Finding a therapist in Chicago can be confusing and even challenging.  There’s a wide range of mental health therapists in the city, each one unique in their own approach, specialty, and education. So, if you’re considering starting therapy, whether that’s in person or online, your first big question might be, “What type of mental health therapist is the right fit for me?”

That’s where this guide comes in handy. It’s packed with all the details you need to help you find just the right therapist in Chicago who’s going to be the best match for your unique challenges, circumstances, and personal preferences.

What motivates you to seek therapy?

There are countless reasons why you might feel the pull toward therapy. Understanding what’s driving you to seek a Chicago therapist, as well as what you’re hoping to achieve, can really help you pinpoint the kind of therapy and setup that’s likely to click with you.

Just to give you an idea, here are some typical reasons why people often decide to explore therapy (and the sorts of therapy they often find most beneficial):

• Coping with Stress: Life can get overwhelming, and therapy can provide tools and techniques to handle stress effectively.

• Managing Mental Health Disorders: Many individuals turn to therapy to manage mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, or PTSD. Individual therapy is often the first line of treatment.

• Dealing with Grief or Loss: Experiencing the loss of a loved one or dealing with significant life changes can be emotionally challenging. Individual therapy, group therapy, and family therapy can provide a supportive environment to navigate through the grief process.

• Improving Relationships: Relationship difficulties, whether with a spouse, family member, or coworker, are a common reason people seek therapy. Couples counselors can help improve communication, resolve conflicts, and strengthen bonds within the relationship and relational therapists (a type of individual therapist) can help to understand your role in your relationship dynamics.

• Enhancing Self-Understanding: Individual therapy can help individuals better understand themselves, their values, and their goals, leading to personal growth and self-improvement.

• Overcoming Trauma: Individuals who have experienced traumatic events can find individual and group therapy beneficial in processing the experience, resolving the trauma, and developing coping strategies.

• Navigating Life Transitions: Big changes like starting a new job, moving, getting married, or retiring can create uncertainty and stress. Individual therapy can provide guidance and support during these life transitions for solo transitions and couples counseling or family therapy can help for transitions experienced as a unit.

Chicago Therapist Types

The mental health profession is pretty diverse, with all sorts of titles and specialties that can change from state to state. It can definitely feel like you’re trying to navigate a maze figuring out who does what.

So, if you’re finding it tough to manage your emotions, or to make sense of your thoughts and behaviors, what kind of mental health therapist is going to be your best match? Should you book a session with a counselor, a therapist, or a social worker?

Let’s break down the differences in their education, training, licensure, areas of expertise, and the services they provide, to help clear things up for you.

• Clinical Social Workers: Licensed Social Workers (LSW) and Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSW) generally have a master’s degree in social work (MSW), with some even holding a doctoral degree in social work (DSW or PhD). These professionals, including Chicago therapists, are adept at assessing a person’s mental health and utilizing therapeutic techniques to treat mental health conditions. They also provide advocacy services in various settings. They are not licensed to prescribe medication but can offer a range of services including assessments, diagnoses, and counseling.

• Licensed Professional Counselors (LPCs) & Licensed Clinical Professional Counselors (LCPCs): These mental health therapists, who may also be referred to as “Chicago therapists,” offer a variety of therapy interventions for mental health disorders. Their training includes six to seven years of higher education and two to three years of full-time, supervised clinical experience. They are experts in counseling and psychotherapy.  These professionals can diagnose, plan treatment, and provide counseling for a wide range of mental health issues.

• Licensed Marriage & Family Therapists (LMFTs): LMFTs have completed at least six years of higher education, an internship, and a licensing process. Their training is specifically designed to handle mental health issues in the context of relationships, making them apt for providing couples counseling or family therapy. Many, including all LMFTs on the Tandem Psychology staff,  also have additional training in individual therapy. They work with a wide range of issues, including those arising in complex family structures and those related to attachments.

• Psychologists: These mental health therapists hold a doctoral degree in clinical psychology (Ph.D. or PsyD). They spend four to six years learning how to conduct clinical interviews, psychological evaluations, neuropsychological evaluations to assess an individual’s mental health as well as various approaches to therapy. They can diagnose and treat a variety of mental health disorders, providing both individual and group therapy. While they are typically not licensed to prescribe medication, they are equipped to help with a range of concerns.

• Psychiatrists: Psychiatrists, including those who serve as therapists in Chicago, are medical professionals with either an MD (Doctor of Medicine) or DO (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine) degree. Their training involves four years in medical school and another four years focusing on the diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric disorders. They are equipped to identify whether a mental health issue might be a symptom of another medical condition. These professionals are licensed to prescribe and monitor medication, and they are capable of providing or referring patients to therapeutic services.

Psychologists, licensed clinical social workers, and licensed professional counselors are all equipped to assess and diagnose mental health conditions, devise treatment strategies, and serve as your Chicago therapist.

While these providers generally cater to a wide spectrum of conditions, they can also choose to focus on specific age groups, such as kids, teens, or older adults. Or, they might specialize in dealing with certain issues like depression, eating disorders, or trauma.

When you see their credentials, like a Ph.D. or an MSW, it lets you know that the mental health therapist has completed an essential academic program and holds a degree from a recognized institution. A license indicates that the mental health professional has passed a state-administered exam and is permitted to practice.

However, this information alone doesn’t necessarily indicate whether a therapist is going to be the right match for you. Research consistently indicates that therapeutic relationship is the best predictor of therapy outcomes. So, finding a therapist who feels like a good fit is super important for getting the most out of your therapy sessions.

What types of therapy exist?

When considering therapy in Chicago, there’s a broad array of styles and arrangements to explore in your quest to answer the question, “What kind of therapist do I need?” The optimal choice depends on your specific requirements, your personality, and your objectives.

To make the most effective selection, it’s crucial to delve deep and comprehend what each therapy style or arrangement means for your mental health care.

• Individual Therapy: This is perhaps the most prevalent form of therapy. As the name suggests, individual therapy involves one-on-one sessions with a licensed mental health therapist, typically held at weekly or biweekly intervals.

• Couples Therapy or Relationship Therapy: Also called couples counseling, this therapy type caters to members of relationships desiring to work on any aspect of their relationship, ranging from communication, trust issues, infidelity, parenting challenges, and mood disorders to any other elements that might be affecting the relationship.

• Family Therapy: A form of psychotherapy, family therapy provides a safe and neutral environment for families to collaboratively work through issues. The focus could be on improving communication skills, resolving conflicts, handling substance abuse concerns, or addressing a myriad of other issues.

• Group Therapy: Particularly effective for support in addiction recovery and LGBT people going through the coming out process, group therapy also serves as an excellent option if you’re seeking a support group to help cope with grief, trauma, or experiences of physical or sexual abuse.

• Life Events Therapy: For individuals experiencing or anticipating significant life events, seeking a Chicago therapist can be invaluable. Perhaps you’re navigating grief or anticipating the birth of a child. You might need support through a divorce or require assistance coping with challenging scenarios like infertility, chronic illnesses, or other life complexities.

• In-person Therapy: This traditional form of therapy arrangement involves physically meeting a therapist in Chicago for face-to-face sessions. In-person therapy is often combined with online therapy (e.g., teletherapy) in a hybrid format as well.

• Online Therapy: Also known as distance therapy, e-therapy, internet therapy, teletherapy, or web therapy, this mode offers the convenience of seeking mental health help from any location. This secure, user-friendly, and effective method eliminates the need for commuting, making it an ideal solution for many individuals seeking therapy.

What are the Various Types of Therapy a Chicago Therapist Can Offer?

Talk therapy takes several forms and has numerous subcategories, each with unique nuances and styles that may be particularly effective for certain conditions. Below are some of the most common types of talk therapy that a mental health therapist or a therapist in Chicago could offer:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): This form of talk therapy aims to change thought patterns and can be effective for several conditions, significantly improving quality of life and functionality. The principles of CBT techniques posit that psychological difficulties originate from negative, unhelpful thinking and ingrained patterns of adverse behavior. A core belief of CBT is that better-coping mechanisms for psychological issues can ultimately alleviate symptoms and promote a healthier, more fulfilling life.

• Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT): DBT, a type of CBT, employs an evidence-based approach to help you be present and foster more stable, improved relationships. It assists in developing effective coping skills and emotional regulation. A mental health therapist may implement DBT via teletherapy, one-on-one sessions, or group therapy.

• Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT): An action-oriented type of CBT, REBT is beneficial for individuals dealing with irrational behavior and beliefs. It facilitates constructive management of thoughts, emotions, and behaviors in a healthy, realistic manner. REBT helps recognize and then change negative thought patterns and beliefs.

• Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP): Another variant of psychotherapy under the CBT umbrella, ERP is a type of exposure therapy designed to assist individuals with obsessive thoughts, like those who have obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). ERP involves gradual exposure to potential triggers, aiming to reduce reactivity and promote healthier alternatives.

• Psychodynamic Therapy: Psychodynamic therapy concentrates on how you can alter problematic thoughts and behaviors. Through this therapy structure, a Chicago therapist assists you in understanding your motivations, even if they are unintentional. This therapy type typically works best when a close working relationship is established with your therapist.

• Humanistic Therapy: Centered on your individual nature, humanistic therapy separates your association with groups or classes of people, allowing you to focus on expressing your authentic self. This therapy type is built on the principle belief that you are born with unique potential, which, with appropriate nurturing or training, you can fully realize.

• Internal Family Systems (IFS): IFS therapy is an approach that identifies and addresses multiple “parts” or sub-personalities within each person’s mental system. These sub-personalities consist of wounded parts and painful emotions such as anger and shame, and parts that try to control and protect the person from the pain of the wounded parts. Like an internal family system, the sub-personalities are often in conflict with each other and with one’s core Self, a concept that describes the confident, compassionate, whole person that is at the core of every individual. IFS focuses on healing the wounded parts and restoring mental balance and harmony by changing the dynamics that create discord among the sub-personalities and the Self.

• Trauma Therapy: Trauma therapy is a specialized approach that helps individuals deal with the aftermath of traumatic events. It encompasses several therapeutic techniques to address the emotional, physical, and mental health issues that trauma can trigger. A mental health therapist in Chicago might employ strategies such as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), somatic experiencing, or cognitive restructuring to help individuals process and make sense of their traumatic experiences, reducing their impact and empowering individuals to move forward.

• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): ACT is an action-oriented approach that uses acceptance and mindfulness strategies, combined with commitment and behavior change strategies, to increase psychological flexibility. The goal of ACT is not to eliminate difficult feelings; rather, it is to be present with what life throws at us, choosing to act in a way that aligns with our values, even in the face of challenging circumstances. An ACT-oriented Chicago therapist would guide individuals to commit to action that enriches their life, thus making room for these experiences while not allowing them to dictate behavior.

• Mindfulness-Based Therapies: Mindfulness-based therapies focus on helping individuals develop a heightened awareness of their thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations in the present moment, without judgment. This type of therapy encourages acceptance and acknowledgment of one’s experience as it is, rather than trying to change or avoid it. Techniques often used in mindfulness therapy include meditation, body scan exercises, and mindful breathing. When guided by a skilled mental health therapist in Chicago, these practices can help individuals manage stress, anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues, and enhance overall well-being. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) are among the widely known mindfulness therapy approaches.

• Integrated Therapy: Integrated therapy, often referred to as integrative therapy, represents a combined approach to psychotherapy that brings together different elements of specific therapies. Therapists in Chicago who use this approach don’t believe that one particular method holds all the answers, but instead, they take a more holistic view that each person needs a tailored plan to meet their unique needs. Integrated therapy can encompass a blend of techniques from cognitive behavioral therapy, psychodynamic therapy, humanistic therapy, and others, with the aim of delivering more personalized and effective treatment. This approach can be particularly beneficial for clients with complex issues or multiple concerns impacting their mental health.

Next Steps:

The objective of this guide is to provide you with a substantial understanding of the varied therapeutic approaches and the different types of mental health therapists available for collaboration.

I encourage you to devote some time to reflect and define your expectations from a therapeutic relationship. Our priorities are unique to us, and that’s entirely appropriate. Perhaps the proximity of your Chicago therapist is a significant factor for you, or their expertise in handling a specific issue you’re grappling with may take precedence.

Our practice is brimming with highly competent therapists, and the crucial aspect is to feel acknowledged and supported during your therapy sessions. The decision to schedule your first appointment could be a pivotal stride toward a life of improved happiness and well-being.

This blog is made for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice. The information in this blog is not intended to (1) replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified licensed health care provider, (2) create or establish a provider-patient relationship, or (3) create a duty for us to follow up with you.