Dr. Caroline Adelman, PhD

Dr. Adelman completed her PhD in Clinical Psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She completed her pre-doctoral and post-doctoral fellowships at the Child Study Center at Yale University.

Prior to establishing Chicago Psychotherapy, Dr. Adelman worked as a staff therapist and Co-Director of the Child and Adolescent Anxiety Clinic at The Family Institute at Northwestern University. Dr. Adelman served on the clinical teaching faculty at Northwestern University from 2013-2022. She was previously an Assistant Clinical Professor within The Center for Applied Psychological and Family Studies at Northwestern, and most recently served as adjunct teaching faculty within the Counseling Program at The Family Institute. In addition, Dr. Adelman served until August 2019 as the Director of Student Wellness and Support Services at a private Montessori School in Chicago. She continues to consult regularly with a range of local schools on topics related to student wellness and faculty wellness.

Dr. Adelman specializes in the treatment of Anxiety Disorders, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Mood Disorders, Trauma, and Adjustment Disorders across the lifespan. In addition to supporting children and families, Dr. Adelman has a special interest in supporting high-functioning professionals through times of identity transition and heightened stress (e.g., job changes, retirement, transition to parenthood, etc.). Her work integrates a range of empirically supported treatments, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Exposure and Response Prevention, Trauma-Focused CBT, Psychological First Aid for Children and Families, Cognitive Behavioral Couples Therapy, Family Systems Therapy and Parent Management Training. Using a culturally responsive and evidence-based approach, Dr. Adelman treats children, adolescents and adults in individual, couples, family and group therapy formats. Her clinical style combines gold-standard practices from the field of Psychology with warmth, humor, and authenticity in her relationships with clients.

Dr. Adelman also offers a variety of educational workshops for parents, with a particular focus on supporting parents of anxious children. She offers workshops and trainings to school districts and other mental health professionals, and is available for specialized case consultation with schools and mental health professionals.

Dr. Adelman has published book chapters and journal articles across a range of clinical topics, including anxiety disorders, childhood OCD, depression, non-suicidal self-injury, peer relationships among youth, couple-based interventions for psychopathology, and social construction. She has presented her research regularly at national conferences and has conducted multiple clinical trainings on the topic of treating childhood OCD and anxiety disorders.

Dr. Adelman has served, both nationally and internationally, as a public speaker and consultant for over fifteen years. Her work in this domain focuses on bringing evidence-based wellness strategies and healthy communication practices into the contexts in which people live, learn and work. In this capacity, she has worked with schools, entrepreneurs, law firms, hospitals, higher-education settings, non-profits, and social service organizations. Dr. Adelman delivered a TEDx talk in 2020, focused on the topic of Resilience in Times of Uncertainty, and continues to speak regularly with organizations about evidence-based strategies for increasing personal and institutional resilience. Dr. Adelman is also the co-developer of “Frameworks for Change,” a program aimed at helping organizations and communities work towards making values-aligned changes. She has completed intensive coaching training via the Coaching and Positive Psychology (CAPP) Institute, and is also a member of the Institute of Coaching (IOC), where she stays connected to evidence-based practices for fostering effective, human-centered leadership practices in the 21st century.

Selected Publications
Articles in Refereed Journals

Adelman, C. B., Panza, K. E., Bartley, C. A., Bontempo, A., & Bloch, M. H. (2014). A meta-analysis of computerized cognitive-behavioral therapy for the treatment of DSM-5 anxiety disorders. The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 75(7), pp. 695-704.

Baucom, D.H., Belus, J., Adelman, C.B., Fischer, M.S., & Paprocki, C. (2014). Couple-based interventions for psychopathology: a renewed direction for the field. Family Process.

Calhoun, C.D., Franklin, J.C., Adelman, C.B., Guerry, J.D., Hastings, P.D., Nock, M.K., & Prinstein, M.J. (2012). Biological and cognitive responses to an in vivo interpersonal stressor: Longitudinal associations with adolescent depression. International Journal of Cognitive Therapy.,Vol. 5, Special Section, pp. 283-299.

Adelman, C. B., & Lebowitz, E. R. (2012). Poor insight in pediatric obsessive compulsive disorder: Developmental considerations, treatment implications, and potential strategies for improving insight. Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders, 1(2), 119-124.

Conway, C.C., Rancourt, D., Adelman, C.B., Burk, W.J., & Prinstein, M.J. (2011). Depression socialization within friendship groups at the transition to adolescence: The roles of gender and group centrality as moderators of peer influence. Journal of Abnormal Psychology,120(4):857-67.

Teunissen, H., Adelman, C.B., Prinstein, M.J., Spijkerman, R., Poelen, E.A., Engels, R.C., & Scholte, R.H. (2011). The interaction between pubertal timing and peer popularity for boys and girls: An integration of biological and interpersonal perspectives on adolescent depression. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 39, 413-423.

Chapters

Prinstein, M. J., Rancourt, D., Adelman, C. B., Ahlich, E., Smith, J., & Guerry, J. D. (2018). Peer status and psychopathology. In W. M. Bukowski, B. Laursen, & K. H. Rubin (Eds.), Handbook of peer interactions, relationships, and groups (pp. 617-636). New York, NY, US: The Guilford Press.

Browne, B.W. & Adelman, C.B. (2014). How do we Make Room for All? The Power of Context in Shaping Action. In Larsen, A.K., Sewpaul, V., & Hole, G.O. (Eds.), Participation in Community Work: International Perspectives (pp. 120-132). Oxford, UK: Routledge Books.

Browne, C. B., Prinstein, M. J., & Heilbron, N. (2010) Peer status. In I. B. Weiner & W. E. Craighead (Eds.), Corsini encyclopedia of psychology (4th ed., pp. 1181-1183). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

Prinstein, M.J., Rancourt, D., Guerry, J.D., & Browne, C.B. (2009). Peer reputations and psychological adjustment. In Rubin, K.H., Bukowski, W., & Laursen, B. (Ed.), Handbook of Peer Interactions, Relationships, and Groups (pp. 548-567). New York: Guilford.

Prinstein, M. J., Guerry, J. D., Browne, C. B., & Rancourt, D. (2009). Interpersonal models of nonsuicidal self-injury. In M. K. Nock (Ed.), Understanding Nonsuicidal Self-Injury: Origins, Assessment, and Treatment (pp. 79-98). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Prinstein, M.J., Heilbron, N., Browne, C.B., Guerry, J.D., & Franklin, J.C. (2009) Peer relations. In Ingram, R.E. (Ed.), The International Encyclopedia of Depression (pp. 422-423). New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.