Dr. Alexander Meyer

Chief Diagnostician

Licensed Clinical Psychologist

Areas of Expertise & Interest

Each therapist is trained as a generalist, meaning, that they can work with most difficulties. As their career progresses, they tend to gravitate toward particular issues and mine are listed below:

• Neurological & Psychological Evaluations
• Executive Functioning / ADHD
• Autism Spectrum & Developmental Disorders
• Learning Disabilities
• Emotional & Behavioral Difficulties
• Children, Adolescents & Young Adults
• Grief/Loss of Infants/Children

If you have other difficulties and would like to see if we would be a good fit, please fill out the Contact Form so we can connect.

Therapeutic Approach

My therapeutic approach is primarily CBT, integrated with client-centered, play therapy, family systems, and interpersonal interventions. In addition to therapy, I also specialize in psychological or neuropsychological evaluations of ADHD, emotional and behavioral difficulties, as well as Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Professional Background & Education

I am a licensed Clinical Psychologist and received my Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology from Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois. I then received my Masters degree in Clinical Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology and my Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from The Illinois School of Professional Psychology in Chicago. My work as a Psychologist has been with clients of all ages in a variety of settings, including residential treatment programs, therapeutic schools, community mental health centers, hospital/nursing homes and private practice. In addition to my work at Wakeful, I am a Staff Psychologist at NewHope Academy Therapeutic School (since 2011) in Arlington Heights and a contracted Diagnostician at Total Spectrum (since 2019) conducting Autism Spectrum Evaluations. At NewHope, I work with students (and their families) ranging from 6th-12th grade, who struggle with social and emotional issues (e.g., anxiety, depression, Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD) that greatly impact their ability to function in the academic environment.

During my childhood, I spent a lot of time in my father’s doctor’s office and this gave me a great deal of early exposure to the helping professions.  While I initially wanted to be a doctor and follow in my father’s footsteps, this changed once I began my first year as a Biology/Pre-Medicine major at Bradley. After enrolling in an Intro to Psychology course, it became clear to me that I was much more interested in Psychology than becoming a medical doctor.  I changed my major to Psychology in the beginning of my second year and never looked back.

There have been many experiences I have had throughout my education and training that have shaped me into the clinician I am today.  During my third year at Bradley University, the seed for my initial interest in psychological assessments was planted by one of my professors, who was a board certified Clinical Neuropsychologist. She invited me to intern at her practice and serve as her teaching assistant in her Neuropsychology and Neurosciences courses.  During the summer in between my third and fourth year, I was fortunate enough to intern in the Department of Neuropsychology at Froedtert Hospital/Medical College of Wisconsin. There I assisted several doctoral students in their research in the field of epilepsy.

My time in graduate school served as the catalyst for the development and evolution of my clinical orientation and style, which is Cognitive-Behavioral at heart.  I was fortunate enough to nurture my therapeutic style while being mentored by Dr. Arthur Freeman, one of the leaders in the area of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy.  The year I spent on his clinical team was invaluable. An additional year of training that I am most grateful for was my postdoctoral year, which I spent in Moore, Oklahoma at the Moore Counseling Center (MCC).  While at MCC, I was able to conduct psychological evaluations as well as receive training in Autism Spectrum Evaluations. During this year, I was sent to Houston, Texas for the intensive Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) conference and then conducted ASD evaluations under supervision during the remainder of my postdoctoral year.

A Little About Me…

I was born and raised in Glendale, Wisconsin which is a northern Suburb of Milwaukee.  Both of my parents were in the medical profession, with my father being a family practice physician and my mother an office nurse.  I am married and have four boys and three dogs. I live in the Northern Suburbs and enjoy music, sports and spending time with my family. We lost our son, Parker, when he was 6 days old due to being born with significant neurological trauma. Having been through my own roller coaster of grief and loss, I feel that the experience of having lost one of my own children has allowed me to understand, from a professional and parental perspective, the pain and anguish of losing a child.  When I was going through my initial loss, I felt as if I had nobody to talk to because nobody can truly relate or understand what it is like to lose a child unless they had been through it. I do not want anyone to go through their loss alone, which is why I am choosing to share this. My hope is that I can help somebody or a couple along the way.