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About Dr. Taft

About Mind Your Body

I'm Dr. Tiffany Taft, a licensed clinical health psychologist in the Chicago area who works with adults living with chronic medical illnesses.  I also live with 2 chronic digestive diseases, Crohn's disease (since 2002) and Eosinophilic Esophagitis (since 2016). After graduating from college, I took a 7 year hiatus from schooling. I learned a heck of a lot about life through jobs from baking bread to selling cigars to doing marketing work for American Express then writing ASP.NET code for web applications at a global commercial real estate company. In 2002, getting diagnosed with Crohn's propelled me back onto my path to become a clinical psychologist.

I didn't plan to go into gastroenterology, which a lot of people ask, but having Crohn's opened doors for me at Northwestern University where I've worked since 2004.  I met my mentor, Dr. Laurie Keefer, in 2005. My research at Northwestern has spanned irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, eosinophilic gastrointestinal diseases (I think that's where I caught it - just kidding), achalasia, and gastroparesis.

I also run a small group private practice of psychologists dedicated to working with people living with chronic illness located in Oak Park, IL.

I believe in the sheer importance of how mental and physical well-being interact, and how one can influence the other.

I also believe that all people can make healthy changes in their lives through education, self-reflection, and becoming aware of the power of their self-talk.

I hope the intersection of my two worlds helps anyone reading feel less alone, and maybe learn a few things along the way.

Disclaimer:  I do tend to swear and use sarcasm. Some research suggests this means I'm smart.

The Formal "About Me"

Dr. Taft is a licensed clinical psychologist and expert on the psychological and social aspects of life with chronic digestive conditions. She has over 10 years of extensive experience and has published several articles on the psychological aspects of these conditions. Dr. Taft is Clinical Research Associate at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and a leading expert on the psychosocial issues people living with chronic digestive conditions face. She completed her post-doctoral fellowship within the Center for Psychosocial Research in GI at NU. She received her doctorate in clinical psychology from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology in 2009 after completing a 1-year internship at the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center in Chicago.

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