Mindfulness-Based Therapy
At The Hinterlands, we understand that healing is often a process that unfolds in the present moment. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) combines the evidence-based structure of cognitive therapy with the awareness of mindfulness practices. This approach helps clients cultivate curiosity, acceptance, and non-judgment toward their internal experience, reducing reactivity, quieting inner criticism, and fostering a greater sense of ease.
Our mindfulness therapy sessions may include breathwork, grounding techniques, guided meditation, and body-based practices to support emotional regulation, mental clarity, and a deeper connection to self and surroundings. Whether you're seeking mindfulness for anxiety, recovering from burnout, or simply looking for more presence in your daily life, mindfulness therapy offers a space to slow down and listen inward.
We offer virtual mindfulness therapy in Illinois and Connecticut, in-person sessions in Irving Park, Chicago, and hybrid sessions to support accessibility and flexibility.
Areas of Clinical Specialty
LGBTQIA+: We offer affirming, mindful care for the LGBTQIA+ community. Our queer therapists integrate presence-based practices to help navigate identity development, discrimination, dysphoria, coming out, and chosen family with greater self-compassion and clarity.
ENM/Poly Folks: Mindfulness therapy offers a grounding space for those navigating ethical non-monogamy and polyamory. Whether exploring new relationship structures or facing rupture and transition, our therapists help you stay present in your body and values. We offer nonjudgmental support rooted in consent, autonomy, and attunement to relational dynamics.
BDSM/Kink Community: The Hinterlands affirms kink as a valid and intentional form of intimacy and self-expression. Through mindfulness, we help you tune into sensation, boundaries, and power with greater awareness. Our kink-aware therapists support your practices without pathologizing them, honoring your body and desires as sites of wisdom.
Immigrants/Refugees: For immigrants, refugees, and first-generation individuals, mindfulness can offer a powerful anchor amid displacement, systemic stress, and cultural negotiation. Our therapists use breath, grounding, and present-moment awareness to help reclaim space, process trauma, and reconnect with your story from a place of agency and care.
Substance Use: We approach substance use through mindfulness and harm reduction, not shame or coercion. Whether you're exploring sobriety, moderation, or deeper insight into your relationship with substances, mindfulness helps you observe urges, build regulation skills, and create space between impulse and response.
Chronic Illness/HIV: Living with chronic illness or HIV brings complex emotional and physical realities. Our mindfulness-based approach supports you in cultivating body awareness, self-kindness, and acceptance of what is, without bypassing your pain or minimizing your autonomy. We honor your right to define your care on your terms.
Autism/ADHD/Neuroqueer: We affirm neurodivergence as natural variation, not a pathology. Mindfulness therapy can support sensory regulation, reduce overwhelm, and make space for authentic self-expression. Whether you identify as autistic, have ADHD, or identify as neuroqueer, we adapt our practices to meet your communication style, pacing needs, and lived experience.
Multi-Cultural/Mixed-Race: Mindfulness provides a way to slow down and reflect on the layered experiences of holding multiple cultural identities. Our therapists offer BIPOC mindfulness therapy to support mixed-race and multicultural clients in navigating belonging, code-switching, identity formation, and cultural dissonance with curiosity, grounding, and deep presence.
Artists/Performers/Craftsfolk: Creativity is deeply embodied—and so is burnout. Mindfulness therapy helps artists reconnect with flow, quiet inner criticism, and stay attuned to their emotions. Whether you're experiencing performance anxiety, creative blocks, or overextension, we offer a space to realign with your artistic practice from a place of presence and care.
Religious/Spiritual Trauma: For those healing from religious or spiritual trauma, mindfulness offers a non-dogmatic path back to self-trust and embodied wisdom. We support you in unpacking coercion, shame, and fear while gently exploring what spirituality might mean on your terms, if at all.
Parenting: Parenting with mindfulness begins with being present. We support caregivers navigating identity shifts, stress, co-parenting dynamics, and raising neurodivergent kids by cultivating internal resourcing, nervous system regulation, and non-reactivity—all without striving for perfection.
Educators: Teaching demands presence, and often drains it. We help educators use mindfulness to manage burnout, set boundaries, and reconnect with meaning in their work. Our MBCT therapists understand the systemic pressures of education and create space for rest and renewal.
Activists: Justice work is emotionally and spiritually demanding. MBCT for grief, anger, and anxiety can be leveraged to support activists with greater sustainability. We offer space for grounding and re-centering, so you can remain in the work without losing yourself in it.
Mad/Crip Folks: We offer mindfulness-based therapy for Mad/Crip individuals who may seek documentation or support but prefer to limit engagement with coercive systems. Our therapists resist psychiatric pathologization and offer practices that center autonomy, somatic awareness, and trust in your lived wisdom.
What to Expect
No two mindfulness therapy sessions look the same. We begin by attuning to your unique story—your biography, culture, neurotype, and temperament. Together, we’ll discuss your goals for seeking support, the patterns or challenges that arise, and mindfulness-based approaches that align with your needs and values.
Mindfulness therapy is one tool in a broader path toward wholeness. It invites us to notice thoughts, sensations, and emotions without judgment—and to meet ourselves with curiosity and compassion. Our work is shaped by your environment, identity, systems, and culture. Exploring these layers through present-moment awareness can be tender, meaningful, and even joyful.
Your first therapy appointment is a space for mutual discovery. You’ll get a sense of how we work, and we’ll begin to understand what support feels most nourishing to you. By the end of the session, we’ll talk about next steps, scheduling, payment, and office policies. Our goal is to help you feel grounded, seen, and ready to explore a deeper connection with yourself and your inner resources.
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Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) can be a helpful approach if you want to develop greater awareness of your thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations without judgment. MBCT for anxiety, stress, depression, and trauma is especially effective, but it can also support overall emotional regulation and clarity. If you’re curious about slowing down, building self-compassion, and connecting more deeply with yourself, mindfulness therapy might be a good fit. During your first session, we’ll explore your needs and goals together to determine if this approach feels right for you.
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Mindfulness therapy is rooted in practices of present-moment awareness and nonjudgmental observation, which can be secular and accessible to people of all backgrounds. Our approach at The Hinterlands is entirely non-denominational and tailored to your beliefs and preferences. We focus on practical tools to support your mental health, not on any religious or spiritual doctrine.
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The psychotherapists at The Hinterlands are in-network with Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO and Aetna. We are out-of-network with all other insurance providers, including Medicaid and Medicare. Payment is due at the time of service.
If you're using out-of-network benefits, we’re happy to provide monthly superbills and statements to support your reimbursement process. We accept HSA cards, Zelle, and all major credit cards for payment.
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We are committed to providing affordable mindfulness-based therapy to our community. We offer a range of cash-pay options, including sliding scale therapy sessions. These rates are based on therapist availability and the type of treatment, and typically range from $25 to the full session fee.
Sliding scale slots are limited and tend to fill quickly. During your intake call, you can ask your therapist whether they currently have sliding scale availability.