About Annalise

Annalise Kordell, LCSW

Mental Health Division Co-Director & Licensed Clinical Social Worker

University of Chicago

Annalise Kordell, LCSW, is Mental Health Division Co-Director at the Center for Connection and a licensed child and adolescent psychotherapist specializing in “big feelings”: the anger, anxiety, and frustration that can overwhelm our coping abilities and leave us feeling adrift and isolated.  In children, the effects of unprocessed big feelings can look like irritability, inattention, poor school performance, tantrums, or disrupted sleep.  Annalise works with young people and their parents towards understanding these often frightening feelings from a neurodevelopmental and physiological perspective, uncovering the origins of challenging behaviors and providing strategies and tools rooted in the latest developments in Interpersonal Neurobiology and mindfulness.  

Landing in Pasadena by way of Pennsylvania, Chicago, and England, Annalise is aware of the many ways change can disrupt and enhance our lives.  Children and adolescents are constantly undergoing processes of change:  in their bodies, in their brains, in their social worlds, even in their own families.  While some young people seem to float over these changes, seemingly unaffected, others struggle mightily and appear to find battles in every corner of life.  These highly sensitive young people often possess great strengths that will serve them well throughout their lives, and it is our task as parents, educators, counselors, and professionals to help carry them through the occasionally rocky (and also often very joyful!) years of childhood.  Annalise is committed to that journey, and works alongside parents and children to find a more tranquil path through busy years of change and growth.

As a clinical social worker in private practice, Annalise works within a broad systems viewpoint, balancing attention to culture, environment, family, and individuals to achieve a sense of harmony and cohesion.  With a background in supporting families and young people from diverse communities, Annalise is experienced in working with anxiety, trauma, adoption, and difficulties within family relationships.  Annalise completed her undergraduate degree at the Pennsylvania State University, and received her Masters of Arts in Social Work from the University of Chicago. 

LCSW 28268