Michele Baldwin

Michele Baldwin, PhD, LCSW, is a CCFH core faculty member. She has a long and distinguished career as a couple and family therapist. Born in Paris, France, Dr. Baldwin first came to the United States as a Fulbright Scholar. She received her BA in Anthropology from the University of Washington, her Diplome from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques in Paris, her MSSW from Simmons College School of Social Work, and her PhD from the Union Graduate School. Dr. Baldwin met Virginia Satir in 1969 and later studied and worked with her for part of each year until Dr. Satir’s death in 1988. Together they co-authored two books: Satir Step by Step in 1984 and The Use of Self in Therapy in 1987. See her new 2012 edition The Use of Self in Therapy (3rd ed.). She has also written a number of articles for professional and lay audiences.

Dr. Baldwin, certified by the Academy of Certified Social Workers and by the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (AAMFT), is also an AAMFT approved supervisor. Since 1986, she has also been an adjunct faculty member at the Family Institute at Northwestern University. For the last twelve years, she has taught PAIRS, an in-depth psychoeducational course for couples’ relational enrichment, and has trained other clinicians in this approach. In addition to working with couples and families, Dr. Baldwin is expert in intergenerational work and increasingly works with older adults to promote positive aging and the wisdom of elders. When appropriate she includes the stress reduction techniques of Heartmath in her clinical work.

Private Practice Location: Chicago
Expertise & Specializations: Couple & family therapy