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Dr. Priya Patel

LMFT, PhD  ·  License #168-004892  ·  Illinois

Chicago, IL  (Lincoln Park)
Telehealth Available Accepting New Clients Bilingual: English / Hindi Verified Profile
4.9 (56 reviews)
14 Years of Experience
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About Dr. Priya Patel

Dr. Priya Patel is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and holds a doctorate in Family Psychology from Northwestern University, where her research focused on intergenerational trauma in South Asian immigrant families. She holds an Illinois LMFT license (#168-004892) and has been practicing in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago for over 14 years. She is bilingual in English and Hindi, which allows her to work with clients in both languages and to navigate the nuanced emotional landscapes that exist between the two. Dr. Patel is a Certified Gottman Therapist, a distinction held by fewer than 3% of trained therapists worldwide, and has completed advanced training in Multicultural Counseling and Attachment Theory.

Dr. Patel's practice centers on the unique pressures facing South Asian individuals, couples, and families living in bicultural contexts — navigating arranged and semi-arranged marriages, managing the weight of family expectations, and raising children between two cultures without losing their own identities in the process. She works with couples on communication, intimacy, trust, and the deep structural differences in how each partner was raised to handle conflict, vulnerability, and emotional expression. Her approach is thoughtful, insight-oriented, and evidence-based, drawing from the Gottman Method's research on relationship stability alongside the more relational and culturally attuned frameworks of Family Systems and Attachment Theory.

Clients describe Dr. Patel as exceptionally warm, intellectually sharp, and deeply present in sessions. She creates a space that is both professionally grounded and genuinely human — where the unspoken pressures of immigrant family life can finally be named and examined without shame. Her Lincoln Park office is fully accessible, and telehealth sessions are available for Illinois residents who prefer to meet remotely. Dr. Patel is currently accepting new individual and couples clients.

Specialties & Issues Treated

Specialties

Marriage Counseling South Asian Families Cultural Identity Parenting Support Bicultural Adjustment Intercultural Couples Premarital Counseling Intergenerational Trauma

Issues Treated

Relationship Conflict Anxiety Communication Issues Family Pressure Identity & Belonging Depression Life Transitions Infertility Grief Parenting Disagreements Work-Life Balance

Treatment Approaches

Gottman Method Multicultural Counseling Attachment Theory Family Systems Therapy Insight-Oriented Therapy Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Services Offered

Service Session Length Fee
Individual Therapy 50 minutes $200 / session
Couples Therapy 60 minutes $240 / session
Premarital Counseling 60 minutes $240 / session
Family Consultation 75 minutes $280 / session
Telehealth Sessions All session types available Same rate as in-person
Telehealth sessions available in English and Hindi via HIPAA-compliant secure video. Illinois residents only.

Insurance & Fees

Accepted Insurance Plans

Blue Cross Blue Shield
Aetna
United Healthcare
Self-Pay
Out-of-Network & Self-Pay: Dr. Patel provides superbills for clients using out-of-network benefits. Self-pay clients are welcome. She does not currently offer a sliding scale but will provide referrals to lower-cost providers when needed. Many insurance plans reimburse 50–80% of out-of-network therapy fees — check your plan's out-of-network mental health benefits.

Office Location

Dr. Priya Patel — Lincoln Park Office
2330 N Lincoln Ave, Suite 215
Chicago, IL 60614

View on Google Maps → Lincoln Park · Chicago, IL 60614

Office Hours

Monday – Friday9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
SaturdayClosed
SundayClosed

Client Reviews

4.9
Based on 56 verified reviews

"Dr. Patel understood our family dynamics without us needing to explain every cultural layer. My husband and I are both from South Asian backgrounds but from very different families, and she helped us find common ground we didn't know we had. She made our marriage genuinely stronger."

Rohit S. Couples Therapy

"Being able to switch into Hindi mid-session when I couldn't find the right English words was more healing than I ever expected. There are feelings that simply don't translate. Dr. Patel gets it completely. She is an extraordinary therapist and a remarkable human being."

Anjali M. Individual Therapy

"My wife and I went to premarital counseling with Dr. Patel before our wedding. We both had parents with very different expectations about what our lives should look like. She helped us navigate all of that while also honoring what we actually wanted. The tools she gave us have stayed with us years later."

Vikram P. Premarital Counseling

Reviews are voluntarily submitted by former clients. Names are abbreviated to protect privacy in accordance with HIPAA guidelines. MFTFinder does not verify clinical outcomes.

Frequently Asked Questions

South Asian families and individuals represent a large and cherished portion of Dr. Patel's caseload, but she works with clients from all cultural backgrounds. Her research expertise in intergenerational trauma and bicultural identity is applicable far beyond any single community. That said, clients from South Asian backgrounds often find particular value in working with a therapist who understands their cultural context without needing lengthy explanations — and who can communicate in Hindi when that serves the work.
The Gottman Method is a research-based approach to couples therapy developed by Drs. John and Julie Gottman at the University of Washington. It involves assessing the relationship's strengths and challenges, then building skills in areas like managing conflict constructively, deepening friendship and intimacy, and creating shared meaning. Dr. Patel is a Certified Gottman Therapist — one of fewer than 3% of trained practitioners to reach that level — meaning she has completed all three levels of Gottman training and a supervised clinical assessment component.
Yes. Dr. Patel is fully bilingual in English and Hindi and is comfortable conducting entire sessions in Hindi, mixing both languages, or switching between them as the session calls for it. For many clients, certain emotional experiences or memories are more authentically accessible in their first language. Dr. Patel welcomes this kind of fluid, bilingual approach and sees it as an important part of culturally responsive care.
Couples working through a specific conflict or communication pattern typically see meaningful improvement in 12–20 sessions, meeting weekly. Couples dealing with more complex history — infidelity, significant trust ruptures, or years of accumulated distance — may benefit from a longer engagement. Premarital counseling typically runs 8–12 sessions. Dr. Patel checks in on progress regularly and adjusts the plan collaboratively. There is no fixed length required upfront.
Dr. Patel offers extended couples sessions (90 minutes) for couples who want to move through material more quickly or who have traveled for treatment. She does not currently offer full weekend intensives, but extended session formats are available by request and are priced proportionally to her standard hourly rate. Contact her office for details on scheduling an extended session.