Chicago couples can choose between specialist relationship practices and broader therapy groups. These five practices offer different ways to work on communication, trust, parenting, and decisions about the future. The list includes Chicago offices, a Northfield option, and online services. You can use these marriage counseling questions for couples to prepare a conversation about your goals before meeting a therapist.
1. Couples Counseling Associates
- Location
- Chicago area
- Format
- In-person and online relationship counseling
- Focus
- Couples, premarital, and discernment counseling
Founded by Sara Schwarzbaum, Couples Counseling Associates concentrates on relationship work. Its services include premarital counseling, help after infidelity, sex therapy, blended-family concerns, and discernment counseling for partners uncertain about continuing the relationship. Both individual relationship sessions and work with both partners are available. Its focus makes the initial consultation a useful place to establish whether you need couples therapy or decision-focused discernment work.
2. Symmetry Counseling
- Location
- Chicago Loop
- Format
- Office and online counseling
- Focus
- Couples, family, and sex therapy
Symmetry Counseling offers Chicago office appointments and video sessions in Illinois. Alongside couples counseling, it provides individual, family, sex, and discernment therapy. You can select a clinician or ask the practice to help match you with one. Because the group covers multiple services and locations, check the individual clinician’s couples experience and availability rather than relying only on the practice’s overall service menu.
3. Pinnacle Counseling
- Location
- Chicago Loop and Andersonville
- Format
- Office and online psychotherapy
- Focus
- Couples, premarital, and family relationships
The former Jessica Rothman website now directs readers to Pinnacle Counseling. The practice offers couples and family therapy, premarital work, and help with relationship ambivalence. Chicago locations include the Loop and Andersonville, with teletherapy available in Illinois. Its sliding-scale program is a practical option to explore when ordinary private-pay fees would make regular appointments difficult.
4. Third Coast Wellness — Alison Kramme
- Location
- Chicago and Northfield
- Format
- Couples counseling
- Focus
- Trust, intimacy, and transitions to parenthood
Alison Kramme, previously featured here through GRASP Group, now leads couples work at Third Coast Wellness. The practice describes Gottman, Emotionally Focused, and Imago approaches. Its relationship services cover infidelity recovery, intimacy, infertility, blended families, and the transition to parenthood. Confirm the clinician and office when arranging care: Chicago-area services can include Northfield rather than a downtown appointment.
5. Alan M. Jaffe & Associates
- Location
- Chicago and Lake Geneva area
- Format
- Clinical psychology services
- Focus
- Individual, couple, and family concerns
Alan M. Jaffe & Associates provides clinical and forensic psychology services, including work with individuals, couples, and families. Its practice serves Chicago and the Lake Geneva area. When contacting the office, ask specifically about therapeutic couples work: counseling a relationship and carrying out a forensic or court-related evaluation are different services, with different purposes and expectations.
Frequently asked questions
What do Chicago couples sessions cost?
Couples Counseling Associates lists a range of $140–$250 per therapy session, depending on the associate and session length. At those rates, four appointments would total $560–$1,000 before any reimbursement. Ask which clinician the quote covers, how long you will meet, and whether the initial assessment is charged differently.
Is there a reduced-fee option?
Pinnacle Counseling offers an income-based sliding scale. Care may be provided by a clinician or a supervised intern. Ask whether a reduced-fee couples opening is available, how the fee is calculated, and whether you can keep that rate for the anticipated course of treatment. A supervised intern is different from an independently licensed therapist; knowing the arrangement helps you make an informed choice.
What if one partner is considering divorce and the other wants therapy?
Couples Counseling Associates lists discernment counseling alongside ordinary couples therapy. The purpose is to help clarify the next step when partners are not equally committed to repairing the relationship. Describe that difference during intake rather than booking a standard couples slot without explaining it. Ask how the therapist distinguishes decision-making sessions from ongoing relationship treatment.
Do we have to be married to use these services?
No. Third Coast Wellness describes counseling for different kinds of partnerships, including premarital work and support through parenthood or infertility. Couples Counseling Associates also provides LGBTQIA+ relationship services. Explain your relationship structure and goals when requesting a match so that the clinician’s experience fits the work you want to do.