Adolescent Behavioral Health Program

Make an Appointment

To learn more about our General Outpatient Services or to request an appointment, contact 1.800.543.7362 (1.800.KIDS DOC) or visit our Appointments page for more information.

To learn more about our Gender Development Program, contact Program Coordinator, Gabe Edwards, LCSW, at 312.227.8875.

Our Specialists

Pictured (from left): David Javier Thompson, MA, AM, LCSW; Claire Coyne, PhD; Diane Chen, PhD

Diane Chen, PhD | Behavioral Health Director (she/her)
Diane Chen, PhD, is the Behavioral Health Director in The Potocsnak Family Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and Pediatrics, at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. She directs behavioral health services within the Gender & Sex Development Program and provides clinical care in the multidisciplinary clinics for transgender and gender expansive youth and for youth with differences in sex development. Dr. Chen maintains an active research program examining health risk behaviors, mental health functioning, and medical decision-making among gender- and sex-diverse children, adolescents, and young adults. Dr. Chen received her PhD (2012) and MA (2008) from Temple University, her BA (2004) from the University of Michigan, and completed her pre-doctoral internship (2012) and post-doctoral fellowship (2013) in clinical child and pediatric psychology at Lurie Children’s.

Claire Coyne, PhD | Pediatric Psychologist (she/her)
Claire Coyne, PhD, is a pediatric psychologist in the The Potocsnak Family Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine and an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. Her clinical training and work has focused broadly on providing evidence-based treatment for at-risk youth and their families, including youth exposed to childhood trauma and gender-nonconforming and transgender youth. Dr. Coyne works with patients and families through the Lurie Children’s Gender and Sex Development Program (GSDP), a multidisciplinary team designed to support the physical and psychosocial health of children and adolescents throughout gender identity development. She is also a member of the Lurie Children’s Trauma Team and provides trauma-related outpatient services to children and adolescents referred to the hospital due to exposure to traumatic violence, abuse, or neglect. Dr. Coyne received a PhD from the Clinical Science Program in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Indiana University in 2015 and BA from the University of Chicago in 2004. She completed her pre-doctoral internship (2014) and post-doctoral fellowship (2015) at Lurie Children’s.

Aron Janssen, MD | Vice Chair, Pritzker Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health (he/him)
Aron Janssen, MD, is a clinical Associate Professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and the Vice Chair of Clinical Affairs in Lurie Children’s Pritzker Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health. Prior to joining Northwestern, Dr. Janssen was on faculty at the New York University Child Study Center, where he was the founder and director of the Gender and Sexuality Service and the co-director of the NYU Consultation-Liaison Service. His time there was defined by his innovative program development and delivery and community advocacy. He received his undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Colorado, and his general psychiatry residency and child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship at NYU. Dr. Janssen is an expert in transgender mental health across the lifespan, and his primary clinical and research interests have focused on understanding co-occurring mental health disorders among transgender and gender diverse youth. Dr. Janssen’s work has been widely published, and he has had the privilege to present locally, nationally and internationally on his work. He is an associate editor of the journal Transgender Health, and sits on several international workgroups that are setting the standards of care for the World Professional Association of Transgender Health. He is a member of the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Issue Committee for the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and on the advisory board for the Trevor Project. His most recent book is Affirmative Mental Health Care for Transgender and Gender Diverse Youth.

Paige Ryan, MSW, LCSW | Psychiatric Social Worker (she/her/hers)
Paige Ryan, MSW, LCSW, is a psychiatric social worker in The Potocsnak Family Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine. Paige is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) who earned her Master’s Degree in Social Work (MSW) at the University of Southern California (2014) and her Bachelor’s Degree (BA) in Psychology at Northern Illinois University (2011). Paige provides direct clinical services to patients and families within the Lurie Children’s Gender and Sex Development Program, a multidisciplinary team designed to support the physical and psychosocial health of children, adolescents, and young adults who are gender diverse. Prior to providing services at Lurie Children’s, Paige was an outpatient mental health therapist working with youth and their families in the Rockford area through Rosecrance Health Network. She has also provided outpatient crisis stabilization services to youth as a SASS Crisis Therapist, and she has provided addiction treatment in residential and outpatient settings. In her clinical work, Paige has utilized various therapeutic approaches, including harm reduction, Motivation Interviewing (MI), Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) approaches.

Jon Poquiz, PhD | Psychology Fellow (he/him)
Jon Poquiz, PhD, is a psychology fellow in The Potocsnak Family Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine. His clinical training focused on providing evidence-based treatment and assessment for children and adolescents presenting with developmental, emotional, and behavioral difficulties. He is receiving specialized clinical training providing clinical care for transgender and gender diverse youth as well as for youth with differences in sex development through Lurie Children’s Gender & Sex Development Program. Dr. Poquiz is also engaged in research that broadly focuses on contextual factors associated with mental health and risk behaviors among gender and sexually diverse youth. Dr. Poquiz received his PhD (2019) and MA (2015) in clinical child psychology from the University of Kansas, and completed his doctoral internship (2019) in clinical child psychology at Children’s Mercy Kansas City. He also received a graduate certificate in LGBT Health Policy and Practice (2018) from George Washington University.

Lindsey Eilers, LCSW, CADC | Psychiatric Social Worker (she/her)
Lindsey Eilers, LCSW, CADC, completed her clinical social work internship between 2011 and 2012 at Community Counseling Centers of Chicago, Recovery Point working with substance use in the outpatient program. Since then Lindsey worked at The Kenneth Young Center, in Schaumburg, as the Mental Illness Substance Abuse therapist for adolescents and young adults. After that she moved into private practice in Oak Brook, working with a variety of mental health and substance use issues in varying populations. She also worked at Provident Hospital as the LCSW in the HIV and AIDS program, providing mental health services. Lindsey received her AM from the University of Chicago, SSA, with a concentration in Alcohol & Other Drug Addictions. She became a Certified Alcohol & Drug Counselor in September of 2014. Her clinical interests include providing substance use services to individuals and their families as well as providing behavioral healthcare. In addition, she enjoys helping other clinicians build their capacity to provide evidence-based care, knowledge and support to the substance use field.

Faith Summersett Williams, PhD | Psychologist, Center for Childhood Resilience and Substance Use Prevention Program (she/her)
Faith Summersett Williams, PhD is a psychologist in The Potocsnak Family Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine at Lurie Children's. As a clinical-scientist, trauma has been the unifying construct in her clinical work and research. With over 10 years of experience working with racialized groups from historically oppressed communities, Dr. Summersett Williams' academic and clinical interests are focused on the development and translation of culturally appropriate, evidence-based, and healing-focused mental health assessments and interventions for pediatric healthcare systems. Dr. Summersett Williams works with patients and families through the Substance Use & Prevention Program (SUPP), a multidisciplinary team providing assessment, early intervention, and outpatient services for children, adolescents, and young adults who use substances. Dr. Summersett Williams is also a member of the Trauma Treatment Service and provides trauma-informed treatment to adolescents with histories of trauma exposure. Her professional goal is to develop a research career focused on identifying mechanisms that prevent the onset of pervasive and detrimental risk behaviors, including substance use and sexual risk behaviors, among adolescents and young adults who have histories of trauma and violence exposure. Her hope is that her research informs health care policies and procedures to improve patient outcomes and access to quality healthcare. 

Joseph Ronda, LCSW | Social Worker (he/him)
Joseph Ronda, LCSW, is a social worker for The Potocsnak Family Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine. He takes a comprehensive approach to each therapeutic relationship, considering the bio-psycho-social aspects of each individual client’s well-being. Joseph is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) who earned his Master’s Degree (MA) in Social Work at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Joseph provides individual therapy for children, adolescents and their families as well as individual therapy for young adults.