In-Person in Chicago, IL 60640
Online in Illinois
You've been carrying too much for too long. The anxiety that won't quit. The depression that makes everything harder than it should be. The relationship that feels stuck. The past that keeps showing up uninvited. We help individuals and couples do the hard work that leads to real change. In-person appointments in Chicago. Telehealth across Illinois. Insurance accepted. Accepting new clients.
Client Focus
Session Format: Couple, Family, Group, Individual sessions.
Age Specialty: Adult, Senior, Teen, Young Adult
Demographic Expertise: LGBTQ+, Men, Women clients.
Languages: English
Treatment Approach
- Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) Helps people accept difficult thoughts and feelings instead of fighting them, while committing to actions that reflect their values. It blends mindfulness with practical behavior strategies.
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) One of the most widely used approaches, CBT helps people identify unhelpful thoughts and replace them with healthier patterns. It is effective for anxiety, depression, and many other concerns.
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Combines CBT with mindfulness to help regulate emotions, tolerate stress, and build stronger relationships. Originally designed for borderline personality disorder, it’s now used more broadly.
- Eclectic Therapy Draws from different therapeutic methods based on what fits each client best. It is flexible and personalized rather than following one single model.
- Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) Focuses on strengthening emotional bonds in couples or families. It helps people identify negative cycles and create more secure connections.
- Existential / Humanistic Therapy Encourages people to explore meaning, freedom, and authenticity in their lives. It focuses on personal growth and living in alignment with one’s values.
- Family Systems Therapy Looks at problems within the context of the family as a whole. It aims to improve communication and balance in family relationships.
- Gottman Method Couples Therapy Based on decades of research, this method gives couples tools to improve communication, manage conflict, and strengthen intimacy.
- Internal Family Systems (IFS) Helps clients heal by working with different ‘parts’ of themselves, like inner critics or wounded children. It fosters harmony within the self.
- Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) Combines mindfulness practices with CBT to prevent depression relapse. It helps people notice thoughts without judgment and respond more calmly.
- Person-Centered Therapy (Rogerian) Emphasizes empathy, unconditional positive regard, and authenticity. It provides a safe space for self-discovery and growth.
- Psychodynamic Therapy Explores unconscious thoughts and patterns that influence current behavior. It builds insight into how the past impacts the present.
Education & Credentials
Bergen Counseling Collective LCPC
- Female, Male
- License # 180007358
- Licensed in IL
- Practicing Since 2006
Education: We're master's level therapists with varied training, backgrounds, and clinical experience. What we share is a commitment to ongoing learning and meeting each client where they are.
Finances
Insurance
- Accepts Insurance
- Aetna PPO, BCBS PPO, UBH PPO, Cigna PPO
Bergen Counseling Collective Practice Details
Therapy Sessions
- Available In-Person in Chicago, IL 60640
- Available Online for residents of Illinois
- Online Therapy Details: Bergen Counseling Collective offers telehealth video sessions through SimplePractice HIPAA compliant platform.
You've been thinking about therapy for a while now. Maybe it's the relationship that's been stuck in the same painful patterns for months or years. Maybe it's anxiety or depression that's worn you down. Maybe it's old wounds that never fully healed, experiences you've carried since long before this job, this relationship, this version of your life. Maybe it's all of it tangled together in ways you can't quite sort out on your own. Whatever the specifics, you're here because something needs to change. And you've carried it long enough to know that carrying it isn't the same as addressing it. I'm Jeremiah Bergen, founder of Bergen Counseling Collective in Chicago. We are here to to help.
Or it's something older. Something you've carried for years. Experiences you've never fully processed, or processed in ways that helped you survive but aren't serving you anymore. You've built a life around it. You work hard, stay busy, keep the focus on everyone else. But it's still there. Still shaping how you react, who you trust, how you see yourself when no one's looking.
Or maybe it's the relationship. You love each other, or at least you remember loving each other, but somewhere along the way you became roommates. Co-managers of a household. You talk about logistics and schedules and whose turn it is, but the real conversations stopped happening a long time ago. When you do try to talk about something that matters, it turns into the same argument you've had a hundred times. You're not even sure what you're fighting about anymore.
These are the things we work with at Bergen Counseling Collective.
Finding a therapist is an act of hope. You're hoping this person will understand you. Hoping they'll actually have the skills to help. Hoping the investment of time and money and emotional energy will be worth it. We take that hope seriously, and we believe it deserves to be met with real expertise.
Our practice is built on two decades of clinical experience. For couples, we use the Gottman Method, which is the most extensively researched approach to couples therapy available. It was developed from longitudinal studies observing thousands of real couples in real conflict, and it gives us a clear map of what's actually going wrong in your relationship. Not guesses. Not theories. Patterns that have been studied and validated, with interventions that work. We help couples who are navigating communication breakdowns, emotional distance, trust ruptures, infidelity, and the hard question of whether to stay or go. We're not cheerleaders for your relationship, and we're not here to help you end it. We're here to help you see clearly and make a decision you can stand behind.
For individuals, we bring trauma-informed care that understands how past experiences shape present struggles. Anxiety that's become constant background noise. Depression that makes everything feel like it takes twice the effort it should. Life transitions that have knocked you off balance. And for LGBTQ+ clients, we offer affirming care that goes beyond a rainbow flag on the website. Our clinicians understand the specific stressors, family dynamics, and identity questions you're navigating, and we meet you where you are without making you explain or justify yourself.
So what does the work actually feel like with us?
It feels like being met by someone who's genuinely paying attention. We build a real relationship with you, one grounded in warmth and honesty. We listen closely and reflect what we're hearing. We notice patterns you might not see yourself. And when something important surfaces, we don't just nod along. We care enough to gently push, to ask the questions that help you look at what you've been avoiding. That's not comfortable, but it's where the growth happens.
We believe good therapy requires someone who will be honest with you and a space where you feel safe enough to be honest with yourself. We try to offer both.
Bergen Counseling Collective is a group practice based in Chicago's Ravenswood neighborhood. We offer in-person sessions and telehealth throughout Illinois, with evening availability because your life doesn't pause for therapy. We accept BCBS PPO and Aetna insurance because cost shouldn't be a barrier to getting the help you need.
You've been carrying this long enough. If what you've read here resonates, reach out. Let's talk about whether we're the right fit.