Our Therapists
Ruth Anderson, PsyD
Dr. Ruth Anderson is a licensed Clinical Psychologist. She specializes in Health Psychology with an emphasis on helping individuals who have experienced major medical events and acute/chronic medical difficulties or changes. These include such issues as stroke, cardiac events, brain injury, vehicular accidents, spinal cord injuries, amputation, chronic/acute pain, diabetes, sleeping issues, etc. She understands how scary such changes and adjustments can be, and is here to help you process and move forward with your life.
She has experience working in a variety of settings, including inpatient physical rehabilitation hospitals, day rehabilitation programs, multidisciplinary clinics, nursing homes, assisted/independent living centers, hospital outpatient clinics, community mental health, psychosocial rehabilitation programs, Autism Resource Centers, and private practice.
Therapy Style: Dr Anderson uses behavioral therapy as the foundation for therapeutic change, supplemented with techniques from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and Functional Analytic Psychotherapy. This approach involves determining the function of the behavior or symptoms in order to better understand the individual and develop treatment plans specific to their needs. She also integrates Person-Centered Therapy (PCT) concepts, such as an empathic attitude and non-judgmental stance to establish an environment that is comfortable for the individual to discuss even the most difficult topics and experiences.
Lucy Renteria is a Licensed Clinical Social worker. She earned her Master of Social Work degree from Aurora University. She works with adolescents and adults. She provides all services in English or Spanish. Lucy has experience working with people from diverse backgrounds who are facing a variety of challenging situations from interpersonal struggles to family strife and separation to social and cultural struggles. She approaches treatment with non-judgmental compassion and seeks to guide her patients to see options and gain skills, wisdom and resilience to move forward. Her work draws from evidence-based treatments that have efficacy supported by research. She looks forward to helping patients and their families live more secure and fulfilling lives.
Lucy Renteria, MSW, LCSW
Cindy Forster, PsyD
Dr. Cindy Forster is a licensed Clinical Psychologist. She has over 35 years experience providing outpatient therapy and providing integrated psychological services in a large area hospital system. She specializes in Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine. With an emphasis on behavioral health using supportive, cognitive-behavioral therapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy, she sees patients with anxiety, stress, depression, chronic pain and fibromyalgia, eating disorders, weight loss, smoking cessation, headaches, marital discord, family discord, issues of aging, grief and loss, the psychological aspects of cancer treatment, coping with medical disorders, and diabetic compliance to name a few. With an empathetic, nonjudgmental style, she focuses on empowerment. Dr. Forster is also a DBT therapist in our Linehan, Board of Certification, Certified DBT Programs. Dr. Forster is trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) by Behavioral Tech, the highest standard for DBT training. Forster is a professional member of the American Psychological Association and the Illinois Psychological Association.
Cari Koss, MS, LCPC
Cari Koss is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor. She is a DBT therapist, an adolescent therapist, and also works with veterans in our veterans and first responders program. She teaches adult DBT classes in our Woodstock office. Cari is trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) by Behavioral Tech, the highest standard for DBT training. She has a wide range of experience working with people struggling with depression, anxiety, anger issues, interpersonal challenges, low self-esteem, trauma, parenting struggles, and grief and loss. We all have the ability to heal, grow, and improve, and that belief drives her work in empowering her clients to do just that.
She has an easy-going, empathetic, and non-judgmental style that facilitates creating the trust and connection with her clients that is vital to the healing process. Cari is devoted to helping her clients acknowledge and develop their inherent potential, and passionate about guiding them in making the changes they want to see in their lives.
Kasey Olson, MSW, LCSW, CADC
Kasey Olson is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She is a DBT therapist, a Certified Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Counselor, and works with people of all ages. Kasey earned her Master of Social Work degree from Loyola University. Her experience is derived from many different areas of social work that include crisis intervention, domestic violence, sexual assault, substance use disorders, child welfare, and psychotherapy. In her practice Kasey enjoys working with all ages focusing on regulation of moods, substance abuse, non-suicidal self-injury, anxiety, depression, and other behavioral and mood disorders. In order to provide effective treatment, Kasey utilizes Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Solutions Focused Approach, CBT, and other evidence based interventions to meet the needs of the patient and their family.
Joseph Ronda, MSW, LCSW
Joseph Ronda (Saturdays) is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). Joe provides individual therapy for children, adolescents and their families as well as individual therapy for young adults. He uses a person-centered/strength based approach that focuses on children and adolescents with emotional, developmental, and behavioral difficulties.
Joe works with clients with various challenges such as anxiety, depression, attention and hyperactivity issues, oppositional/defiant behaviors as well as other behavioral challenges. His comprehensive approach to each therapeutic relationship considers the bio-psycho-social aspects of each individual client’s well-being.
His treatment strategies primarily include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Collaborate Problem Solving (CPS), and building skills for coping in each child's individual environment.
Kelly Vinehout, PsyD, RN, DBT-LBC
Dr. Kelly Vinehout is the Program Coordinator for our offices. She is a licensed Clinical Psychologist and a Registered Nurse. She adds a biological and psychoeducational component to treatment and program development and provides consultation to other therapists when integrating treatment for those who have medical conditions. She has over 30 years of experience in the development and management of treatment programs in diverse settings of inpatient, outpatient, and community mental health facilities.
Dr. Vinehout has expertise in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), in which she has been Advanced Intensively Trained by Behavioral Tech and Marsha Linehan and she is a DBT-Linehan Board of Certification Certified Clinician. Dr. Vinehout coordinates care for those in our DBT program and leads our DBT Consultation Team. She supervises development of treatment programs that meet individual needs. She specializes in therapeutic work with medical professionals, educators, those with chronic medical conditions, adults who had parents with alcohol use (ACOA) or chronic illness, those who have experienced domestic violence, and those who have "quite a few" decades of life experience. Dr. Vinehout is a professional member of the American Psychological Association, the Illinois Psychological Association, and the Society for Clinical Neuropsychology.
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