Therapy for Men
I help high school students, college students, and young professionals get back on track.
Hi, I'm Mark. Long before the credentials, I was already working with young men who were struggling with mental health and substance use. I was good at helping them turn their lives around. 20+ years later, that became my life’s work.
integrated care for men
Mental health & substance use are treated together (when necessary), tailored to you
20+ YEARS OF EXPERIENCE
Family Involvement
You are behind where you thought you would be.
Maybe it is school, work, friendships, or dating.
The gap between you and everyone else keeps widening.
You can fake fine, but you are not okay.
The anxiety, the drift, the escaping, none of it is fixing itself.
The drinking, weed or gaming is not recreational anymore. It started taking the edge off. Now it is taking over your days.
I get it. If you or your son is ready to get back on track, I can help.
Mark Farrell O’Brien, LCPC, CADC
Owner, Therapist
Hey, I'm Mark.
Long before the credentials, I was already working with young men whose lives had gone off track, and I was good at helping them turn things around. 20+ years later, it is still the work I do.
I grew up in a family of counselors. My father ran a private practice for over 30 years. My mother was a school counselor for 30 years. My sister is a clinical social worker in private practice. Counseling was not just what my family did. It was who we were.
In high school, the guys I mentored were struggling with academics and their mental health, and almost always drugs or alcohol were tangled up in it too. I kept seeing the same thing: you could not address one without the other. That inspired me to earn my Master’s in Counseling, and later to become a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor, so I would have the full training to help the guys I had started with.
I have spent over two decades sitting across from guys just like you who were stuck, numbing it, faking fine. Anxious or depressed, no momentum, taking the edge off with something, carrying more shame than anyone knows. Then something forces the issue. Sometimes a crisis, sometimes just the realization that this cannot keep going. That is the turning point.
Then we rebuild together. We figure out what is actually driving it. And because I am a licensed therapist and a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor, I can help you with mental health and substance use. We build in the structure, support, and accountability to get you moving.
What you leave with is control, confidence, momentum, and direction. Coping with stress instead of escaping it, handling what comes without needing to numb it, making better choices, clear on where you are headed, and no longer the guy defined by the stuck years.
If you are ready for guidance, I will show you the way.
Mark Farrell O'Brien | Online Therapy for Men in Chicago, IL
My Men’s Therapy Services
Therapy For High School Students
For high school guys pulling away, slipping at school, or leaning on substances to cope, intervene before the patterns set in.
Therapy For College Students
For college guys whose grades, motivation, or mental health have gone off track, and staying in school feels uncertain.
Therapy For Young Professionals
For young professional men who feel anxious, stressed, uncertain about their career, or just burned out.
Family Involvement
Men’s Substance Use Therapy
For men using more than they mean to, trying to cut back, and finding it does not hold.
Men’s Failure To Launch Therapy
For men stuck at home, out of school or work, watching the years go by without a plan.
Men’s Anxiety Therapy
For men always on edge, overthinking every decision, or shutting down because it is easier.
Men’s Depression Therapy
For men running on empty with no drive, no interest. They are just going through the motions.
Men’s Life Transitions Therapy
For men navigating dating, relationships, breakups, or career shifts, when the path forward gets unclear.
There is a generation of young men who are stuck, lost and falling behind. If that is you, or your son, this practice is for you.
All sessions are online across Illinois.
Mark Farrell O'Brien | Online Therapy for Men in Chicago, IL
Frequently Asked Questions
What are your fees?
The first two sessions are diagnostic evaluations at $300 per session. These are not standard intake appointments. They are a thorough clinical assessment of what is going on, what is driving it, and what the right approach looks like for you specifically. Getting that picture right at the start is what makes everything that follows more effective.
After that, individual men’s therapy sessions are $250 per session. Family support sessions are $300 per session. All sessions are 45 minutes.
Payment is due at the time of service. I provide a monthly superbill you can submit to your insurance company for potential out-of-network reimbursement. If you are unsure what your plan covers, it is worth a quick call to your insurance company before we get started to ask specifically about your out-of-network mental health benefits.
If you have questions about fees before scheduling, bring them up in the consultation. That call is always free. I also recommend Mentaya. They can help clients use their out-of-network benefits to save money on therapy. Mentaya submits the claims and handles the insurance reimbursement for you.
Do you accept insurance?
I am an out-of-network provider, which means I do not bill insurance directly or work with insurance representatives. Payment is due at the time of each Illinois men’s therapy session.
At the beginning of each month, I provide a superbill, a detailed receipt with the billing codes your insurance company needs. You can submit it directly to your insurance for potential out-of-network reimbursement. Many clients receive partial reimbursement this way, though the amount varies depending on their specific plan and out-of-network benefits.
If you are not sure what your plan covers, it is worth giving your insurance company a quick call before we get started. Ask specifically about your out-of-network mental health benefits and your deductible. Most people find the process more straightforward than they expected.
I have partnered with Mentaya to help clients use their out-of-network benefits to save money on therapy. Mentaya submits the claims and handles the insurance reimbursement for you. Use the tool below to see if you qualify for reimbursement for my services. NOTE: These are estimates. The actual reimbursement amount will be a percentage of the insurance company’s “allowed amount” for services.
What is your cancellation policy?
I require at least a 48-hour notice for any cancellation or appointment change. You can cancel through the client portal or reach me directly via phone, email, or text, whichever is easiest.
Cancellations made within a 48-hour notice of a scheduled appointment are charged the full session fee. This applies regardless of the reason.
I know life with a teenager or a college-age son does not always cooperate with a 48-hour notice. Clients receive text and email reminders to help stay on track and never miss a session. The policy exists because that time was held specifically for your son, and last-minute cancellations are difficult to fill. It is not about being rigid. It is about protecting the consistency that makes the work effective.
How do I get started with therapy for men?
The first step is a 15-minute free consultation call. It is not a clinical intake, and it is not a commitment. It is a straightforward conversation about what is going on, what has already been tried, and whether what I do is the right fit, whether you are reaching out for yourself or for your son.
If it seems like a good match, we will schedule the first appointment. If it does not, I will tell you that directly and point you in the right direction. Getting you or your son the right help matters more than the booking.
To get started, reach out by phone, email, or through the contact form. You will hear back within one business day. All sessions are online and available across Illinois.
Most people tell me the hardest part was making the first call. If you have been putting it off, this is the one to make.
What happens in the first men’s therapy session?
The first two virtual men’s therapy sessions in Illinois are diagnostic evaluations.
A diagnostic evaluation is a structured clinical assessment. It is not an open-ended conversation, and it is not diving straight into the deepest stuff on day one. It is a thorough look at what is going on: the full picture of what you are experiencing, how long it has been building, what has already been tried, and what is underneath the presenting problem. Most of the time, what brings someone in the door is not the only thing that needs to be addressed. The evaluation is how we find out what else is there.
Across the two sessions, I am assessing multiple areas: mood and mental health symptoms, sleep and daily functioning, substance use, academic, work, and social context, family dynamics, and any previous treatment history. I am also starting to build a picture of how you think, what you are willing to say, and what approach is most likely to work with you specifically.
By the end of the second session, there will be a clinical formulation of what is driving what, how the pieces connect, and what the treatment will focus on and why. This is a specific, clear picture of where you are and what the path forward looks like.
How involved are parents in the process?
It depends on what is most useful clinically and on what your son is open to.
For most of the men I work with, some level of parent involvement makes the work more effective. What happens in sessions needs a chance to carry over at home, and that is harder when parents are completely in the dark about what is being worked on. I offer monthly family support sessions that are optional, and always discussed and agreed upon with your son first. These are not family therapy sessions. They are focused on giving you the context you need to support what is being built in sessions: how to communicate with him in ways that do not trigger the shutdown you have probably already encountered, what to reinforce at home, and what to stay out of.
Research is consistent that family involvement in adolescent and young adult treatment produces stronger outcomes than individual therapy alone. That is the reason for it, not to keep you in the loop for its own sake, but because your role at home is a clinical variable that matters.
At the same time, individual therapy remains a confidential space. His sessions need to be private for the work to be honest. Any family involvement is discussed with him first, and nothing from his individual sessions gets shared in family sessions without his knowledge and agreement.
If more significant family dynamics are part of what is driving the problem, like ongoing conflict, communication breakdown, or relational issues that go beyond supporting his individual work, I may recommend a dedicated family therapist to address those specifically. Some things are better handled in sessions designed for that purpose.
Do you work with men across all ages, including midlife?
Mark Farrell O'Brien Therapy
How To Get Started
Here are three ways to begin:
1. Click Book Online to secure your free 15-minute consultation.
2. Text, call, or email me directly with your questions or concerns.
