Who are we?
We offer mental health services to LGBTQ+ youth and adults who are HIV+ or vulnerable to acquiring HIV. We provide individual, couples, family, and group psychotherapy that is FREE to our clients. We are currently offering virtual sessions only due to COVID-19. However, typically, sessions can occur in our Hyde Park offices, in community, or at your home, depending on what you and your therapist assess is best for your needs. Our services focus on your goals and hopes for your life, not our own.
Our team specializes in treating trauma, understanding the ways that stigma and shame can impact a person’s mental health, and assisting you in moving your life from surviving to thriving. We use art, talk, movement, relationship and mindfulness to help you build the skills to get there. Our team of dedicated therapists includes master’s level licensed clinicians as well as final year social work interns during the academic year.
The team also provides rapid intervention and consultation during medical visits in Care2Prevent’s HIV clinics. Patients receiving medical care through Care2Prevent will come to know our team as we stop in your exam room to find ways to improve your everyday functioning, more effectively manage your HIV or PrEP care, and grow our shared understanding of the connections between your physical and mental health.
Psychiatry
Care2Prevent’s Behavioral Health team now offers limited slots for psychiatric care for our clients. Psychiatry appointments can be used to evaluate your mental health from a diagnostic perspective, prescribe medicine to support your mental health or re-evaluate the medicines you have been taking if they do not seem to be working. This service is reserved for Care2Prevent clients living with HIV and for clients who do not already have psychiatry services elsewhere.
Our team is specifically trained and prioritizes the affirmation and honoring of your various identities, expressions of gender and personhood, and HIV status. We center the lived experiences of youth and adults of color and recognize you as an expert in your own life. We feel thankful and humbled to enter into the sacred journey of healing with you.
How do I sign up?
We are currently not taking new clients due to short staffing but can share the following resources:
Sista Afya (for female-identifying individuals)
Resources identified by the City of Chicago can be found by entering your zip code and looking for a provider near you.
Filter by insurance at Psychology Today
NAMI and SAMHSA are also always good resources.
If you or someone you know are feeling thoughts of suicide or self-harm, please call 988.
“Care can mean being a listening ear to patients who haven’t felt safe in disclosing their medical status for fear of rejection, scrutiny or shame.”
— Elaine Seaton, Medical Case Manager