Dr. Jennifer Contarino Panning, Evanston Psychologist

Providing therapy for Evanston adolescents and adults.

“I’ve learned through research as well as personal experience that the relationship between client and therapist is essential for change in psychotherapy. I want my clients to feel heard, supported, and challenged! I love it when I hear ‘I never thought of it like that before!’ Sometimes therapy is painful, at other times it is exciting when a breakthrough is made or growth has occurred. I enjoy infusing my work with humor, and when appropriate, a bit of irreverence. Life is hard, but sharing the struggles and growth with a trained professional helps!

“I view psychotherapy as both an art and a science, and as such take an integrative approach based on each client’s needs and personality. Theoretically, I am drawn to contemporary cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) models such as dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), as well as existential psychotherapy and interpersonal process theory. It is an honor to engage in such interesting, fulfilling work with clients trying to make life better for themselves, their loved ones, and their communities.”

Background

Jennifer Contarino Panning, Psy.D., (she/her/hers), Founder, President, and CEO of Mindful Psychology Associates PC, is a mental health leader and innovator with 20 years of clinical experience. She has been an Illinois Licensed Clinical Psychologist for seventeen years. In 2004, Dr. Contarino Panning established her private practice in Evanston after completing her postdoctoral fellowship at Northern Illinois University Counseling and Student Development Center. She expanded her practice in 2015 and now leads a team of psychologists, postdoctoral fellows, and counselors working at Mindful Psychology Associates while also regularly teaching, presenting, and consulting on various psychological topics, such as college student mental health, anxiety, therapist burnout, and stress management. She is available for new opportunities related to consulting, corporate mental wellness, writing, speaking, teaching, presenting, and supervision.

She received her Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) degree in Clinical Psychology from Chicago School of Professional Psychology in 2003. She began developing her college student mental health expertise in 2002 working at Northern Illinois University Counseling and Student Development Center. In 2018, she completed the Radically Open Dialectical Behavior Therapy intensive training, and has been the main facilitator for MPA’s RO-DBT skills training class. In 2021, she graduated from the prestigious Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program. She is a member of PSYPACT and therefore can work with telehealth therapy clients who live in the following states: Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Virginia.

In 2017, Dr. Contarino Panning authored a chapter for the New York Times best-selling book “The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump: 27 Mental Health Experts Assess a President”. Her contribution entitled “Trump Anxiety Disorder” has led to interviews, writing, and speaking engagements related to anxiety and fear amidst the existing sociopolitical climate.

Dr. Contarino Panning’s quotes on topics such as anxiety and sociopolitical stress have been featured in publications, such as New York Times, New York Magazine, Washington Post, healthline.com, vox.com, Politico, Esquire, Thrive Global, Raw Story, and CBC News.

Dr. Contarino Panning tweets at @JenniferPanning and shares musings at https://medium.com/@jpanning. She has been interviewed on podcasts such as Bill Press Podcast, Conversations with a Wounded Healer, and pop culture humorist Jen Kirkman’s upcoming podcast Anxiety Bites.

Dr. Contarino Panning sees clients virtually and in our Evanston office on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.