How to send direct message

I tried to follow the instructions to send a direct message, but there is no chat icon at the top of the screen. I'm on my phone, not a computer. So idk if that has anything to do with it. I clicked on what i thought was a chat icon, but it just brought up to create a post. I have an issue that i don't feel comfortable posting in public. I also tried sending a direct message thru the chat on the app, but of course the bot doesn't know what I'm on about. Some help would be awesome. Thank you.