[mulattomama]

Does anyone know where to get cheap or free marriage counseling in Chicago? My husband and I are having a lot of problems in our marriage and we definitely need some professional help to work through them. Problem is... money is part of the problem and we can't really afford to pay a lot for marriage counseling.

Also do you know of any sites that reccommend/rate marriage counsellors? We've seen someone in the past and we really liked her (she's no longer practicing unfortunately), but we had to go through 2 others to find the 'right' fit.

We really want to try to work through our issues and they're getting worse and affecting our marriage so terribly, but it's daunting when we don't have a lot to spend. I would say we're a middle class average income family, but it very tough at times (as it is for everyone).

Anyway, any help would be appreciated. So thanks!

[Wondergirl]

I'm in the Chicago suburbs.

Are you in Cook or DuPage? The Chicago metro area or a suburb?

Lutheran Social Services http://www.lssi.org/index.aspx (and you don't have to be Lutheran) offers counseling on a sliding scale at these locations -- "West/Northwest Suburban Counseling and Education Center, Villa Park (neighborhood counseling sites are located in Berwyn, Des Plaines, Downers Grove, Elmhurst, Prospect Heights and Wheaton)."

Many social workers and counselors in agencies and working free-lance will offer a sliding scale based on income. DuPage County (if you live in it) has a human resources department with sliding scale counseling at a number of satellite offices scattered throughout the county. I'm guessing Cook County has similar counseling and social services sites. Various priests and ministers will offer counseling that you can afford and won't insist you become a member of their church.

Let me know how else I can help.