Maria Kalantzis PhD

Dr. Maria Kalantzis is a clinical psychology postdoctoral fellow and an Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology at Loyola University Chicago, where she is also the Director of the Convergence Science in Psychopathology and Health Lab. Her clinical work is grounded in the belief that therapy is most effective when it is collaborative, compassionate, and tailored to the whole person.

Dr. Kalantzis specializes in perinatal mental health and health psychology, working with adults navigating anxiety, depression, stress, body image and eating concerns, major life transitions, and the psychological and emotional changes that can accompany pregnancy and the postpartum period. She is particularly interested in helping clients understand the connections between their mental and physical health and the social, relational, and environmental factors that shape their wellbeing.

Her therapeutic approach draws from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and mindfulness-based approaches. She works collaboratively with clients to better understand patterns that may be contributing to distress, develop practical and sustainable coping strategies, and reconnect with their values. Above all, Dr. Kalantzis strives to create a warm, nonjudgmental space where clients feel comfortable being their authentic selves.

What Dr. Kalantzis loves most about therapy is meeting people where they are at with their unique set of values. Dr. Kalantzis is a big believer that everyone comes into the therapy space with a set of values that can help guide behavior change. She considers it a privilege to be invited into her clients’ lives and to hear the parts of their stories that they may not always feel comfortable sharing with others. Her goal is to help clients develop greater self-understanding and self-compassion while feeling empowered to make changes that are meaningful to them!

Dr. Kalantzis completed her doctoral training in Clinical Psychology at Bowling Green State University and her predoctoral internship in Behavioral Medicine at Brown University. Her research focuses on systemic stress, food insecurity, health disparities, and psychopathology, with an emphasis on understanding how social and environmental stressors affect psychological and physical health. Her research and clinical work are connected by a shared interest in understanding the whole person within the broader context of their life.