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FRACTAL HOUSE

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Fractal House is a mad affirming, anti-carceral community mental health center (CMHC) which foregrounds lived experience as a main source of wisdom and knowledge. The agency offers psychotherapy, community support, advocacy, activism, workshops, trainings, and community activities for people navigating psychological distress.

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Mad Affirming

Anti-Carceral Healing

Supports And Spaces

Informed By

Lived Experience

ā€œā€¦to pin down madness as one thing is, I think, to miss the point: it is a million things.ā€ Richard Ingram

At Fractal House we use the language of Mad and Madness in its reclaimed sense as an alternative to the reductionist and pathologizing labels of ā€˜mental illnessā€™ and ā€˜mental disorderā€™. We recognize that there is a wide range of terminology used by people with lived experience of psychological distress, including: consumer, ex-patient, survivor, mental health user/refuser, mental illness, mental disability, mental distress, mental difference and neurodivergence. We do not use the terms Mad and Madness to suggest that everyone with lived experience of psychological distress identify with this label or to essentialize it as an identity or singular perspective. Rather, we use this language to honor multiplicity, self-definition, and self-expression, and to signal engagement on oneā€™s own terms.

This piece has been adapted from the presentation Dr. Sarah Blanchette gave at the 2026 Mad Pasts, Mad Presence Conference. Dr. Blanchette (she/her) is an Assistant Professor in the English and Cultural Studies department at Huron University College, an affiliate of Western University, located in Deshkan Ziibing (London, Ontario), which has been (and continues to be) home to many First Nations, including the Anishinaabek, Haudenosaunee, LÅ«naapĆ©ewak, Chonnonton, and Huron-Wendat nations." Read the related article here.

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  • A relational, liberatory practice rooted in lived experience, curiosity and care, psychotherapeutic services at Fractal House support meaning making, capacity building, and movement towards enhanced connection and self-direction.

    Available for individuals, couples, families.

  • A peer-provided, relationship-based support woven into everyday life, community support team services may include spending time together at home or in the community, accompanying someone to run errands or attend events, supporting participation in groups or workshops, and building skills for self-management, connection, and navigating daily life.

  • A relational, non-clinical form of support grounded in shared lived experience, peer mentorship offers a space for mutual learning, skill-building, and accompaniment through lifeā€™s challenges. Rather than diagnosing or directing, peer mentorship focuses on walking alongside, strengthening self-trust, and connecting to community.

  • Fractal House offers workshops and gatherings as participatory spaces for creativity, reflection, and connection.

    These offerings bring people together to explore healing, affirm mad culture, and engage in shared inquiry through art, conversation, and collective experience.

  • Advocacy: Fractal House helps people navigate systems, access resources, and build self-advocacy capacity. This may include reasonable accommodation supports, letters or mediation.

    Activism: Our activism centers mad culture and psychiatric liberation through collective action and community building.

    Fractal House is a member of the Mental Health Autonomy Alliance and partners with the Center for Mad Culture to form Madhouse ā€”a growing hub for mad engagement, events, and organizing.

  • Fractal House trainings build capacity to show up for extreme states in ourselves and others from a non-carceral, autonomy-centered, relational orientation.

    We offer group and one-on-one trainings, as well as one-off sessions and multi-part series for providers, loved ones, coworkers, educators, and community members. 

Interested in Services? Weā€™d love to hear from you.

Reach out to learn more, ask questions, or get started. Weā€™ll connect with you to figure out what feels like the best fitā€”at your pace.

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Commercial Insurance

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Medicaid ā§’ Medicare ā§‘ Sliding Scale ā§’ Pro bono ā§‘ Commercial Insurance ā§’

Value of Love for Love

by Arie Ben Sorin

Handwritten text that says 'value of love for love' in a caligraphy print.

This original artwork by cherished Fractal House friend embodies the essence of our mission, the foundation of our practice: the value of love for love.

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2714 W Peterson Ave
Chicago, IL 60659

Hours

By appointment only, if not otherwise specified.

Space Reservation

Looking for a gathering space? E-mail for details: admin@fractalhouse.org

Email
admin@fractalhouse.org