Plum Tree Psychology

03/08/2026

🤝 Meet Dr. Ann Weller 🤝
Dr. Ann Weller is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist who specializes in diagnosing and treating psychiatric symptoms. Her education, training, and work experience has been exclusively in the service of children and adolescent populations. Mental illness looks very different in kids than it does in adults. Too many children are over-diagnosed or misdiagnosed. Old diagnostic models and ill-applied treatment methods are a problem in our field.

Dr. Weller opened Plum Tree Psychology in 2011. Her current role includes the oversight and administration of supervision, training, and professional development of staff. This includes integrating guest speakers from various ancillary fields (e.g., medical, law, audiology, social support groups) to help the Plum Tree team keep up with advances in fields that inform our practice. We are committed to collaborative and wrap-around care models for kids and families.

Dr. Weller is Plum Tree’s clinical specialist. She consults on our team’s most troubled children and families. She collaborates by way of providing comprehensive psychological, educational, and neurodevelopmental evaluations to diagnose mental illness, and to prescribe supports in treatment, at home, and at school. Over her 15+ years in the field, she has worked with the full scope of psychiatric disorders, including bipolar, depression, ADHD, anxiety, mood disorders, OCD, Tourette’s, autism, personality disorders, developmental disorders, substance use, eating disorders, and more.

Dr. Weller’s reports of psychological testing are highly valued in the community. Our local schools, pediatricians, and mental health providers regularly refer kids to her for testing. She’s regularly invited by schools, parent groups, and mental health agencies to present on a variety of topics. She’s lectured on psychodevelopment, trauma, ADHD, su***de and self-injury, intellectual giftedness, anxiety, mood disorders and depression, parenting, classroom structure, and more.

Dr. Weller has worked at all levels in the spectrum of pediatric care, including inpatient psychiatric hospitals, partial hospital programming, intensive outpatient, traditional outpatient, college counseling, and community mental health. She has authored research in conjunction with Loyola University’s Psychology Department. She was clinical director at a psychiatric hospital, developing a program for the hospital’s youngest and most acute patients. She is fully trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, and ADHD Coaching. . .
To learn more about Dr. Weller and our practice, click the link below:
🔗 www.theplumtree.net
📍 Plum Tree Psychology St. Charles, IL . .

03/07/2026

🗓️ Individual Therapy Appointments Available🗓️
If your child is struggling, therapy can make a meaningful difference. Here are signs that it might be time to reach out:

😳Emotional: Feelings don’t fit the situation. Worries that intrude on daily life. Frequent irritability. Anger outbursts. Mood swings. Long periods of sadness.
🏃‍♂️Behavioral: Repetitive behaviors. Hurting self or others. Yelling, hitting, cursing, threatening. Breaking or throwing things. Overactive or hyper. Perfectionistic behaviors. Difficulty in transitions.
🧠Cognitive: Trouble focusing. Difficult following directions. Loses track of things, of time, and of what’s next. Negative self-talk (e.g., “Nobody likes me.” “I can’t do anything right.”). Stuck thoughts. Black-and-white, all-or-nothing thinking.
📚Academic: School avoidance. Academic underperformance. Feeling overwhelmed by or at school. Behavioral referrals.
📈Development: Not keeping up with peers emotionally or socially. Limited eye contact. Limited warmth. Sensory challenges. Insistence on sameness. Rigid mindset. Difficulty in adapting to new things, or to change.
😁Social: Difficulty making or keeping friends. Social isolation. Too much time on screens. Feels bullied. Bullies others. Defiant/oppositional toward parents, teachers, or authority figures.
🏡Family dynamics: Increased tension, difficulty connecting, ongoing drama, unhappy patterns . .
We can help! Make your appointment at the link below or in our IG Bio.
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🔗 https://www.theplumtree.net/individual-therapy/ . .

03/06/2026

Does your child struggle with literacy or learning differences?
🤝Meet: Joanna Migo, Certified Academic Language Specialist: 🤝
Joanna’s professional journey has been marked by growth and a deepening commitment to education. Her experience in Chicago, where she taught as a fourth and sixth-grade teacher in the Brighton Park and Englewood neighborhoods, laid the foundation for her career. She then expanded her horizons as a literacy coach and interventionist in East Aurora before deciding to pursue her certification as an academic language therapist, a testament to her continuous learning and dedication to the field of education.

As a Certified Academic Language Therapist (CALT), Joanna was accepted into the Academic Language Therapy Association. She is highly qualified and experienced in providing multisensory structured literacy instruction for students diagnosed with language-based learning differences such as dyslexia and dysgraphia. Her specialization in BUILD, a K-1 early reading intervention, and Take Flight: A Comprehensive Intervention for Students With Dyslexia, further demonstrates her deep understanding and proficiency in the field. Joanna finds no greater joy than to guide a student on their journey to reading. With a blend of fun, creativity, and passion, Joanna offers students an intimate educational experience that not only develops their literacy skills but also enhances their self-confidence, grit, and resilience. Her approach instills a sense of hope and possibility in every student she works with. She is beyond excited to offer academic language therapy within her own community and be part of the Plum Tree team!

Joanna’s certification as a Certified Academic Language Therapist includes the following:

• 200 + Academic hours of dyslexia and related learning disability studies

• 700 Clinical teaching hours providing dyslexia therapy using Take Flight: A Comprehensive Intervention for Students with Dyslexia

• Passing the ALTA Competency Exam

• Review and acceptance into the Academic Language Therapy Association or ALTA

• Certified Academic Language Therapists are highly qualified in multisensory structured literacy, specifically for students with dyslexia, dysgraphia, and ADHD . .
📍 Plum Tree Psychology, St. Charles, Il
🔗 https://www.theplumtree.net/what-we-do/ . .

03/04/2026

🦊Trot The Fox to Fight Tics 🦊
🚶‍♂️Walk with us to help make a difference in the lives of people impacted by Tourette Syndrome and other Tic Disorders.
🤝In collaboration with the Tourette Association of America and one of our patients, we are thrilled to support this incredible cause.
🏃🏻‍♀️Join us at Plum Tree Psychology (Sprout Office) to raise awareness and show our solidarity.
🌎Together, we can make a difference! 🌍
📍Where: Plum Tree Psychology
🗓️When: Sunday, May 17th at 9:00 a.m. . .
To register and learn more, click the link below or in our IG Bio.
🔗 https://www.theplumtree.net/trot-the-fox-to-fight-tics/

02/28/2026

📚We can help turn reading from frustration to excitement!📚

✈️Take Flight is now available at Plum Tree.✈️Take Flight is a comprehensive intervention for students with dyslexia.

🧠Take Flight is offered as a two year curriculum based on The Orton-Gillingham Approach and written by The Education Staff of The Luke Waites Center for Dyslexia and Learning Disorders At Scottish Rite Hospital For Children.

😄 Let’s help your child Take Flight! Link below and in our IG Bio. . .
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🔗 https://www.theplumtree.net/take-flight/ . .

02/24/2026

“Building Social Skills”

Social skills are not “extra” skills. They are important life skills. A research study in England, Estonia, and The United States shows that early abilities such as empathy, emotional regulation, trust, and cooperation are strongly linked to later academic success and long-term emotional well-being. Thriving isn’t driven by grades alone. It’s grounded in social development.

📍 Plum Tree Psychology, St. Charles, IL
📖 Full Blog Post Below:
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Social skills are not “extra” skills. They are important life skills. Research from the OECD’s study of 5-year-olds shows that early abilities such as empathy and emotional regulation are strongly linked to emotional well-being.

02/19/2026

“BFFs are Good for Kids”
Watching your child form a close friendship can be incredibly meaningful. That one special friend their “BFF” often becomes a source of joy, comfort, and confidence. While all friendships matter, close friendships play a unique and powerful role in children’s emotional, social, and developmental growth. . .
Click the link below for the full blog post.
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BFFs are Good for Kids. Professors out of Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center released results of a study about friendships.

02/14/2026

Raising an Intellectually Gifted Child
Compiled by Ann Weller, PsyD, Pediatric Psychologist

Raising an intellectually gifted child can be both exciting and challenging. On one hand, these children show remarkable curiosity and advanced thinking. On the other hand, they often struggle with emotions, perfectionism, and uneven development.

This guide helps parents better understand giftedness and twice-exceptionality (2e) and how these traits may appear in everyday life. However, it is important to note that this resource does not provide a diagnosis. Only a licensed clinical psychologist can determine whether a child is gifted or twice-exceptional through a formal evaluation.

Instead, this guide offers practical insights and supportive strategies to help children thrive emotionally, socially, and academically. . .
Click the link below or in our IG Bio for the guide.
🔗 https://www.theplumtree.net/raising-an-intellectually-gifted-child/
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02/10/2026

Infinite Possibilities Parent Coaching
1:1 Sessions for Caregivers of Autistic Children:

Infinite Possibilities empowers parents and caregivers through personalized 1:1 coaching sessions designed to help you better understand, support, and celebrate your neurodivergent child.

After a new autism diagnosis, many parents share the same feeling: overwhelm. Questions like “What do we do next?” or “Where do we even start?” are incredibly common. Fortunately, you do not have to navigate this journey alone.

Learn more about Infinite Possibilities Parent Coaching below.

Infinite Possibilities Parent Coaching empowers caregivers with knowledge, tools, and confidence, all while centering understanding and acceptance of neurodiversity as the foundation for growth. What we often hear from parents is a sense of overwhelm following a diagnosis. Plum Tree Psychology’s c...

02/07/2026

The cold weather and shorter days of winter can negatively affect mental health. There are, however, activities that benefit mental health even in the cold weather. Here are a few ideas to keep your family regulated and moving in the winter. . .
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🔗 www.theplumtree.net . .

02/05/2026

Plum Tree provides multidisciplinary evaluations that offer a comprehensive understanding of how each child thinks, learns, and experiences the world. Through neuropsychological testing, these evaluations examine how attention, memory, reasoning, emotions, and energy levels work together to shape a child’s daily functioning.

Our multidisciplinary evaluations bring together expertise from psychology, education, speech and language, and medical perspectives. By looking at patterns across these disciplines, we identify each child’s unique strengths and challenges and gain insight into how they learn, regulate emotions, and relate to others. Parents often share, “This describes my child perfectly and explains things more clearly than I ever could.”

Most importantly, multidisciplinary evaluation results lead to clear, actionable guidance. Our reports translate findings into practical recommendations for home, school, and treatment settings. Families leave not only with answers, but with a clear plan that helps parents, educators, and providers know what to prioritize next.

Click the link below to learn more about our practice and the evaluation process. . .
https://www.theplumtree.net/multidisciplinary-evaluations/ . .

At Plum Tree, we go beyond standard testing. Our team works together across psychology, neuropsychology, education, speech and language, autism, and medical to understand your whole child. This approach gives you deeper, more meaningful insights into your child’s strengths and needs.

02/05/2026

"Five Coping Strategies for Kids at Home"
Kids experience big emotions like stress, frustration, boredom, worry, and when they’re at home more, those feelings can show up in big ways. The good news is that there are simple, effective coping strategies children can learn and practice right at home to help them calm their bodies, express their feelings, and build emotional resilience. . .
To read the full blog post, click the link below or in our IG Bio.
📎https://www.theplumtree.net/five-coping-strategies-for-kids-at-home/