Resources

If you are in immediate danger, call 911.

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You deserve peace, safety, and support, and you do not have to find it alone. The resources below are here for you, a friend, or someone you love. Reach out whenever you are ready. The hotlines serve all of Illinois or the whole country. Most local organizations below serve Chicago and nearby suburbs.

This list is shared for information only and is not an endorsement. Please contact providers directly about availability and insurance.

Domestic Violence Support

Hotlines (free, confidential)

  • National Domestic Violence Hotline: Call 1-800-799-7233 (1-800-799-SAFE) or text START to 88788. You can also chat online at thehotline.org. Trained advocates are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to listen, help with safety planning, and connect you to local help. Deaf, DeafBlind, and hard of hearing survivors can reach Deaf advocates 24 hours a day by video phone at 1-855-812-1001, through the National Deaf Domestic Violence Hotline (Deaf services).
  • Illinois Domestic Violence Hotline: Call or text 1-877-863-6338 (tap to text), 24 hours a day. It connects people across Illinois to shelter, counseling, and legal help, in more than 240 languages. Run by The Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence. the-network.org/illinois-domestic-violence-hotline
  • 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988 (tap to text), or chat at 988lifeline.org. It offers free support 24 hours a day for anyone in emotional distress or crisis. Press 2 for Spanish.
  • Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741 to reach a trained crisis counselor by text, 24 hours a day. crisistextline.org
  • Chicago Rape Crisis Hotline (Resilience): Call 1-888-293-2080, 24 hours a day. It offers support for survivors of sexual violence and the people who care about them. ourresilience.org
  • love is respect: Call 1-866-331-9474 or text LOVEIS to 22522. It offers support for teens and young adults with questions about dating relationships. loveisrespect.org

Chicago-Area, Illinois, and National Organizations

  • Family Rescue (Chicago’s South Side): Call the 24-hour crisis line at 773-375-8400 or 1-800-360-6619, in English and Spanish. It offers emergency shelter, counseling, and court advocacy. For court advocacy, call 312-325-9300. familyrescueinc.org/get-help
  • Connections for Abused Women and their Children: Call the 24-hour hotline at 773-278-4566. It offers emergency shelter, counseling, and advocacy in Chicago. cawc.org
  • Apna Ghar: Call the 24-hour crisis line at 773-334-4663 or text 773-899-1041. Its Southside office is at 773-697-3272. It provides culturally grounded services for survivors, with deep experience serving immigrant communities, from offices in Chicago and Skokie. apnaghar.org/contact-us
  • Between Friends: Call the 24-hour helpline at 1-800-603-4357. It offers counseling, court advocacy, and support for survivors across the Chicago area. betweenfriendschicago.org
  • Mujeres Latinas en Acción: Call 773-890-7676, Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 5:00. It offers bilingual Spanish and English counseling and court advocacy, based in Pilsen, with offices in Brighton Park and the west suburbs. mujereslatinasenaccion.org
  • WINGS Program: Call the 24-hour hotline at 847-221-5680. It offers safe housing, counseling, and support for women and children in Chicago and the suburbs, including the northwest suburbs. wingsprogram.com
  • Life Span: For legal help, call 312-408-1210. For counseling, call 847-824-0382, weekdays 9:00 to 5:00. It offers legal representation and counseling for survivors of domestic and sexual violence in Chicago and suburban Cook County. life-span.org/get-help
  • Ascend Justice: Offers help with orders of protection from its walk-in clinic at the Domestic Violence Courthouse, 555 W. Harrison St. Clinic availability can vary. For help with an order of protection, you can call the Illinois Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-877-863-6338. ascendjustice.org/orders-of-protection
  • Ujima: The National Center on Violence Against Women in the Black Community: It offers resources and information made for Black survivors, families, and communities. ujimacommunity.org
  • Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence: Use it to find domestic violence programs across Illinois and to get safety planning information. ilcadv.org/get-help

A note about police help: If you are in danger right now, call 911. Police and emergency responders can help you reach safety. For non-emergency help in Chicago, call 311. Many suburbs have their own non-emergency number.

Make Your Own Safety Plan

A safety plan is a short, practical plan for staying safer, whether you are staying, thinking about leaving, or have left. You can fill one in on your phone with nothing to download, and every part is optional.

Open the safety plan

Privacy: The safety plan page is built so that what you type is not sent to us or saved by the page. The website platform still records visits, your browser history will show the visit, and your browser or keyboard may remember what you type. If someone checks your phone, use a safer device if you can.

An advocate at either domestic violence hotline listed above can also help you make a plan, any time of day.

Black Therapists in the Chicago Area and Online

Every therapist and practice below identifies as Black or Black-led, or centers care for Black clients. Practices are in Chicago and nearby suburbs, and several also offer virtual sessions. Credentials: LCSW = Licensed Clinical Social Worker; LCPC = Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor; LPC = Licensed Professional Counselor; LMFT = Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist; PhD = Doctor of Philosophy.

Directories to find more Black therapists

  • Chicago Black Therapists: a directory of Black therapists in the Chicago area. chicagoblacktherapists.com
  • Therapy for Black Girls: a national directory of therapists for Black women and girls. You can search by city. providers.therapyforblackgirls.com
  • Psychology Today: therapists who list Black and African American clients as a focus. The link opens a Chicago search; you can change the location to search nearby. psychologytoday.com

This list is shared for information only and is not an endorsement. Please contact providers directly about availability and insurance.

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