Chicago parents, here’s where you can find mental health resources for your kids
Learn how to help your kids stay happy, healthy and learning this school year. Find links to free resources and where to get child therapy in Chicago.
By Steven Arroyo, Alex Keefe
Chicago parents, here’s where you can find mental health resources for your kids
Learn how to help your kids stay happy, healthy and learning this school year. Find links to free resources and where to get child therapy in Chicago.
By Steven Arroyo, Alex Keefe
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Chicago kids have plenty to be stressed about.
Between the pandemic, gun violence, active shooter drills, social media and economic uncertainty, more and more kids are reporting that their mental health has taken a hit. Last fall, the American Academy of Pediatrics declared the state of child and adolescent mental health in the U.S. to be a national emergency.
But for Chicago parents, a lack of available mental health resources can make finding help for kids just as stressful. That’s why WBEZ is compiling a list of some of the resources available in Chicago – whether that’s advice for how to talk to your kids, or how to find free or bilingual therapy.
Thank you to our fellow journalists at The Triibe, Chalkbeat and the Chicago Sun-Times for identifying some of the resources included in this guide. If you have questions about how to access resources – or if you’d like to suggest one to add to this guide – please email Engagement Editor Alex Keefe at akeefe@wbez.org.
Don’t forget: You can also watch our virtual event about answering your child mental health questions.
Where can I find resources for supporting my child’s mental health myself?
Free in-person mental health first-aid training in English and Spanish is available from Association House of Chicago. The Humboldt Park-based organization offers the training twice a month that teaches you how to “identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illnesses and addictions.”
“Talking to Kids You Love” is a collection of short, English-language videos from The Family Institute at Northwestern University about how to speak to children on difficult topics, like how to express anger, encourage empathy and face their fears.
“Healthy Minds, Thriving Kids” is a series of videos in English and Spanish from the Child Mind Institute for parents, students and educators. The videos teach mental health skills, along with an implementation guide. Topics include how to understand your feelings, how to relax and how to manage intense emotions. (h/t Chalkbeat)
The Child Mind Institute Family Resource Center also offers FAQs in English and Spanish for parents on 30 topics related to child mental health, including anxiety, sleep, and drugs and alcohol. (h/t Chalkbeat)
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network has guides in English and Spanish about how to help teens cope after a mass shooting. (h/t Chicago Sun-Times)
Where can I go for direct therapy or counseling services for my child?
The Family Institute at Northwestern University offers free therapy for families and children who qualify with graduate students-in-training and licensed therapists through its Bette D. Harris Family & Child Clinic.
Addresses: Teletherapy, Chicago (Loop), Evanston, Northbrook, Westchester
Languages: English, with limited Spanish available
Ages served: All ages
Payment: Free
Phone: 847-733-4300, option 2
Addresses: 1116 N. Kedzie Ave., Chicago, Ill., 60651 (Humboldt Park)
Languages: English and Spanish
Ages served: All ages
Payment: Sliding scale, also accepts Medicaid and other insurance
Phone: For Medicaid, call 773-772-8009, ext. 6721. For BlueCross PPO or private pay, use ext. 6820 or email bh-bcbs@associationhouse.org
Addresses: 6501 S.Promontory Dr., Chicago, Ill., 60649 (Jackson Park)
Languages: English and Spanish
Ages served: 0-17
Payment: Free counseling through the Chicago Child Trauma Center
Phone: 773-374-3748, ext. 2221
ACCESS Humboldt Park Family Health Center
Address: 3202 W. North Ave., Chicago, Ill., 60647 (Humboldt Park)
Languages: English and Spanish
Ages served: All ages
Payment: Sliding scale, also accepts Medicaid and other insurance
Phone: (773) 278-1880
Address: 5100 W. Harrison St., Chicago, Ill., 60644 (Austin)
3328 W. North Ave., Chicago, Ill., 60647 (Humboldt Park)
Languages: English and Spanish
Ages served: Typically ages 6-24
Payment: Free services, also accepts Medicaid and other insurance
Email: Jessica Carillo, Director of Clinical & Community Wellness Programs, jessicacarillo@buildchicago.org
Phone: (773) 227-2880
Saint Anthony Hospital: Community Wellness Program
Address: 3810 W. 16th St., Chicago, Ill., 60623 (North Lawndale)
2826 W. Cermak Rd., Chicago, Ill., 60623 (Little Village)
4195 S. Archer Ave., Chicago, Ill., 60632 (Brighton Park)
4600 S. Wood St., Chicago, Ill., 60609 (Back of the Yards)
Languages: English and Spanish
Ages served: All ages
Payment: Free services, also accepts Medicaid and other insurance
Phone: (773) 522-5299
Mount Sinai Hospital: Under the Rainbow
Address: 1500 S. California Ave., Chicago, Ill., 60622 (Douglas Park)
Languages: English and Spanish
Ages served: 3-18
Payment: Free services, also accepts insurance
Phone: (773) 257-4750
Sista Afya focuses on providing therapy and wellness services to Black women and girls. (h/t to The Triibe)
Address: 1817 E. 71st St., Chicago, Ill., 60649
Languages: English
Ages served: Adults, teen girls ages 13-18
Payment: Limited free therapy, sliding scale, insurance
Phone: (773) 234-7994
Address: Teletherapy + 7 locations, with therapy for children and teens only available at:
3249 N. Central Avenue, Chicago, Ill., 60634
5210 Main St., Skokie, Ill. 60077
Languages: English, Spanish, Polish, Assyrian and Korean
Ages served: 5 and older
Payment: Sliding scale for uninsured clients, self-pay at full rate for insurance you don’t wish to use
Phone: (773) 371-3645
Community Counseling Centers of Chicago (C4)
Address: Teletherapy + child & adolescent therapy at two locations
2542 W. North Ave., Chicago, Ill., 60647 (Logan Square)
4740 N. Clark St., Chicago, Ill., 60640 (Ravenswood)
Languages: English and Spanish
Ages served: All ages
Payment: Free services, sliding scale payment, and also accepts Medicaid and other insurance
Phone: (773) 769-0205
Erikson Institute, Center for Children and Families
Address: Teletherapy +
451 N. Lasalle St., Chicago, Ill., 60654 (River North)
3948 W. 26th St., Chicago, Ill., 60623 (Little Village)
6832 W. North Ave. Chicago, IL 60707 (Oak Park)
Languages: English and Spanish
Ages served: birth to 8 and their caregivers
Payment: Free (based on need), sliding scale, Medicaid and private insurance. In-network for BlueCross BlueShield Illinois, BCBS Community Health, Meridian, Molina, TriCare and others.
Contact: Visit this site to make an appointment, or call 312-709-0508 (English) and 312-934-6446 (Spanish)
Christian Community Health Center is a trauma-informed center of care that provides teen and young adult individual therapy, as well as adult, older adult and family therapy.
Address: Teletherapy + 3 locations
9718 S. Halsted St., Chicago, Ill., 60628 (Washington Heights)
901 E. Sibley Blvd., South Holland, Ill., 60473
364 Torrence Ave., Calumet City, Ill., 60409
Languages: English
Ages served: No services for children younger than 6. Middle childhood services offered on a case-by-base basis. Teen therapy available.
Payment: Sliding scale, also accepts Medicaid, CountyCare and private insurance
Phone: (773) 344-4100, option 1
Steven Arroyo is an Engagement Producer on WBEZ’s Community Engagement Team. Email him at sarroyo@wbez.org. Alex Keefe is the Engagement Editor. Follow him at @akeefe.