Cognitive Therapy Team

Sheila Dowd, PhD
Sheila Dowd is a licensed clinical psychologist and associate director of residency training in the Department of Psychiatry at Rush University Medical Center. She leads the cognitive-behavioral therapy training of the residents and provides individual CBT supervision. Dr. Dowd is also a highly experienced clinical researcher who works on the clinical research team led by Philip Janicak, MD. Dr. Dowd completed her training in cognitive-behavioral therapy at the University of Illinois at Chicago, specializing in health psychology. Her clinical work focuses in the area of mood and anxiety disorders as well as health issues such as weight management. Dr. Dowd can be reached at (312) 942-7281.

Ira S. Halper, MD
Ira S. Halper, MD, is director of the Cognitive Therapy Center in the Department of Psychiatry at Rush. Dr. Halper is a senior attending psychiatrist at Rush and an assistant professor of psychiatry at Rush Medical College. Dr. Halper is a board-certified psychiatrist with an interest in both cognitive therapy and psychopharmacology and more than 25 years of experience in the use of cognitive and behavioral therapies. His memberships in professional societies include the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies and the American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacology. Dr. Halper is a fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and a certified member of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy. To make an appointment with Dr. Halper, contact Christie Bowman at (312) 226-0300. For more information about Dr. Halper see his profile.