The frigid Chicago winter is quickly approaching and if you’ve ever been affected by seasonal depression, you know right now is quite a vulnerable time for your mental health. It’s important to acknowledge, and even more important to find healthy ways to maintain.
But as we head into our second pandemic holiday season and continue to grapple with whatever we might deal with on the day-to-day, scrounging up resources might not always be the easiest thing to work into the schedule. No worries though, we did it for you — and we did it with your pockets in mind.
So to aid in your fight against seasonal affective disorder, an indefinite pandemic, and Mercury in Retro J’s (or retrograde, whichever you prefer), here are a few free and low-cost resources to help keep you grounded.
Sista Afya is a Black woman-owned and staffed mental wellness organization that provides mental wellness education, resource connection and community support to Black women. Its non-profit arm, Sista Afya Community Care, provides free individual therapy, community workshops and professional development to people in the Chicagoland area.
Grounded Wellness
Website: www.groundedwellnessllc.com
Phone: (773) 888-3361
Location: Hyde Park Bank Building, 1525 East 53rd Street, Suite 501
Chicago, Illinois 60615
Grounded Wellness is a psychotherapy practice whose mental health professionals provide wellness services including individual and group psychotherapy, performance psychology consultations and self-care workshops. Their services aren’t free but many of their counselors and therapists provide their services on a sliding scale.
Free Black Therapy is a nonprofit organization that connects clients with a Black therapist, then covers the cost of the first few sessions in full. Free Black Therapy does have a capacity limit, but its waitlist is always worth a shot.
Access Community Health Care
Website: www.achn.net
Phone: (866) 267-2353
Location: 35 locations throughout Cook and DuPage counties
Access Community Health Care provides health services for issues such as anxiety, addiction, trauma and grief in their 35 health centers, 25 of which are located in Chicago. Access will provide or connect you with services for free even if you’re uninsured.You can contact them on the phone or online for assistance.
YWCA Chicago Wellness Network
Website: www.ywcachicago.org/our-work/wellness/wellness-network/
Phone: (773) 302-2049
Location: Laura Parks & Mildred Francis Center, 6600 S. Cottage Grove Ave.
Chicago, IL 60637
YWCA’s Wellness Network provides counseling as well as assistance with finding and accessing resources for childcare, healthcare, employment and housing. The wellness Network’s services come at no cost to clients. Visit this link or call for information and to schedule a session.
Metropolitan Family Services
Website: www.metrofamily.org/programs-and-services/emotional-wellness/behavioral-health/
Phone: (773) 371-3642
Location: 7 locations on the South Side, North Side, southwest suburbs and DuPage County
Metro Family Services provides employment educational and domestic violence resources, in addition to their countless behavioral health services that can all be accessed for free.
C4 Chicago
Website: https://www.c4chicago.org/
Phone: (773) 769-0205
Location: 4 locations total on the North Side and in Belle Plaine
Community Counseling Centers of Chicago, aka C4, provides child and family mental health services, adult counseling and support services, medical services, and crisis services. You can access these services at no cost to you by filling out an online request for services or by calling.