Affirming Counseling & Therapy in Uptown, Chicago
Start Your Second Story with Culturally Responsive Care. From the jazz history of the Green Mill to the Vietnamese and Cambodian flavors of Argyle Street, Uptown (60640) is one of Chicago’s most layered and alive neighborhoods. It’s also one of its most demanding. At 2nd Story Counseling, we specialize in supporting the diverse individuals, couples, artists, and families of Uptown and Buena Park — with therapy that meets the full complexity of who you are.
Quick Contact Information
- Address: 655 W Irving Park Rd, Suite 204, Chicago, IL 60613
- Phone: (773) 528-1777
- In-Network Insurance: Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO
- Request Appointment: Visit our contact page to schedule an appointment
Uptown, Chicago (60640 + 60613): A Neighborhood That Demands a Lot — and Gives a Lot Back
Uptown (zip code 60640 and 60613) is unlike any other neighborhood on Chicago’s North Side. Its marquees still glow — the Aragon Ballroom, the Riviera Theatre, and the legendary Green Mill have anchored Broadway for over a century. Walk two blocks east and Argyle Street opens into one of the city’s most vibrant Southeast Asian corridors, where Vietnamese, Cambodian, and Chinese-owned restaurants, bakeries, and grocers have built a thriving community. Head toward the lake and Montrose Beach offers a rare exhale — open water, migratory birds, and space to think.
Uptown also carries real weight. It is a neighborhood of profound economic diversity, rapid gentrification pressure, large immigrant and refugee populations, a rich LGBTQ+ presence, and a creative community — musicians, actors, artists — often hustling between passion and survival. Life here is full, but it can also be exhausting, isolating, and hard to process alone.
At 2nd Story Counseling, we provide therapy that is deeply attuned to the multicultural, transient, and high-energy nature of Uptown 60613/60640. We help clients manage urban anxiety, navigate complex relationship dynamics, process trauma, and find grounding when the pace of Broadway and Sheridan Road feels like too much. Our Lakeview office sits just south of the main Uptown corridor — easily accessible via the Red Line — and we offer secure Telehealth for neighbors who prefer to stay close to home.
How To Get Here: Directions from Uptown to Our Office
Our office is located at 655 W Irving Park Rd, offering a simple commute just south of the main Uptown corridor.
🚇 By Public Transportation (CTA)
We are highly accessible via the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA):
- CTA Red Line: This is the most direct route. From the Wilson, Argyle, or Lawrence stops, take the Red Line southbound one or two stops to the Sheridan stop. Our office is just a short 7-10 minute walk west on Irving Park Road.
- Bus Routes:
- #36 (Broadway): Runs directly from Uptown south through Buena Park and Lakeview.
- #151 (Sheridan): Connects the entire lakefront, with stops close to our office.
- #80 (Irving Park): The bus stops directly in front of or across the street from our building.
🚗 By Car & Parking Information
The drive from Uptown is short, typically following the lakefront or main inner-city avenues:
- Route: Travel south on Sheridan Road or Broadway. We are located just west of Sheridan.
- Parking: Street parking is available near our office, but it often requires metered payment or a City of Chicago Residential Permit (Zone 383). Please allow extra time before your appointment to secure a spot.
🗺️ Need Assistance?
Use the link below to get directions directly from your location, or call our office if you have any trouble finding us!
Specialized Services for the Uptown Community
We offer evidence-based therapy that addresses the diverse and specific mental health needs of Uptown residents in both 60640 and 60613.
| Service Focus | What We Offer | Therapy Service |
| Urban Anxiety & Stress | Focused treatment for career stress, financial pressure, social anxiety, and navigating the transitions of city life in one of Chicago’s most fast-moving neighborhoods. | Anxiety Therapist Uptown Chicago |
| LGBTQ+ Affirming Therapy | Culturally affirming counseling for queer and trans individuals navigating identity, minority stress, chosen family dynamics, and the unique pressures of Chicago’s LGBTQ+ community. | LGBTQ+ Therapy Chicago |
| Trauma & PTSD Treatment | Advanced trauma-focused approaches including EMDR and Trauma-Focused CBT for healing complex trauma, adverse childhood experiences, and PTSD. Also serving First Responders and Helping Professionals. | Trauma Therapist Chicago 60640 |
| Internal Family Systems (IFS) | Parts-based therapy that helps you understand the root causes of internal conflict, heal protective patterns, and reconnect with your core Self. Especially effective for trauma, anxiety, and identity work. | IFS Therapy Chicago |
| Quarter Life Crisis | Helping young adults navigate identity, life direction, and purpose. If you’re feeling stuck between who you were and who you’re becoming, we can help you find your footing. | Quarter Life Crisis Counseling |
| Grief & Life Transitions | Compassionate support for navigating loss, changes in career, housing instability, and the shifting community dynamics that are a real part of life in Uptown. | Grief Counseling in Uptown |
Who Seeks Therapy in Uptown, Chicago?
Uptown draws people who are doing a lot — creatively, culturally, emotionally. Our clients reflect the full range of what it means to live and work in one of Chicago’s most dynamic neighborhoods. Here are some of the stories we hear most often.
🎷 The Artist, Musician, or Performer
You love what you do — playing the Green Mill circuit, performing at the Aragon, teaching, creating. But the hustle is relentless, the income unpredictable, and the emotional labor of putting yourself out there night after night takes a real toll. Therapy gives you a space to process the pressure without losing the passion.
🏳️🌈 The Queer or Trans Resident Navigating Minority Stress
Uptown has a strong and visible LGBTQ+ community, but being queer in any city still carries weight — minority stress, identity exploration, chosen family conflict, or the exhaustion of navigating a world not always built for you. Our affirming therapists understand these dynamics from the inside out. No explanations required.
🌏 The Immigrant or First-Generation Resident
The Argyle Street corridor is home to one of Chicago’s most established Vietnamese, Cambodian, and Southeast Asian communities. Balancing cultural expectations with personal identity, navigating intergenerational family dynamics, and processing displacement or refugee experience are real and complex challenges. We provide culturally responsive therapy that honors where you come from and where you are going.
🌆 The Young Adult Navigating a Quarter Life Crisis
You moved to Uptown because it felt like the right kind of place to figure things out. Affordable enough, interesting enough, close enough to the lake. But the questions keep coming — about career, relationships, identity, and what comes next. You don’t need someone to hand you a roadmap. You need someone to sit with you while you draw your own.
🏳️🌈 Queer & Trans Affirming Therapy in Uptown
Finding therapy that validates your identity shouldn’t be hard. Our Uptown-area practice specializes in LGBTQ+ mental health—supporting you through gender exploration, minority stress, chosen family dynamics, and creating the life you deserve.
♂️ Therapy for Gay Men’s Unique Challenges
Whether dealing with coming out later in life, navigating open relationships, managing PrEP/sexual health concerns, or healing from past trauma—work with therapists who get it. No explanations needed, just authentic support.
Our Commitment to the Uptown Community
- Culturally Responsive Care — Not Just a Buzzword: Uptown is one of the most genuinely diverse zip codes in Illinois. Our clinicians are trained in cultural humility and have real experience working with immigrant and refugee populations, LGBTQ+ individuals, artists, and first-generation Americans. We move well beyond simple “tolerance” to therapy that is actively informed by who you are and where you come from.
- Advanced, Integrative Approaches: We draw from a deep toolkit — CBT, DBT, EMDR, Internal Family Systems (IFS), and Psychodynamic therapy — to build a customized roadmap for each client. This means we address both the immediate symptoms and the deeper roots of your challenges. Many people searching for a therapist in Uptown for depression find that an integrative approach gets further than a single-method practice.
- Proximity That Actually Matters: Our office at 655 W Irving Park Rd sits at the southern edge of Uptown — closer to the Wilson and Argyle corridors than most practices that claim to serve this neighborhood. Whether you ride the Red Line, take the #80 bus, or walk from Buena Park, getting here is straightforward. And when Chicago winters make everything harder, our secure HIPAA-compliant Telehealth option means your session happens no matter what.
- Access to Care for Every Budget: We are proudly in-network with Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO and reserve a limited number of sliding scale slots to ensure that cost is not the barrier between you and quality mental health care. Uptown’s economic diversity is real — and so is our commitment to meeting it.
Ready to Begin? Your Questions Answered.
Q: Do you accept insurance or offer a sliding scale?
We are proudly in-network with Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO. We also reserve a limited number of sliding scale slots to ensure that neighbors in Uptown (60640 and 60613) and the surrounding North Side have access to quality care regardless of their financial situation. Call us at (773) 528-1777 to ask about current availability.
Q: What is the first step in scheduling a session?
Visit our contact page or call our care coordinator directly. We will match you with a therapist who specializes in your core concerns — whether that is identity affirmation, trauma recovery, financial stress, or relationship conflict — and who understands the specific nuances of life in the Uptown community.
Q: Can I see a therapist online?
Yes. We offer secure, HIPAA-compliant video counseling for all clients across Chicago and Illinois. Telehealth is a great option for Uptown residents who want to avoid the commute, work around a demanding schedule, or simply prefer the comfort of their own space.
Q: Do you have therapists with experience working with Chicago’s immigrant and multicultural communities?
Yes. Our clinicians have direct experience working with immigrant and refugee populations, first-generation Americans, and clients navigating bicultural identity — including many residents from the Argyle Street corridor and surrounding Southeast Asian community in Uptown. Culturally responsive care is a core part of how we work, not an afterthought.
Q: What makes 2nd Story Counseling different from other therapists near Uptown?
A few things stand out. Our office at 655 W Irving Park Rd sits at the southern edge of Uptown — closer to the Wilson and Argyle corridors than most practices that list Uptown as a service area. We offer advanced modalities including EMDR and Internal Family Systems (IFS) alongside CBT and DBT. We are in-network with Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO and maintain sliding scale slots for clients who need them. And our LGBTQ+ affirming care goes deeper than a checkbox — several of our therapists identify as LGBTQ+ themselves and bring lived experience to the work.
Meet Our Therapists Serving the Uptown Community
Be sure to stop by our Counselors and Therapists in Uptown, Chicago page to read the background and bios of our different professionals. Which one speaks most to your needs?
I was struggling with feeling invisible after breaking up with my boyfriend. There were so many days I was depressed. After working with Grace in counseling, I started to get my identity back. I’m so glad I went to her for therapy. The office was super close for me to get to from the Wilson “L” stop.
– Amy
Don’t wait to start the next chapter. Contact 2nd Story Counseling today.
2nd Story Counseling, Lakeview Office 655 W Irving Park Rd, Suite 204, Chicago, IL 60613 See Google Maps
Services: Individual Therapy, Trauma Treatment, EMDR, Internal Family Systems (IFS), CBT, DBT, LGBTQ+ Affirming Therapy, Grief Counseling. Serving: Uptown (60640 & 60613), Buena Park, Andersonville, Lakeview, Lincoln Square, and Ravenswood.