Alexandria Callahan,

“I offer a caring relationship in which patients and their loved ones can speak about and explore any concerns and issues they may have," Behavioral Health Therapist Alexandria Callahan says of her role at City of Hope Chicago. "I also assist patients in understanding and using the power of their own minds during cancer treatment, helping them find new ways to reconnect with their sense of self.”

Callahan also shows patients how to use relaxation techniques to further enhance their mental and emotional well-being. She says it helps patients cope during their cancer journeys and feel more like their normal selves.

A Reiki master practitioner, Callahan emphasizes that City of Hope is unique in its integration of behavioral health modalities for side effect management with traditional treatments for cancer.

Callahan earned a Master of Arts degree in dance/movement therapy and counseling from Columbia College in Chicago, followed by a Graduate Laban Certificate in Movement Analysis (GLCMA) from the school. The GLCMA program teaches students how to apply movement analysis in a therapeutic and artistic setting. Callahan also graduated cum laude from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois, with bachelor’s degrees in dance performance and psychology. As an undergraduate, she also completed an internship at Dance Base in Edinburgh, Scotland. She directed dance classes for people with physical and mental disabilities, ranging in age from 4 to 96.

Before becoming a member of the City of Hope behavioral health team in February 2009, Callahan completed internships in the Chicago area. She gained experience in counseling and helped developmentally delayed adolescents with physical and emotional trauma through dance/movement therapy sessions. Callahan devotes her spare time to choreographing musicals for local community theaters. She also supervises graduate student interns as they complete their counseling degrees.