Sara A. Buxton, M.A., Co-Director

Sara Buxton is a graduate of the Adler School of Professional Psychology where she received her Masters in Counseling Psychology with a specialization in Sport and Health Psychology. She is provisionally certified by the Association of Applied Sport Psychology, one of the few among a small number of certified consultants in the state of Illinois. Her masters training included, working with adolescents and adults in weight management, adjusting to healthy lifestyles, athletic challenges for amateurs and high school athletes and an array of clinical work in depression and anxiety. She is trained in cognitive-behavioral and rational emotive behavioral therapy focusing on goal setting, stress management, mindfulness, and adjusting thought patterns.

Sara is passionate about working with a large spectrum of athletes to help with performance enhancement, working through set backs, and developing a sense of awareness to reach maximum potential. She is a strong advocate for exercise and nutrition as a way to manage life stress and gain achievement.

Kristina Pecora, Psy.D.

Dr. Pecora is a licensed clinical psychologist in Illinois, working in private practice since 2008. As a cognitive-behavioral therapist, she specializes in Health Psychology, and treats a wide range of adolescent and adult complaints and comorbidities, including anxiety, depression, couples/relationship issues, culture/diversity issues, work-life balance, and life transitions. Kristina has most recently received training in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and enjoys incorporating mindfulness techniques and hypnosis with her clients to expand their experience of life.

Kristina firmly believes that therapy is a healthy support system for creating positive change in your life.
Her goal is to help you uncover your true potential, and lead a life that is worth celebrating. While people cannot change difficult situations or the past, Kristina works with you to better understand and resolve challenges in your life. Through application of complementary therapy approaches and techniques, we will work together to unearth long-standing behavior patterns or negative perceptions that may hold you back from experiencing a more fulfilling, more meaningful life.

Daniel S. Kirschenbaum, Ph.D., Co-Director

Dr. Kirschenbaum, a licensed clinical psychologist in Illinois and four other states, was Director of the Eating Disorders Program at Northwestern University Medical School, where he is Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences. He is also the Clinical Director and Vice President, Clinical Services, for Wellspring, a Division of CRC Health Group.

Dr. Kirschenbaum is a Diplomate and Fellow of the American Psychological Association and former president of its Division of Exercise and Sport Psychology. He has served as a consultant to the
United States Olympic Committee, the National Basketball Association, the Ladies Professional Golf Association, the Chicago Bears, numerous professional journals, and several major corporations.

Dr. Kirschenbaum has provided invited addresses at many professional conferences world-wide, received numerous grants for research, and published 10 books and more than 100 articles in professional journals and books on weight loss, sport psychology, and related topics. His books include: Mind Matters (1997); Smart Golf (1998); The 9 Truths About Weight Loss (2000); The Healthy Obsession Program (2005); and the Sierras Weight Loss Solution for Teens and Kids (2007).

In 2000, the American Council on Exercise and its Board of Directors unanimously endorsed The 9 Truths About Weight Loss as the best book ever written for the public on how to lose weight and keep it off. His research on the improving the mental game in golf received the third prize in Golf Magazine’s and the World Scientific Congress of Golf’s (St. Andrews University, Scotland) first annual Science in Golf competition in 2001.