Do you prescribe medication?

No. Therapists do not prescribe. I work alongside prescribers so that your therapy and medication plan support each other.

Is therapy helpful between episodes?

Very much so. Stable periods are the best time to strengthen routines, learn skills, and build the relapse-prevention plan that shortens or prevents the next episode.

Mood Disorders

Mood Disorder Therapy in Downers Grove, IL

Name: Affirm Behavioral Health, PLLC
Address: 5120 Main St., Suite 105, Downers Grove, IL, 60515, US
Telephone: (708) 990-1174
Price range: $75 – $225

When your mood swings further and lasts longer than life circumstances explain, it affects everything: sleep, relationships, work, and your sense of who you are. Therapy helps you understand your patterns, stabilize your routines, and build a life that holds steady through the shifts.

Request a Free Consultation (708) 990-1174

Black cubes with different hand-drawn facial expressions on an orange background, representing shifting moods

Mood disorder treatment may help if you notice

Periods of unusually high energy, little need for sleep, racing thoughts, or impulsive decisions
Stretches of deep low mood that follow, sometimes for weeks
A low-grade heaviness that has lasted two years or more
Mood that reliably dips in the fall and winter months
Irritability or emotional intensity that strains your relationships
Difficulty keeping routines, medication, or sleep consistent
A family history of bipolar disorder or depression

Conditions I treat

Mood disorders include bipolar I and bipolar II disorder, cyclothymia, persistent depressive disorder (dysthymia), major depression with seasonal patterns, and mood changes related to medical conditions or medication. Each has a different shape, and accurate understanding matters because the strategies that help one can complicate another.

How therapy supports mood stability

Medication is often an important part of treating bipolar and related disorders, and I coordinate closely with your psychiatrist or physician with your written consent. Therapy adds what medication cannot: insight into your personal warning signs, daily structures that protect stability, and skills for the emotional intensity that comes with mood shifts.

Mood and sleep tracking to identify your early-warning signature
Routine and rhythm stabilization: consistent sleep, meals, activity, and light exposure
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills for emotional regulation and interpersonal effectiveness
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for the thinking patterns that deepen depressive phases
Relapse-prevention planning with the people who support you
Attention to alcohol and substance use, which can destabilize mood and interact with medication

An integrated, medically informed perspective

With a background in medical care and advanced training in healthcare social work, I pay close attention to the physical factors that influence mood: thyroid function, sleep disorders, chronic illness, cancer treatment, and medication side effects. Therapy is most effective when it reflects the whole person, not just the diagnosis.

Frequently asked

Questions about mood disorders therapy

As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker I can complete a clinical assessment and provide a diagnosis for treatment purposes. For medication decisions I coordinate with a psychiatrist or your physician, and I can help you find one if you do not already have a prescriber.

Why clients choose Affirm Behavioral Health

Dual-specialty care for mental health and substance use, with medical insight most therapists don’t offer.

Christine Stryjewski is both a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a Certified Alcohol and Other Drug Counselor, with advanced oncology social work training and years of experience in medical care. That means anxiety, depression, trauma, substance use, and medical stress can be treated together in one coordinated plan.

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