David McCracken LLC

For more than 15 years, I've been helping those struggling with depression, bipolar disorder, and anxiety disorders. Many of them also have problems with substance abuse, what's often called "dual diagnosis."
As if life as an undergraduate or graduate student wasn't already stressful and complicated -- which is part of the reason why mental disorders first start to really get in the way at that vulnerable and challenging stage.
Yet some of the most exciting and powerful experiences I've had as a therapist have been working with students from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, as well as with adults in other creative fields: music, filmmaking, dance, fashion and poetry. For many, creativity often seems inseparable from mental health and illness, and I've explored how they may interact, both with my clients and through presentations for clinicians on the likes of Kurt Cobain, Mark Rothko and Jean-Michel Basquiat. I think I have some insight into these issues, as my first career was as a journalist, mostly writing on visual and performing arts for the Chicago Tribune and other outlets both online and print.
I've been around the block a few times, in other words, and I can help you get back on track.