Dr. Barringer is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist with over 27 years of experience in the field of mental health and wellness. Dr. Barringer earned his doctorate in clinical psychology at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology, Chicago Campus, and completed an internship at the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada. Both are APA-approved programs. Prior to earning his doctorate, he served as a high school teacher, an international student advisor at a university, and worked in an acute-care inpatient facility for two years. Since earning his doctorate, Dr. Barringer has worked as a psychotherapist in two university-based counseling centers, as a community health psychologist with the Chicago Department of Public Health and the US National Health Service Corps for 9 years, and as the Chief Staff Counselor with three different United Nations agencies for 10 years in Africa and Europe. One recent assignment was with the US Air Force as a primary care psychologist and health consultant in the Family Health Clinic at Malcolm Grow Medical Center. Dr. Barringer has been in private practice since 2017. Dr. Barringer provides different levels of support including counselling, coaching and psychotherapy for individuals, groups, and couples. His areas of clinical expertise include treatment for mood, anxiety, sleep, trauma, substance use disorders, and managing conditions of chronic mental illness. In addition to clinical conditions, Dr. Barringer is an expert in the areas of stress, crisis and conflict management, teaching resilience and positive thinking, and enhancing personal growth and development. Dr. Barringer has also designed and led a wide range of workshops on such topics as improving sleep, improving communication in relationships, managing stress, and coping with chronic pain. He has worked with people from many different cultural and ethnic backgrounds and employs a client-centered existential-humanistic model that respects the unique needs, backgrounds, and aspirations of each client. His goal is to help clients solve problems and improve how they manage and overcome the health and life challenges they encounter.

What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?

I hope you will feel heard and understood. Psychotherapy is not like a medical doctor visit. It calls for a very active discussion in order to understand your concerns and determine the best way forward. Whatever course we follow will be done with your full consent and understanding. Because therapy often involves discussing unpleasant aspects of your life, you may experience uncomfortable feelings and some distress at times. However, people from all walks of life have experienced great benefits from a course of psychotherapy. People often feel relieved and reassured as they gain insight into their problems and develop ways to address them. Psychotherapy often leads to better relationships, solutions to specific problems, and significant reductions in feelings of distress.

Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.

The areas where I have the most experience and success include the following: Depression, anxiety, adjustment and coping with stressful changes in life, sleep, stress management, relationships, crisis management, personal growth, managing chronic psychological and physical health conditions that undermine quality of life, skill-building modules on a wide range of psychosocial topics, and psychological/personality assessments.

About Charles R. Barringer, Psy.D.