Heather (Chik) Plinovich, Ph.D., HSPP is a licensed clinical psychologist in Indiana and Illinois and is the founder and director of the Anxiety & OCD Behavioral Health Center (AOBHC). Dr. Plinovich and her colleagues at AOBHC have successfully helped many children overcome selective mutism. They use effective, research-based treatment that works for selective mutism, which involves exposure-based practices to help the child feel braver and increase the child’s audible speech in challenging situations. They also use parent-based contingency management (i.e., making audible speech more rewarding and nonverbal responding or no responding less rewarding) in conjunction with exposure practices. Dr. Plinovich and her colleagues work closely with parents, teachers, family members, classmates, and other individuals who are close to the child, to teach them how to more effectively communicate with the child in order to encourage audible speech.

With close to 15 years of clinical experience, Dr. Plinovich is a leading provider of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), exposure and response prevention (ERP), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and other research-supported treatments that work for adults, adolescents, and children. In addition to selective mutism, she has expertise in treating anxiety disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) & related disorders, depressive disorders, somatic related problems, ADHD, and other behavioral problems. Dr. Plinovich brings a healthy dose of humor, sensibility, and passion to her therapy sessions and workplace. In turn, she expects her patients and their families to work hard on implementing treatment strategies in order to help them live their best life.

Dr. Plinovich has trained and worked at several leading providers of anxiety disorders and OCD treatment in Canada and the United States, including the Anxiety Disorder Center at St. Louis Behavioral Medicine Institute, the Anxiety Treatment Center of Greater Chicago, the Vancouver CBT Centre, and the BC Operational Stress Injury Clinic funded by Veterans Affairs Canada. She enjoys providing clinical supervision, guest lecturing, and giving presentations at various academic and clinical settings in Northwest Indiana and the Chicagoland area. She served as an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Psychology at Indiana University Northwest, and was a member of the communications committee for the Indiana Psychological Association. Dr. Plinovich has published in professional journals, co-written book chapters, and enjoys speaking at conferences and various community events. She holds a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science (formerly the Chicago Medical School).

Heather (Chik) Plinovich, Ph.D., HSPP
Owner. Director. Clinical Psychologist.
Anxiety & OCD Behavioral Health Center
219-228-7630
219-228-1083 Fax
900 Ridge Road, Suite F
Munster, IN 46321
hplinovich@anxietybehavioralhealth.com
anxietybehavioralhealth.com