Core Faculty
Marcia Adler, A.M.
Dean of Students
Marcia Adler is a graduate of the University of Chicago, School of Social Service Administration; the Post Graduate Clinical Social Work Fellow Program in Clinical Social Work, Department of Psychiatry, Michael Reese Hospital and Medical Center; and of the Child and Adolescent Psychoanalytic Training Program (CAPT), Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis. She is an instructor with the Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy Training Program and on the faculty of the Human Development and Learning Program at the Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis. In addition, she serves as associate editor of the Association of Child Psychotherapists Bulletin and has a private practice of consultation and psychotherapy.
Barbara Berger, Ph.D.
Dean of Admissions
Barbara Berger is a graduate of the Institute for Clinical Social Work, and received her A.M. from the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago. She is adjunct professor at Loyola University of Chicago, School of Social Work; a board member of the National Federation of Societies for Clinical Social Work; president of the National Committee on Psychoanalysis; and has a private practice of psychotherapy and consultation. She is a distinguished practitioner of the National Academies of Practice in Social Work.
Joseph M. Cronin, M.S.W.
Chair, Clinical Sequence
Joseph M. Cronin graduated from Smith College in 1981 and from the Post Graduate Clinical Social Work Fellow Program of the Institute for Psychosomatic and Psychiatric Research and Training, Michael Reese Hospital, in 1983. He is currently an advanced analytic candidate at the Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis and is in private practice.
Sherwood Faigen, M.A.
Chair, Clinical Practicum
Sherwood Faigen is a graduate of the University of Chicago, School of Social Service Administration, and the Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy Program at the Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis. He was the clinical director of Fillmore Center for Human Services, and has been affiliated with the Abraham Lincoln School of Medicine at the University of Illinois, Foster McGaw Graduate School of National Lewis University, Smith College of Social Work, and Loyola University of Chicago School of Social Work. He is a frequent lecturer on psychodynamically oriented adult and child psychotherapy and has published numerous book reviews.
Robert Mardirossian, Ph.D.
Chair, Recruitment Advisory Committee
Robert Mardirossian received his Ph.D. from the Institute for Clinical Social Work and is a graduate of the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration. Dr. Mardirossian is executive director of Family Service of Winnetka-Northfield, teaches at Loyola University of Chicago School of Social Work, and has a private practice in Chicago.
Miriam Reitz, Ph.D.
Chair, Faculty Advisory Committee
Miriam Reitz graduated from the University of Chicago, School of Social Service Administration and the Family Institute of Chicago, where she is also on the faculty. She is an AAMFT Approved Supervisor, providing supervision and consultation to advanced clinicians. Dr. Reitz has published articles on therapist training, family dynamics, and adoption. She is the co-author of Adoption and the Family System: Strategies for Treatment, published by Guilford Press in 1992. Since 1991, she has independently practiced therapy focused on family and personal relationships, specializing in families touched by adoption.
Daniel Rosenfeld, M.A.
Chair, Institutional Review Board
Daniel Rosenfeld received his degree from the University of Chicago, School of Social Service Administration, and is a graduate of the Child Therapy Program at the Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis. He is the former president of the Illinois Society for Clinical Social Work and the former chair of the Committee on Standards and Practice. His areas of interest and writing include ethics and childhood and adolescent clinical issues. He has a private practice of psychotherapy and consultation.
Erika Schmidt, M.A.
Coordinator of Child & Adolescent Specialization
Erika Schmidt is a graduate of the Simmons College School of Social Work and the Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy Program at the Institute for Psychoanalysis in Chicago. She also holds an M.A. in humanities from the University of Chicago and is a psychoanalytic candidate at the Institute of Psychoanalysis in Chicago. She has worked in a variety of settings, including child welfare, public schools, and child psychiatry. Today she is a clinical social worker at the University of Chicago Student Counseling and Resource Service, and in private practice. She has published in the area of child therapy and is currently associate editor of the Child & Adolescent Social Work Journal.
R. Dennis Shelby, Ph.D.
Director of Doctoral Programs
R. Dennis Shelby graduated from the Institute for Clinical Social Work; Loyola University of Chicago, School of Social Work; Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis; and the Northwest Indiana Law Enforcement Training Cooperative. He was a clinical research fellow at the Institute following his graduation. He is on the editorial boards of several journals and has presented and published in the areas of the psychological impact of HIV, qualitative research, psychotherapy, psychoanalysis, and law enforcement. He is in private practice and is a distinguished practitioner of the National Academies of Practice in Social Work.
Phillus Sheppard, Ph.D.
Chair, Conceptual Foundation Sequence
Phillus Sheppard received her Ph.D. from Chicago Theological Seminary. She is a graduate of the Center for Religion and Psychotherapy and an advanced candidate at the Institute for Psychoanalysis of Chicago.
Marilyn W. Silin, M.A.
Chair, Student Affairs
Marilyn W. Silin received her degree from the University of Chicago and graduated from the Child Care Course of the Institute for Psychoanalysis in Chicago. She is in private practice providing therapy to children, adults, and couples. She is also a consultant for social agencies and schools. She has presented and published papers in the field of child therapy, residential treatment, and the learning alliances of student and teacher.
Jennifer Tolleson, Ph.D.
Jennifer Tolleson received her doctorate from Smith College. Her dissertation was entitled, The Transformative Power of Violence: The Psychological Role of Gang Life in Relation to Chronic Traumatic Stress in the Lives of Black Urban Males. She is the director of the Community House Counseling Department in Hinsdale, Ill., and maintains a private practice in Chicago. She presents, writes, and teaches primarily in the area of clinical process and psychoanalytic theory.