Dr. Inger Burnett-Zeigler
is a licensed clinical psychologist, health disparities scholar and thought leader on mental health. She is also a mindfulness trainer and certified yoga instructor.
Inger has over two decades of clinical experience providing psychological interventions to help clients with mood and anxiety conditions, trauma symptoms, stress management, and challenges in interpersonal relationships. She has an integrative therapeutic approach that includes supportive psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, behavioral activation and mindfulness based approaches.
Her scholarly work focuses on the role that structural and social determinants of health play in disparities in mental illness and treatment, particularly in Black communities. She has led research to develop culturally tailored mental health interventions that meet the needs of the most under-resourced, marginalized populations. Her research has been funded by the National Institutes of health (NIH), The Center for AIDS Research (CFAR), The Greer Family Foundation, and The Davee Foundation.
Inger is a fierce advocate for eliminating mental illness stigma and normalizing participation in mental health care. She is actively involved in the community and has served on several non-profit boards including Thresholds, Cook County Health, Heartland Alliance Health and the African American Legacy of the Chicago Community Trust. She frequently consults with corporate, government, and non-profit groups to help them improve the overall mental health and wellness of their constituents.
A prolific contributor to the public discourse on mental health and wellness, Inger’s op-eds have been featured in The New York Times, TIME magazine, The Hill and Chicago Tribune, to name a few. She has also been seen on CNN, WGN-TV and WTTW Chicago Tonight. Her first book “Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen: The Emotional Lives of Black Women” was published June 29, 2021 (Amistad Press).
Inger has been recognized for her commitment to public service and health equity; she received the impact award from the Chicago Foundation for Women (2022), wellness woman of the year from Sista Aafya (2023), Crain’s Notable Non Profit Leader (2024), and an honorary doctorate of humane letters from DePaul University (2024).
She received her undergraduate degree in psychology from Cornell University, doctorate in clinical psychology from Northwestern University and completed a post-doctoral fellowship in mental health services research at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System / University of Michigan.
Inger is a proud south-side Chicagoan. She enjoys the arts, yoga and travel.
Complete CV can be downloaded here.