e-mail to ask about available tele-health appointments.
I have one physical office, in Hinsdale, on the Cook-DuPage County line. When the office is safe to re-open, I will be available Fridays and Saturday mornings). I no longer have a physical office in downtown Chicago.
Professional affiliations and activities:
- Certificate in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Adler University
- Certified Employee Assistance Professional (Employee Assistance Credentialing Commission)
- Master Addiction Counselor (NAADAC, The Certification Organization for Addiction Professionals)
- National Certified Counselor (National Board of Certified Counselors).
- Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (Illinois)
- Licensed Clinical Psychologist (Illinois)
- President, 2018-2020, Northern Illinois Chapter, Employee Assistance Professionals Association
- Commissioner, 2017-2020, Employee Assistance Credentialing Commission
- Memberships:
- American Counseling Association
- Association of Counselor Educators and Supervisors
- American Psychological Association
- Employee Assistance Professionals Association
- National Board of Certified Counselors
- NAADAC – The Certification Agency for Addiction Professionals
- Illinois Counseling Association
- Illinois Mental Health Counselors Association
- North American Society of Adlerian Psychology
- American Association of University Professors
Once you have scheduled an appointment with me, I will direct you to fill out some intake forms either on this page or in SimplePractice. Please wait until you receive the link(s) to do so.
This website is also my blog, where I regularly post entries for viewing by anyone who has an interest in counseling, psychotherapy, or mental health. You can access these entries by clicking on any of the categories or monthly archives lists (at the bottom of the page), or by simply clicking the “Blog” link in the main menu to view all recent entries. You can use the buttons on each blog page to share, save or print these articles if you wish. You can also leave comments on each post page.
Master Addiction Counselor – NAADAC, The Association for Addiction Professionals
Employee Assistance Professionals Association