Why Dr. Baldassarre built Riverside Psychology the way she did
For most patients referred for neuropsychological evaluation, the experience itself is the problem. The waits are measured in months. The office feels like a hospital. The report arrives sealed in an envelope with no one to explain what's in it.
Dr. Baldassarre had seen that pattern enough times from the inside of major academic medical programs to know exactly what she wanted to build instead.
Riverside Psychology was designed around a different set of priorities: access that doesn't require a seven-month wait, a physical space that feels nothing like a clinic, and a feedback process where patients and families leave with real understanding not just a report.
The coffee bar in the waiting room isn't a quirk. It's an intention.
About Dr. Baldassarre
Dr. Baldassarre completed her doctoral training and postdoctoral fellowship at The Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, one of the most rigorous training environments in clinical neuropsychology. She went on to work at the Advocate Memory Center and in neurology private practice, where she developed her specialty in the evaluation of cognitive changes related to aging, neurological conditions, and brain injury.
She holds board certification in neuropsychology through the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) and American Board of Clinical Neuropsychology (ABCN), placing her among fewer than 30 board-certified neuropsychologists practicing in the greater Chicagoland area. She is an active member of the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology (AACN) and holds PSYPACT credentials, allowing her to provide evaluation services across 42 states.
She founded Riverside Psychology in River Forest to serve the greater Chicagoland area, a region where access to specialized neuropsychological services had historically required either a hospital referral or a months-long wait.
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Doctoral degree in clinical psychology
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Graduate clinical training
University of Chicago Medical Center · Northwestern CNADC · UIC · Loyola · Hines VA
- psychiatry
Pre-doctoral internship, The Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
- neurology
Postdoctoral fellowship, The Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
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Board-certified in neuropsychology (ABPP/ABCN)
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Active member, American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology (AACN)
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PSYPACT credential licensed across 42 states
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Licensed psychologist, State of Illinois
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Consulting neuropsychologist, NFL & MLB organizations
Cognitive assessment consulting for professional sports organizations. Active member of the Sports Neuropsychology Society.
A look into our office
The Riverside Psychology office at 7627 Lake Street, Suite 222 in River Forest was designed with the people who walk through the door in mind. The building hallways are what you might expect, but step inside and it's a different story. Natural light. Warm, non-fluorescent lighting. Warm furnishings. A coffee bar in the waiting area. No intake clipboard handed through a window.
A lot of our patients are older adults navigating frightening questions. A lot of them are nervous before they arrive. We wanted the space to say something different than what they were expecting.
Dr. Baldassarre grew up in the western suburbs and has deep roots in the community she now serves. Outside of work, she's usually in the company of her golden retriever Kelley, and working through a reading list that never quite gets shorter.
