Business Details
Psychotherapy & Collaborative Divorce Services in Skokie, IL
Palen John M PHD is a licensed clinical social worker and psychotherapist with extensive experience supporting individuals and families navigating complex emotional and relational challenges. Holding a doctorate from the University of Chicago, I have dedicated my career to helping clients overcome anxiety, depression, and life transitions, with a specialized focus on families experiencing divorce. My practice integrates psychodynamic, cognitive, and behavioral approaches to address issues such as child-parent relationship breakdowns, co-parenting conflicts, and identity exploration. I serve as a Collaborative Law Coach and Child Specialist, prioritizing child-centered parenting plans that minimize the emotional toll of divorce.My work with men confronting fatherhood, career changes, or sexual identity concerns emphasizes authenticity and resilience. With over two decades of clinical expertise, I partner with clients to foster self-awareness, heal from loss, and build healthier relationships. My practice combines deep expertise in family systems with a commitment to timely, compassionate care, collaborating with educators and medical professionals to support children and adolescents struggling with self-esteem, anxiety, and behavioral challenges.
Services
Collaborative Divorce
Child Focused Mediation
Co-Parenting Counseling
Child Custody Consultation
Individual Adult Therapy
Child/Adolescent Therapy
Mens Therapy
Parent-Child Therapy
Anxiety Treatment
Life Transition Counseling
Highlights and features
- Specialize in collaborative divorce and child-focused mediation
- Integrate psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioral therapeutic approaches
- Provide timely responses to parental concerns about children
- Work with men navigating fatherhood and identity transitions
- 20+ years of experience in family systems therapy
Services
Collaborative Divorce
Collaborative Divorce services help couples avoid court battles through team-based problem solving. Our approach preserves co-parenting relationships while creating child-centered parenting plans tailored to family needs. Specially trained professionals guide negotiations to protect children from marital conflict.
Child Focused Mediation
Child Focused Mediation develops customized custody arrangements that prioritize children's emotional well-being. As a neutral Child Specialist, I advocate for children's voices during divorce proceedings while helping parents create sustainable post-divorce parenting agreements that adapt to evolving family dynamics.
Co-Parenting Counseling
Co-Parenting Counseling improves communication between separated parents to reduce conflict and enhance decision-making. Sessions address transition challenges while building constructive frameworks for discussing children's needs, school matters, and healthcare requirements through ongoing family changes.
Child/Adolescent Therapy
Child/Adolescent Therapy addresses anxiety, low self-esteem, and identity issues through age-appropriate interventions. Combining play and talk therapy, sessions help young clients navigate divorce impacts, social challenges, and behavioral difficulties while collaborating with schools and pediatricians for comprehensive support.
Mens Therapy
Mens Therapy focuses on authenticity and emotional growth during life transitions. Specialized sessions address fatherhood challenges, career changes, grief, and sexual identity exploration through a strengths-based approach that builds resilience and improves relationship patterns.
People
John M Palen
Psychotherapist
Dr. John Palen is a licensed clinical social worker with 20+ years of experience in family therapy. He specializes in divorce mediation, child advocacy, and men's mental health, combining psychodynamic and behavioral approaches to support clients through complex emotional transitions.
Questions
What is Collaborative Divorce?
Collaborative Divorce is a structured process using trained professionals to resolve disputes outside court. We create child-centered parenting plans while maintaining respectful co-parenting relationships through team-based problem solving.
Do you accept insurance?
I do not participate in insurance networks. However, PPO policyholders may receive partial reimbursement using provided statements. Divorce mediation services are not insurance-covered.
What age groups do you work with?
Services span from childhood through adulthood. Specialized approaches address toddler behavioral issues, adolescent identity struggles, and adult life transitions including divorce and career changes.
How do you involve children in divorce proceedings?
As a Child Specialist, I provide children a safe space to express concerns. I then convey their needs to parents and attorneys, ensuring their voices inform custody arrangements and parenting plans.
What mental health issues do you treat?
Treatment addresses anxiety, depression, self-doubt, relationship conflicts, and identity exploration. Specialized interventions help clients navigate grief, divorce impacts, and challenging life transitions with evidence-based techniques.
