Community Spotlights
Amanda Aguilera
is from the Southeast side of Chicago, and is currently a distance master’s student at ICSW. Amanda chose ICSW because she was intrigued with the psychodynamic approach that is offered and wanted to expand she knowledge within that framework.
Megan Antosh
“I am incredibly passionate about my research and applying it to social policy and I am passionate about my work as a psychodynamic therapist.”
Stephanie Simpson
utilizes a psychodynamic approach to therapy, focusing on the psychological roots of emotional suffering. Her hallmarks are self-reflection and self-examination and the relationship between therapist and patient as a window into problematic relationship patterns in the patient’s life.
STUDENTS
Andrew Petersen
completed his MSW in 2013 and is currently a full-time distance PhD student at ICSW.
Upon graduating, Andrew’s first position in Northern New York was providing attachment-focused psychotherapy to children within the foster care system.
Kyle Steinke
“I would recommend ICSW for the small cohort sizes, access to clinician-instructors, and to establish connections and network with the Chicago psychodynamic community.”
ALUMNI
Nicole Saltzman, PhD
“My psychodynamic training provided a depth to my work with clients that I was missing before. Psychodynamic frameworks assist me with understanding the underlying deficits and the conscious and unconscious motivations of my clients.”
Kristen Kaufman, LCPC, MA
“I have been influenced by the psychodynamic approach at ICSW both personally and professionally. I completed ICSW’s master’s program in 2015 and I am currently enrolled in the doctoral program with ABD status. I have learned a great deal through course work, consultation, and the members of both cohorts, Masters and Doctoral. The education offered at ICSW provides a deeper understanding of the complex dynamics that are alive within each of us.”
Anokye Hannah, PhD
is the Executive Director of Casa Esperanza Project, a transitional housing opportunity for homeless women and children on the South Side of Chicago. Working with clients opened her eyes to the multi-faceted hurdles that homeless women and their children face daily and felt there was much to do with clients than just focusing on their barriers.
FACULTY
Joan Berzoff, MSW, LICSW, Ed.D
graduated from Smith College School for Social Work in 1974 with a Masters in Clinical Social Work and from Boston University in 1985 with a doctorate in Human Development. Joan lived and worked in Northampton, Mass, where she served as a faculty member of the Smith College School for Social Work for 37 years.
There, she co-chaired the Doctoral Program, chaired the Human Behavior in the Social Environment Sequence, and developed and ran the End-of-Life Certificate Program. While at Smith, Joan lectured nationally and internationally including in Bulgaria, Hong Kong, Sweden, England, and Canada, plus was very honored to receive a Social Work Leadership Award from the Project on Death in America and the writing award from The American Association of Psychoanalytic Clinical Social Work.