Pathlight Mood & Anxiety Center Chicago — Mental health service in Chicago, IL

Top shelf service, all In-Out patient services were meaningful, kudo's to the staff, from RHP to IOP.

I almost didn’t come here due to the bad reviews, but I honestly had a wonderful experience here. I was very grateful to find a program where I could receive the help I needed without taking time off work. The groups were so helpful and it was such a supportive environment. I didn’t even want to do an outpatient program to begin with, but I’m glad I gave it a chance!

If you want treatment in a safe environment this place is not for you. The staff does not communicate to each other, they will harass you, emotionally abuse you. Do not waste your time at this location. The staff here are heartless. Even the director does not care for the patients just the insurance money they get from them and having a power kick of vulnerable people

Excellent care. Wonderful counselors, pyschiatrist, and therapists. You get loads of information and coping skills. They help you get the skills you need to navigate your mental health challenges in your life. I would strongly recommend this program.

I attended Pathlight in the Summer of 2024. I am STILL recovering, and attempting to get an explanation for egregiously awful experience I had, (and the subsequent unneccessary acute withdrawals from medications prescribed to me there, that I followed my exact discharge orders to receive, and yet was unable to get a response or refill until I was in a medical crisis.) This was AFTER the complete lack of diagnosis-specific treatment during my stay, despite my care team being assured would occur when I began the admission process, due to being out of state and not having an appropriate program closer by. I would like to share a summarized version of the letter I received from the patient advocate after they 'concluded their investigation' into my complaint made in person and in writing (see below). This list has now also been upheld as adequate by the new patient advocate, as the one who was present during my stay left the company. (I will at least be amused when they copy-paste the exact same response to this review saying I should contact the patient advocate.) Bullet points were chosen by them: -Regarding your concerns surrounding Medication after discharge: they provided a summary of their policy and the date and time I signed it. I still have my copy on my refrigerator, with the dates and times I followed their instructions and did not receive assistance. I also have a record of my local provider and my pharmacy's attempts to call. I explained in my complaint that I had gone into acute withdrawals and required medical care due to them not following their own policy. Their response was to say that I signed said policy. -Regarding concerns surrounding multiple primary therapists while in care: I had FIVE indidvidual therapists in my first two weeks. They did not communicate adequately and all sessions were spent introducing myself and my history. Pathlight provided a summary of their PTO policy and thanked me for my feedback. -Regarding your concerns surrounding obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) groups: They provided the percent of my individual sessions with all five providers that were billed as "OCD treatment", despite my explanation of the actual content of those sessions being 'getting to know you', and yes, I do understand how medical billing works. They also explained that I missed one of the 4 OCD groups that occurred. The group was supposed to be twice weekly, but we were told there needed to be a certain number of patients to hold the group. The group facilitator was also on vacation and when she returned, she told us that was NOT the case and ONE patient would necessitate a group. Thus, my missing one group for a planned outing the last week of my stay is their explanation for the group not occurring, This group was a PRIMARY SELLING POINT to my treatment team when I chose Pathlight for out-of-state care. ("We are aware that there was confusion around the number of patients needing to be present for the OCD group to be held. This was addressed with the treatment team, and it has been made clear that we will always run the group when scheduled, regardless of number of attendees.") - Regarding your concerns surrounding Psychiatrist My concerns were that the psychiatrist was provided via tele-health despite myself the provider being in Chicago, being REPEATEDLY accused of abusing substances that I did not and do not use or abuse, having the provider make demeaning comments about my care team back home. The psychiatrist, Dr. Hartman, also went on vacation during my stay but at least his stand-in was lovely and provided the only compassionate care I recieved during my stay. They classified this as me being concerned about session documentation and said they found no issues. I was misled, charged thousands of dollars, and left to suffer, with the above list 'explaining' why my concerns aren't valid, though I continue to fail to see it. I am choosing to leave another review here because I genuinely want to warn anyone else seeking non-crisis treatment at Pathlight this summer. Please, GO ELSEWHERE.

(I haven’t gone here yet, yet writing this review) My regular psychiatrist through Northwestern medical, has sent me a referral to Pathlight clinic for my mental health. As I’ve been having bad anxiety, body dysmorphia, OCD, and depression. Reason I’m making a review though is because, of the negative reviews in here… that make me hesitant to enroll into a program and get the further help I need! 🥲

I had an out-of-state relative admitted to this program recently. I drove my entire family (husband and 3 kids) 1.5 hours through traffic from a far western suburb to visit with my relative. The Visiting hours listed in the patient materials clearly stated 3:30pm to 5:30pm. However, when we arrived, we were told that it was 3pm-5pm. This left us very little time to spend with our loved one, especially with the 2 person rule. We attempted to bring this inconsistency to the attention of the staff, but our concerns and requests were ignored. I understand that boundaries and rules are in place for valid reasons. However, it was clearly Pathlight's error; and they were unwilling to compromise to settle on an adequate solution for all. It seems like a very basic thing to have your actual schedule align with your printed patient materials. It's extremely unfair to "dig your heels in" to be the most restrictive when it's clearly your facility's error, especially when it comes to the vulnerable population that you are supposed to be serving. Furthermore, the staff member at the front desk made no efforts to direct us to the correct room to find our loved one. She took a guess on which room she was in, and told us to knock on the door to check. That is extremely inappropriate both for the patients at the facility, and for myself as a visitor. I can only hope that the rest of my loved one's experience at Pathlight has been better than this, and worth her time and efforts. As a physician, I will make every effort to avoid this facility for any of my own patients as well as those of my colleagues.

10/10 Star Review for Pathlight Mood & Anxiety Center Chicago Pathlight Mood & Anxiety Center in Chicago has been a life-changing experience for me, and I can’t recommend it enough! From day one, the team made me feel supported, understood, and valued. I have to give a special shoutout to Michelle, my therapist—she is without question THE MVP! Her compassion, insight, and ability to create a safe and empowering environment have been pivotal in my healing journey. Michelle truly goes above and beyond to help you uncover your strength and work through challenges. Every session with her feels meaningful and impactful, and I’m so grateful for her guidance. The entire Pathlight team is incredible—dedicated, professional, and genuinely invested in their clients’ progress. The program is structured, comprehensive, and filled with tools and resources that have made a huge difference in managing my mood and anxiety. If you’re looking for a place where you’ll feel supported and truly cared for, look no further than Pathlight Chicago. Thank you, Michelle and the Pathlight team, for helping me take control of my journey!

My relative was referred to Pathlight, called and had an admissions phone call appointment scheduled SEVERAL DAYS AFTER HIS INITIAL CONTACT. It took a lot for him to call and set up this appointment and he was hopeful that he would be able to get some help for his suffering. They never called him at the scheduled time and we are currently 4 hours past that time. I called Pathlight to talk with someone about this. I pressed '1' to speak with someone in admission and was put on hold, then a message said someone would call me back within 2 hours. I, as someone who works in mental health, am shocked at their lack of attentiveness to someone in need. When a person gathers the courage to make such a call, they are vulnerable and desperate for help. If you are in this vulnerable place, please consider calling somewhere else.

Pathlight is a unique and special place where I met some incredible and unique people. If you are ready to commit to treatment and to do some work on yourself, Pathlight is the place to do it. My group leader Michelle possesses incredible gifts and I'm lucky to have been able to be a part of a program that she was leading.