Chris Paige, LCSW | Founder and Executive Director

Chris Paige, LCSW has been a licensed therapist for over 30 years. He received his Bachelor’s of Arts from Southern Methodist University in 1988 and completed his Master’s of Social Work from Barry University in 1993.  He is the founder and executive director of the Institute for Akathisia Research and Prevention.

Chris has practiced in a variety of settings including teaching hospitals and schools, and has taught at the undergraduate and graduate level. He has presented papers at national and international conferences and appeared on Dateline NBC for his work with children of divorce. Chris has been in private practice since 1998 and currently provides supportive coaching to clients both nationally and internationally. Chris personally suffered from severe akathisia for three years losing everything in his life and pledged that if he survived the syndrome he would commit his life to saving others from suffering the same fate.

Since recovering from akathisia, Chris has appeared on numerous podcasts discussing both his experience with akathisia and his goals for the Institute.  He has published an upcoming academic chapter entitled, “Hiding in Plain Sight, Medication-Induced Complex Akathisia Syndrome” (MICAS): An updated Clinical Criteria, Assessment and Treatment Guide and is currently in the initial phases of developing an updated clinical scale to better aid medical and mental health professionals in identifying cases of akathisia.