About Dr. Ellen Astrachan-Fletcher
As a licensed clinical psychologist, I’m bringing with me 15 years in academia and 13 years with a large mental health organization. These experiences have shaped my approach, but at the heart of it all, my passion remains the same—connection. Whether working with clients, students, supervisees, or training groups, I believe real growth happens through meaningful relationships.
My path to psychology started early. Growing up as the youngest of four, with three older brothers, I learned firsthand about different personalities and perspectives. My father, a psychiatrist, sparked my initial interest in the field, and my own life experiences reinforced my desire to help others navigate their journeys. Today, my mother—now a great-grandmother of six—continues to be a guiding presence in my life.
For over 30 years, my husband and I have built a life together, embracing challenges, change, and growth. Our three grown children remain some of my favorite people in the world, and our home wouldn’t be complete without our enthusiastic dog, Nugget, and playful kitten, Aurora, who remind me daily of joy, patience, and unconditional love.
What fulfills me? Connection. Whether through time with family and friends, engaging with my community, or supporting clients on their paths to self-discovery, meaningful relationships are at the core of who I am—both as a person and as a psychologist. I also find inspiration in travel, photography, and exploring new cultures, all of which deepen my understanding of human nature and the many ways we seek growth and healing.
Areas of Expertise & Passion:
Clinical Psychology & Mental Health
Family Dynamics & Relationships
Personal Growth & Resilience
Emotional Well-Being & Connection
Professional Bio:
Ellen Astrachan-Fletcher, PhD, FAED, CEDS-S, is an internationally recognized expert in understanding and treating mood, anxiety, and eating disorders. She is a Lecturer at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Illinois at Chicago where she has taught and supervised Psychiatry residents and fellows as well as Clinical Psychology interns and externs for over three decades.
Dr. Astrachan-Fletcher has worked with countless patients and people seeking advice on a variety of topics, from mental healthcare such as helping those in your family deal with loved family members who have had trauma and diagnosable mental health issues, to general counseling on how to better interact with your family, how to understand and avoid being reactive to others and activating others, and dealing with issues of enormous family legacy and wealth.
Dr. Astrachan-Fletcher is a senior RO DBT (Radically Open Dialectical Behavioral Therapy) clinician, is a nationally recognized expert in the field of DBT and FBT (Family-Based Treatment), and frequently presents at national eating disorders conferences. Dr. Astrachan-Fletcher has co-authored The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook for Bulimia: Using DBT to Break the Cycle and Regain Control of Your Life (2009), and she co-authored the Radically Open DBT Workbook for Eating Disorders: From Overcontrol and Loneliness to Recovery and Connection (2022). Both workbooks are used in treatment centers throughout the country.
My Specialities:
Clinical Specialties:
Eating Disorders
Women’s Mental Health
Transdiagnostic and Biotemperamental Approaches (DBT and RO DBT)
Anxiety in adults and adolescents
Depression in adults and adolescents
Family Systems
Supervision Specialties:
Eating Disorders (CEDS-C)
Women’s Mental Health
Transdiagnostic and Biotemperamental Approaches
Dialectical Behavior Therapy
Radically Open Dialectical Behavior Therapy
Anxiety in adults and adolescents
Depression in adults and adolescents
Training Specialties:
Clinical Trainings Available in person or virtually
Eating Disorders (CEDS-C)
Women’s Mental Health
Transdiagnostic and Biotemperamental Approaches
Dialectical Behavior Therapy
Radically Open Dialectical Behavior Therapy
Anxiety in adults and adolescents
Depression in adults and adolescents
Family Systems
My Books:
Using DBT to Break the Cycle and Regain Control of Your Life (A New Harbinger Self-Help Workbook)
At the root of bulimia is a need to feel in control. While purging is a strategy for controlling weight, bingeing is an attempt to calm depression, stress, shame, and even boredom. The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook for Bulimia offers new and healthy ways to overcome the distressing feelings and negative body-image beliefs that keep you trapped in this cycle. Learn More
If you’ve been in therapy for an eating disorder, such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia, your past treatment may have focused on helping you control your emotions and contain your behaviors. However, research now shows that many people with eating disorders actually suffer from emotional overcontrol. Based on more than twenty years of research, this breakthrough workbook offers skills based in radically open dialectical behavior therapy (RO DBT), a proven-effective, transdiagnostic approach for treating disorders of overcontrol (OC). Learn More
For more information on Ellen’s work in Radically Open DBT please visit this link:
News Clips
Tips for Battling Through Election-Related Anxiety
Aired 10/29/20 at 7:30am on WFLD-TV (Fox Chicago)Tips for Handling Inauguration-Related Anxiety
Aired 1/19/21 at 6:30pm on WGN-TV (Chicago Channel 9)Body Image Anxiety after COVID
Aired 7/11/21 at 7:45am on WFLD-TV (Fox Chicago)COVID and Body Confidence: The impacts and ways to overcome
Aired 8/29/21 at 7:15am on WQAD (ABC)“Picky eaters: When parents should be concerned”
Aired 2/21/2022 at 7:10am on WLS-TV (ABC Chicago, Channel 7)The Dangers of Choosing Dieting as a New Year's Eesolution
Aired 1/19/23 at 9:10 am on WFLD-TV (Fox Chicago)National Eating Disorders Awareness Month
Aired 2/2/23 at 6:30pm on WGN-TV (Chicago Channel 9)EDs & Summer Stressors for Teens & Young Adults
Aired 6/5/23 at 6:30pm on WGN-TV (Chicago Channel 9)Back-to-School Anxiety & School Refusal
Aired 8/1/23 at 1:35pm on WVON Radio Chicago liveBack-to-School: How Parents Can Help Kids Manage Stress and Anxiety
Aired 8/5/23 at 8:40am on WLS-TV (ABC Chicago, Channel 7)Eating Disorder Awareness: Signs, Symptoms and Navigating Body Dysmorphia
Aired 2/21/24 at 10:18am on WGN-TV (Chicago Channel 9)
Family Photo 1970’s
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