ARI GOLDSTEIN PH.D.

The Cognitive Solutions approach was developed by founder Dr. Ari Goldstein during the past two decades of teaching and assessing children and adults with special needs in both the private and public sectors. Dr. Goldstein holds a Master’s degree in Learning Disabilities and a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the University of Illinois. He has conducted research in the areas of learning disabilities, cognitive development, executive functioning, and meta-cognition. Dr. Goldstein has also completed post-graduate training in psychological and educational assessment, and is a certified Illinois Learning Specialist. He holds memberships in the National Association of School Psychologists, the Council for Exceptional Children, the Learning Disabilities Association of Illinois, the Association of Educational Therapists, and the American Psychological Association, and has been awarded the CEC’s Certificate as a Professionally Recognized Special Educator. Dr. Goldstein has appeared on WGN, NBC, and CBS as an educational contributor.
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SAM EFFARAH, Psy.D., FAIS

Sam Effarah, Psy.D. holds a Clinical Psychology appointment in the Department of Medicine at Resurrection Health Care: Holy Family Medical Center. He is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and graduate of the Illinois School of Professional Psychology, Chicago Campus. Dr. Effarah has provided services and support to children, adolescents, adult and geriatric populations in group, individual, and family settings in outpatient, inpatient, crisis center, emergency room, learning center, and therapeutic day school settings.

Dr. Effarah began his career at the St. Louis Hills Learning Center in Missouri where he also volunteered in an Anxiety Disorders Lab at St. Louis University Medical Center. Since moving to Chicago, he has been employed by the University of Chicago, Evanston Northwestern Healthcare, Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospital, ProPsych Associates, Cognitive Solutions Learning Center, Northwestern Neuropsychological Associates, and at the Jewish Children’s Bureau of Chicago. He has also consulted at various agencies including the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center and Rush Behavioral Health. He developed a Peak Performance Training Program for future school administrators of high-need schools participating in the Star School Leadership Project: a cutting edge grant project funded by the US Department of Education. Among his numerous awards is the CARE Leadership Award and a Letter of Commendation from Evanston Northwestern Healthcare for his work after the September 11th attacks: an award which he notes among his most fulfilling.

His specialties include Neurofeedback and Quantitative EEGs (Topographical Brain-Mapping). He holds membership in the American Psychological Association and International Society for Neurofeedback and Research.
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James Gottschalk, M.A.

James Gottschalk is a graduate of Michigan State University, and has completed a Masters degree in Developmental Psychology with a focus on learning disabilities. His research centered on the development of comprehension skills for struggling readers. In addition to his work at Cognitive Solutions, James worked for five years in a therapeutic day school, primarily with children who had both social emotional problems and learning disabilities. Currently, James works for Cognitive Solutions as an Educational Therapist, developing individualized intervention programs which cover a wide array of needs for each student. He is also involved in curriculum development and modification for students with learning disabilities, both in the traditional and home school environments. James is trained and certified in the Instrumental Enrichment program of cognitive restructuring, has completed training in the Orton-Gillingham multi-sensory reading program, and is a specialist in the use of visualization for the development of reading and verbal skills.

Sara McGinn, M.A.

Sara McGinn obtained her Masters degree in Learning Disabilities from Northwestern University. She also received an LBS1 endorsement upon completion of her Masters. Sara completed her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama where she researched autism and alternative therapies for brain injured children. Sara has experience creating personalized education plans for remediation of learning disabilities, training in psycho-educational testing, and also works as a neurofeedback technician at Cognitive Solutions.