Meet the Co-Founders
SpringSource Psychological Center (now SpringSource: Eating, Weight & Mood Disorders) was founded in 2020 by two Ph.D., licensed clinical psychologists, Dr. Susan McClanahan and Dr. Angela Derrick. They formed SpringSource as a collaborative practice to help individuals heal from eating disorders, depression, anxiety & mood disorders, trauma, relationship concerns, and life stressors such as pregnancy and infertility.
Our clinician-owned practice has expanded to include specialized mental health support for clients taking GLP-1 medications, an intensive outpatient program (IOP) for adults, and an individual intensive outpatient program (IIOP) for those who need a higher level of care without participating in a group setting.
Susan McClanahan, Ph.D., CEDS
Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Angela Derrick, Ph.D., CEDS-C
Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Dr. Susan McClanahan is a licensed clinical psychologist in Illinois. She is the founder and innovator of a major Illinois treatment center, Insight Behavioral Health Centers (now ERC/Pathlight), serving patients with eating, mood, and anxiety disorders. Susan is also an assistant professor of psychiatry at Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine. She has been teaching and educating students and professionals for more than 20 years.
Dr. McClanahan received her B.A. in psychology from Duke University, her M.A. in developmental psychology from Columbia University, and her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. She is an accredited Certified Eating Disorders Specialist by the International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals.
A national advocate for mental health parity and reducing stigma for mental health treatment, Dr. McClanahan is passionate about individual therapy and creates a supportive, nurturing environment for her patients.
Dr. Angela Derrick is a licensed clinical psychologist in Illinois and has been practicing for 20 years. An active member of the Academy for Eating Disorders, she holds an academic appointment at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr. Derrick is currently engaged in training and supervision and previously provided consultation to a large behavioral health treatment center.
Dr. Derrick received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Georgia State University and completed her internship and post-doctoral training at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. She is a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist and Supervisor through the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals. She has also served as co-chair and member on several committees through the Academy for Eating Disorders. In addition to private practice, she has many years of experience working in various leadership roles at higher levels of care.
Dr. Derrick has frequently written and presented on eating and mood disorders in both professional and community forums. She has extensive training in the practice of mindfulness and holds a yoga teaching certification, believing that the mind-body connection provides an essential foundation for self-regulation and self-knowledge.
Chicago Location
53 W. Jackson Boulevard, Suite 520
Chicago, IL 60604
224-202-6260
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Northbrook Location
899 Skokie Boulevard, Suite 300
Northbrook, IL 60062
224-202-6260
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Dr. Susan McClanahan has a rich and expansive history in Chicago’s behavioral health and eating disorder community. In 2004, Dr. McClanahan founded Insight Behavioral Health Centers, a prominent eating disorder clinic and the first IOP in Chicago for treating eating, mood, and anxiety disorders. She passionately led Insight for well over a decade. During her tenure at Insight, she recruited, trained, inspired, and empowered many clinicians who continue leading and making positive strides in mental health and eating disorder recovery to this day.
Through Dr. McClanahan’s leadership, Insight Behavioral Health grew to provide IOP & PHP programs in 7 Chicago Area locations as well as the first residential treatment center for eating disorders in the city of Chicago. After growing to this level, Dr. McClanahan and Insight partnered with Eating Recovery Center (first ERC/Insight, now ERC/Pathlight) in 2014. The company continued to expand and treat patients in Texas, Colorado, Ohio, Maryland, and Washington State.
When Insight was founded, Dr. Angela Derrick was completing her postdoctoral fellowship at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, where she was Dr. Susan McClanahan’s supervisee. Susan invited Angela to join the newly created Insight IOP Program in 2005. This collaboration marked the beginning of a 15-year journey that would see Angela play an integral role as a Clinical Director for Insight Behavioral Health and ERC/Pathlight. Dr. Derrick notes, “I’m really proud of having been at Insight for so long and helping turn it from an IOP [Intensive Outpatient Program] into a PHP [Partial Hospitalization Program]. We were one of the first eating disorder and behavioral health treatment centers in the area and the foremost practice in downtown Chicago for many years.”
Dr. McClanahan has held numerous roles at ERC/Pathlight, including Chief Clinical Officer for 3 years, member of the research team for many years, and Senior Clinical Advisor from 2020 until now.
According to Dr. McClanahan and Dr. Derrick, “We spent years working with clients, teaching, delving into primary research, and publishing and presenting alongside each other. We developed a deep friendship and a shared vision for helping individuals heal in an innovative, intuitive psychological environment. We came together during the pandemic in 2020 to found SpringSource, a warm, welcoming practice where we work with individuals seeking to improve their emotional, behavioral, and mental health.”
Both of us find literature and poetry to be a source of inspiration and hope. Experiencing this stream of creativity has enhanced our lives personally and professionally. For the name of our psychological center, we turned to one of our favorites, the 13th-century Persian scholar and poet Rumi. This stanza from his poem “Spring” offers an enduring message of hope and renewal that inspires our daily work with clients:
“Again, the season of spring has come and a spring-source rises under everything, a moon sliding from the shadows.”
~Rumi
We provide in-person therapy in Northbrook and Chicago, with telehealth therapy available throughout Illinois.
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Serving: Chicagoland Area, Northbrook, Evanston, Arlington Heights, Glenview, Skokie, Palatine, Elgin, Cicero, Schaumburg, Des Plaines, Orland Park, and throughout Illinois