Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle to Receive Human Spirit Award at Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis Annual Benefit

CHICAGO, March 22, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle will be honored with the Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis' Human Spirit Award for her efforts in promoting the well-being of the county's highly vulnerable populations.  Most notably, Preckwinkle's work in the Chicago court system on behalf of juveniles and the mentally-ill make her an advocate for furthering public health and safety for those most at-risk. 

The Benefit, co-chaired by Dr. Laurie A. Kenfield, a Chicago psychoanalyst, and her husband, Dr. Michael D. Kelleher, chief medical officer of Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital, will be held at the Standard Club on May 11, 2016.

Attendees will also enjoy the wit and insight of keynote speaker Michael Phillips as he "Psychoanalyzes the Movies," exploring memorable screen therapists, from Ingrid Bergman in "Spellbound" to Judd Hirsch in "Ordinary People."  Phillips is the Chicago Tribune's film critic, covering everything from "Godzilla" to the latest in Turkish cinema.  He has appeared on Turner Classic Movies, "CBS Saturday Morning," "Charlie Rose" and the long-running, "At the Movies." He joined the Tribune in 2002 as theater critic and appears regularly on the Chicago Public Radio show "Filmspotting."

ABOUT THE HONOREE:  Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle has been a dedicated community leader for over two decades. She has worked with the Cook County Board of Commissioners, elected officials and county employees to implement major reform and reshape county government through fiscal responsibility, innovative leadership, transparency & accountability, and improved services.

Since taking office in December 2010, President Preckwinkle has developed a broad policy agenda focusing on critical public safety reform, working to strengthen the county's health care system, and increasing the capacity and capability of its economic development efforts.

ABOUT THE INSTITUTE:  The Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis provides professional education in the theory and practice of psychoanalysis and psychotherapy.  Through its clinics for adults and children, the Institute offers services at reduced fees for the benefit of under-served communities.  In addition, the Institute's faculty, graduates and students contribute to scholarship, research and advocacy in public discourse about mental health issues. 

SOURCE Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis