Therapy for Depression in Chicago & Northfield
Depression can make life feel heavy. You don't have to carry it alone.
When depression makes every day feel like a struggle, therapy can help you find your way back to yourself. Our therapists provide personalized, evidence-based support to help you heal and thrive.
You Don't Have to Keep Struggling Alone
Have you recently been experiencing increased sadness or a loss of interest in things you used to find enjoyable? Does life increasingly feel like a struggle, taking you considerable amounts of energy just to get things done or get through the day?
You’re not lazy. You’re not weak. You’re not failing. What you’re experiencing is depression, and it’s one of the most common mental health challenges people face.
At Third Coast Wellness, we provide specialized therapy for depression in Chicago and Northfield. Depression can show up in many ways: chronic sadness, feelings of worthlessness, loss of interest in life, low energy, changes in sleep and appetite, isolation, and difficulty making decisions. These symptoms are real, they’re not your fault, and most importantly, they’re treatable.
There is hope for recovery from depression, and you don’t have to go through the healing process alone. We will help you reconnect with your inner sense of peace so you can rediscover joy and feel hopeful again.
Who Depression Therapy Is For
Depression therapy is for anyone whose sadness, hopelessness, or loss of interest is interfering with their ability to live the life they want. Whether your depression is mild or severe, recent or long-standing, you deserve support.
This therapy is right for you if you’re experiencing:
✓ Chronic sadness, emptiness, or hopelessness that won’t lift
✓ Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, or like you’re a burden to others
✓ Loss of interest or joy in activities you used to love
✓ Low energy and fatigue that makes everything feel exhausting
✓ Destructive coping behaviors like substance use or self-harm
✓ Changes in sleep (sleeping too much or struggling with insomnia)
✓ Changes in appetite (eating too much or too little)
✓ Withdrawing from friends, family, or activities
✓ Irritability, anger, or feeling numb instead of sad
✓ Difficulty focusing, making decisions, or remembering things
✓ Physical symptoms like headaches, body aches, or digestive issues
✓ Thoughts that life isn’t worth living or that others would be better off without you
Why Choose Individual Therapy at Third Coast Wellness
Our approach provides more than symptom management. We help you understand the roots of your depression and build lasting tools for healing and thriving.
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Expert Depression Treatment
Our therapists specialize in treating depression using evidence-based approaches proven to help. We understand that depression isn’t just “being sad,” and we provide comprehensive care that addresses the emotional, cognitive, and behavioral aspects of what you’re experiencing.
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Personalized, Collaborative Healing
Your depression is unique to you, shaped by your experiences, biology, relationships, and life circumstances. We create a personalized treatment plan that honors your story and goals, working collaboratively to help you feel like yourself again.
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Evidence of Hope
Depression is one of the most treatable mental health conditions, with over an 80% success rate according to the American Psychological Association. With the right support, you absolutely can feel better. We’ve walked alongside countless people through this journey, and we believe in your capacity to heal.
Our Treatment Approaches for Depression
We use evidence-based, proven therapies designed to help you understand your depression and develop effective tools for overcoming it.
CBT is one of the most effective treatments for depression. It helps you identify and challenge the negative thought patterns that fuel depressive feelings. Depression often creates distorted thinking like "I'm worthless," "Nothing will ever get better," or "I always fail." CBT teaches you to recognize these thoughts, test their accuracy, and replace them with more balanced, realistic perspectives. You'll also work on behavioral activation, gradually reengaging with activities that bring meaning and pleasure back into your life.
DBT provides practical skills for managing the intense emotions that come with depression. You'll learn distress tolerance techniques for getting through difficult moments, emotion regulation skills for preventing depressive spirals, mindfulness practices for staying present instead of ruminating on the past or worrying about the future, and interpersonal effectiveness skills for improving relationships that may be strained by depression.
Depression doesn't exist in a vacuum. It affects and is affected by your relationships and family systems. We explore how family patterns, relationship dynamics, and systemic issues may be contributing to or maintaining your depression. This approach is particularly helpful when depression is connected to family conflict, role changes, or intergenerational patterns.
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) helps prevent depression relapse by teaching you to observe thoughts and feelings without judgment. Instead of getting pulled into depressive thinking, you learn to notice thoughts as just thoughts, not facts. We'll teach you meditation practices, breathing techniques, and self-compassion skills that create space between you and your depression.
For those seeking deeper understanding, psychodynamic therapy explores how past experiences, relationships, and unconscious patterns contribute to depression. By understanding these deeper roots, you can create meaningful, lasting change rather than just managing symptoms. This approach is ideal for recurrent depression or when you feel stuck despite other treatments.
How Depression Therapy Works
Starting therapy when you’re depressed can feel overwhelming. We understand, and we make the process as simple and supportive as possible.
Step 1: Schedule a Free Consultation
Reach out through our online booking or call us directly. We offer a free 10–15 minute phone consultation to discuss what’s bringing you to therapy, clarify your goals, review insurance and payment options, and ensure we’re the right fit.
Step 2: Complete an Initial Assessment
Your first two sessions are assessment sessions lasting about 55 minutes each. We’ll explore your personal history, current symptoms, and therapy goals. Together, we’ll build a collaborative treatment plan that reflects your values and desired outcomes.
Step 3: Start Your Therapy Journey
After your assessment, ongoing individual therapy sessions last 50–55 minutes. They’re focused, collaborative, and paced according to your comfort level. We believe therapy works best when you feel safe, supported, and empowered to lead your own healing process.
What to Expect from Depression Therapy
Our work together can lead to meaningful, lasting relief from depression. Recovery is possible, and it’s worth fighting for.
You can expect to:
✓ Reduce feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and emptiness
✓ Challenge and change negative thought patterns that fuel depression
✓ Reconnect with your inner sense of peace and purpose
✓ Rediscover joy and interest in activities you used to love
✓ Increase your energy and motivation for daily tasks
✓ Improve sleep patterns and appetite
✓ Strengthen relationships and reduce isolation
✓ Develop healthy coping skills instead of destructive behaviors
✓ Build resilience to prevent future depressive episodes
✓ Feel hopeful about your future again
Our Commitment to You
“Depression is one of the most treatable mental health conditions, with over an 80% success rate.”
— American Psychological Association
There is hope for recovery from depression, and you don’t have to go through the healing process alone.
At Third Coast Wellness, we specialize in depression therapy in Chicago and Northfield using evidence-based approaches that create real, lasting change. We understand that depression makes everything harder, including reaching out for help. That’s why we work hard to make therapy as accessible and supportive as possible.
Our therapists have deep expertise in treating various types of depression, including major depressive disorder, persistent depressive disorder (dysthymia), postpartum depression, seasonal affective disorder, and depression related to life transitions or medical conditions. We provide compassionate, nonjudgmental care that meets you exactly where you are.
We know that when you’re depressed, it can feel like nothing will ever get better. That’s the depression talking, not the truth. With the right support, the vast majority of people with depression experience significant improvement. We’ve witnessed countless people reclaim their lives, and we believe you can too.
We will help you reconnect with your inner sense of peace so you can rediscover joy and feel hopeful again. You deserve to feel better, and we’re here to walk alongside you every step of the way.
Our Dedicated Team
Founder & Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor
Alison Kramme, M.A., LCPC
Currently seeing clients in-person at Northfield or virtually via TeleHealth.
Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor
Courtney Rankin, MA, LCPC
Currently seeing clients in-person in Chicago or virtually via TeleHealth.
Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor
Sandra Stevens, MA, LCPC
Currently seeing clients in-person in Chicago or virtually via TeleHealth.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to Get Started
We know that reaching out when you’re depressed takes enormous courage. We’re here to make the next steps as easy as possible.
Free phone consultations are available.
You can get in touch by calling, emailing, or booking online. We understand if even making contact feels hard. We’ll respond with compassion and help you take this important first step toward feeling better.
Many people start noticing small improvements within 4-6 weeks as they learn new coping skills and begin challenging depressive thinking. More significant change typically happens over 3-6 months of consistent work. For chronic or severe depression, longer-term therapy may be beneficial. The timeline varies based on the severity and duration of your depression.
Not necessarily. For mild to moderate depression, therapy alone can be highly effective. For moderate to severe depression, research shows that a combination of therapy and medication (prescribed by a psychiatrist or primary care doctor) often provides the best results. We can discuss what might be right for you and coordinate with your medical providers.
This is one of the cruelest aspects of depression: it makes it hard to do the very things that would help. We understand this completely. We can start with shorter sessions if needed, offer flexible scheduling, and provide virtual therapy so you don't have to leave home. Even showing up is progress, and we'll meet you where you are with your energy levels.
Everyone feels sad sometimes. Depression is different. It's persistent (lasting weeks or months), pervasive (affecting most areas of your life), and significantly interferes with your ability to function. Depression also includes other symptoms like changes in sleep, appetite, energy, concentration, and self-worth. If sadness is interfering with your daily life, it's worth seeking support.
There are many reasons therapy might not have worked previously: wrong type of therapy, poor therapist fit, not enough time, or other factors interfering with treatment. That doesn't mean therapy can't work for you. Different approaches work for different people, and finding the right match matters. We'll work with you to figure out what will be most helpful this time.
You Deserve to Feel Like Yourself Again
You don’t have to keep carrying this weight alone. You don’t have to keep pretending you’re okay when you’re not. And you don’t have to resign yourself to feeling this way forever.
Depression is treatable. Recovery is possible. Hope is real.
Our therapists are here to help you reconnect with peace, rediscover joy, and feel hopeful about your future again. Even if it doesn’t feel possible right now, we’ve seen it happen countless times, and we believe it can happen for you too.
Take the first step toward healing today.
Available in-person in Northfield and Chicago, or virtually throughout Illinois