
Alexis Pandelios, Ph.D.
Credentials & Education
M.S. in Psychology, Illinois State University
B.A. in Psychology, Marshall University
About
Leading with empathy, genuineness, and unconditional positive regard, my aim in therapy is to understand and use the unique narrative, context, and strengths of the individuals and partners I work with to move towards discovery and change.
Dr. Alexis Pandelios (she/her) is the Madigan Family Clinical Research Postdoctoral Fellow at The Family Institute at Northwestern University. Dr. Pandelios completed her Ph.D. in counseling psychology at Indiana University Bloomington and her clinical internship at the George E. Wahlen Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Salt Lake City, UT.
In her work with individual clients, Dr. Pandelios uses a humanistic and relational stance and pulls from several modalities, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT). She uses empathy, direct challenging, and humor to support clients as they acknowledge avoided emotions, reflect on and evaluate their self-narratives, and move towards a life centering their values and utilizing their strengths. Trained to provide evidence-based treatments for PTSD, including Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) and Written Exposure Therapy (WET), Dr. Pandelios has a particular interest in working with individuals with PTSD and other trauma-related disorders. Other common presenting concerns she has experience and interest addressing include emotional dysregulation (particularly difficulty managing anger), depression, anxiety, identity exploration, life transitions, and sexual wellness.
As a relationship therapist, Dr. Pandelios largely utilizes Integrative Behavioral Couple's Therapy (IBCT), an empirically supported treatment for relationship distress. In IBCT, relationship partners learn how their differences, emotional sensitivities, external stressors, and patterns of interaction contribute to their relationship concerns. Using this framework, she guides partners to deepen their connection and make changes to their patterns of interaction. Dr. Pandelios welcomes work with relationship partners with a variety of concerns, including difficulties with communication, conflict, satisfaction, sexual functioning, infidelity, life transitions and more.
Area of Focus
Publications & Presentations
Pandelios, A. L., & Wong, Y. J. (2024). Gratitude in context: Proposing the dyadic process model of interpersonal gratitude. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 18(12). https://doi.org/10.1111/spc3.70024
Pandelios, A. L., Wong, Y. J., Cho, N., & Henson, P. (in press). Does the good outweigh the bad? The influence of receiving gratitude at work on employee outcomes. European Journal of Applied Positive Psychology, 8(10). https://www.nationalwellbeingservice.org/volumes/volume-8-2024/volume-8-article-10/
Wong, Y. J., Cauble, M. R., Davis, D. E., Pandelios, A. L., Li, J., & Cho, N. (2025). Words and action: Measuring interpersonal expressions of gratitude. Journal of Positive Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2025.2502487
Wong, Y. J., Cho, N., & Pandelios, A. L. (2024). Feeling good versus doing good: Reclaiming a moral vision for the psychology of gratitude. International Journal of Applied Positive Psychology, 9, 1273–1291. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41042-024-00157-2
Wong, Y. J., Pandelios, A. L., Carlock, K., & Thielmeyer, A. M. B. (2024). Stronger together: Gratitude social processes in group interventions for adolescents. Frontiers in Psychology, 15. https://doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1476511
Wong, Y. J., Pandelios, A. L., Cho, N., Brase, B., & Schaefer, S. (2025). A multitude of activities: Evaluating a gratitude intervention in a naturalistic setting. Journal of Prevention and Health Promotion, 6(3). https://doi.org/10.1177/26320770251318224