Proactive Therapy is thrilled to announce that Jancey Wickstrom has joined Proactive as its Executive Director.
Jancey Wickstrom, AM, LCSW has been a full-time Instructional Professor at University of Chicago’s Crown Family School since 2018 teaching Masters students foundational therapy skills as well as some of the newest forms of evidence-based therapy.
“Jancey has been an important asset for many years. We are indebted to her for her talents in deepening the instructional training in our core and clinical courses” said University of Chicago Crown Family School Dean of Curriculum Policy, Colleen Grogan, in an email statement.
Prior to her time at UChicago, she held leadership positions in treatment centers throughout the Midwest. Most recently, she opened and directed the Renfrew Center for Chicagoland– a leading provider of eating disorder treatment across the United States.
“We are so fortunate to welcome a leader with Jancey’s tremendous expertise in the mental health field, years of experience teaching and training therapists, and strong track record of promoting social justice and expanded access to mental health care,” said Proactive Founder and Managing Director Tory Krone. “As our executive director, her leadership will be incredibly valuable to our team of clinicians and the clients we serve as well as to our broader community.”
“I have deep respect for the people and work being done at Proactive. I’ve known Tory for over a decade and I’m excited to be working with her again” said Wickstrom, “I am thrilled about the opportunity to join Proactive in this leadership role to support the already excellent team of therapists in enhancing their skills and helping the practice stay cutting edge in terms of our approach to therapy. I’m also passionate about connecting with other therapists, treatment centers and medical providers in the larger community, so that we can continue to strengthen our community’s understanding, recognition and treatment of mental health issues.”
As a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist, Wickstrom has been a leader in the treatment of eating disorders for over 15 years. In addition to working with individual clients at Proactive, she hopes to lend her eating disorder expertise to helping physicians identify eating disorders more quickly and effectively, working with families with a loved one with an eating disorder, speaking about eating disorders at local universities, and training other practitioners in the treatment of eating disorders.
Wickstrom has served in many leadership roles including as the Director of Clinical Training at Timberline Knolls. She is a sought-after speaker on clinical theory and contemporary issues in treatment and has provided training both nationally and internationally. . One of Wickstrom’s therapy passions and expertise is in the use of the Unified Protocol (UP), a form of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for people with anxiety disorders, depression and related disorders. The UP combines elements such as mindfulness, cognitive therapy, and behavioral therapy. Wickstrom hopes to build a greater Unified Protocol presence in Chicago – starting with the clinicians at Proactive.
Wickstrom believes social workers have a unique role in addressing social justice issues. She has benefitted from her time at University of Chicago, working and learning with experts in the field on how to create a more just world for all people. She’s excited to build on these efforts with fellow clinicians and clients who are seeking similar liberatory changes in our world.