General FAQ

IS THERAPY RIGHT FOR ME?

Counseling and psychotherapy services can help you obtain life balance, find solutions, and achieve overall wellness. There are many reasons people come to therapy that range from everyday growth issues, like job performance and stress management, to big life events, like divorce, the death of a loved one, or traumatic experiences. You might seek counseling due to an unexpected life event, to process childhood trauma, or to gain insight as you pursue personal growth and exploration

While working with a therapist, you develop insight, gain support, and learn new strategies for all types of life challenges. Counseling helps address many issues including anxiety, couples and family conflict, depression, grief, body-image issues, child behavioral problems, trauma recovery, professional performance improvements, and general life transitions

Generally therapy is a good fit for those who are motivated and willing to do the work in counseling it takes to find balance and wellness. These individuals are willing to take responsibility and ownership over their lives to become more self-aware and heal in order to create lasting change

We are here to help, please schedule a consultation with our Client Coordinator Specialist here, to speak with someone during business hours call, text, or email

IS IN PERSON THERAPY BETTER THAN TELEHEALTH COUNSELING?

There can be a lot of confusing information out there about in person therapy versus telehealth counseling. Research comparing the two has shown that mental health treatment over video, or telehealth, is just as effective as in person treatment with more clients reporting positive experiences related to ease of attending sessions from home or the office. For trauma recovery and other disorders, remote counseling is often found to be more effective than in person counseling.

Some app and technology focused telehealth mental health companies limit the interventions they allow, ie. no EMDR, likely due to highly specialized treatments requiring significant additional qualifications and quality monitoring. As a private practice of expert therapists, we do not have such limitations and each provider is encouraged to provide any evidence-based treatment they are qualified to give based on your needs and goals. To schedule a free consultation, click here.

DO I REALLY NEED THERAPY?

Everyone can use extra support at times and therapists are specifically trained and experienced in listening and guiding individuals and families through life transitions, events, concerns and problems. It is helpful to get the insight of a third party who is not directly involved in a situation and who has an impartial view in order to offer valuable support weighted in years of training and experience

Feel like your problems are not that serious? That is OK. Many people come to therapy as a self-care tool. You can utilize therapy to carve out "me" time in order to personally explore different areas of your life

Feel like your needs are too significant to “dump” on a stranger? That is OK. Our mental health providers are not intimidated by our client’s stressors and life experiences. They are equipped to support you in a significant range of issues, as well as, able to help you engage in higher levels of services as needed

We are here to help, please schedule a consultation with our Client Coordinator Specialist here, to speak with someone during business hours call, text, or email

HOW CAN THERAPY HELP?

Counseling provides long-lasting benefits and support. Coaching, psychotherapy, and counseling services can increase your problem-solving skills, help you identify triggers, re-direct damaging life patterns, support you in overcoming obstacles, and enhance your coping strategies for issues like depression, anxiety, stress, and family conflict

Many find therapy to be an asset for managing issues, personal growth, interpersonal relationships, family concerns and the hassles of everyday life. Everyone can benefit from therapy; it can help you handle emotions from problems or life stressors, whether they are not life-altering and traumatic or not

• Develop specific strategies and skills

• Find purpose

• Stay accountable to your goals

• Assist with dissecting a problem to determine a resolution

• Improve the quality of relationships

• Change problematic behavioral patterns and develop healthier patterns

• Improve self-esteem and confidence

• Move forward instead of feeling stuck

• Provides a scheduled time to focus on personal needs

• Develop new and improved perspectives

• Lower feelings of anxiety or depression

• Learn to manage anger

• Learn how to regulate emotions

• Recover from childhood trauma and adverse events

• Heal from mental health illnesses

• Improve professional performance

We are here to help, please schedule a consultation with our Client Coordinator Specialist here, to speak with someone during business hours call, text, or email

WHAT IS A THERAPY SESSION LIKE?

Counseling looks different depending on individual needs and the ways you want to utilize the time. It can be more directive and follow a protocol or less directive flowing into an overall process

During the initial session, the therapist will conduct an interview to understand your current issue or concern and then work with you to develop counseling goals. Consecutive sessions will work towards those and also daily life events

Sessions are typically 50 to 55 minutes in length. The number of sessions required will be determined by unique therapy needs and counseling goals. This can be discussed with the counselor at the intake session

Generally, clients attend counseling once a week and then gradually taper off to every other week, once a month and then every few months; it can be short term or long term. The options are quite flexible and can change depending on things like schedules, finances, and current life events. Establishing a good relationship with the counselor and being an active participant both during and between sessions increases therapy effectiveness

We are here to help, please schedule a consultation with our Client Coordinator Specialist here, to speak with someone during business hours call, text, or email

DO YOU OFFER A FREE CONSULTATION WITH THE PROVIDER?

We offer a free, initial consultation with our Client Coordinator Specialist to discuss any concerns or goodness-of-fit issues prior to signing up with a provider. To schedule a 20 minute consultation with our Client Coordinator Specialist please go here

Find the link to provider bio summaries to choose your preferred provider here

Also, please feel free to participate in an initial session without the pressure to continue if it is not the right fit

To speak with someone during business hours call, text, or email

WHAT IS MY EXPECTED COST?

Please contact us for current, industry standard rates and applicable fees. The actual cost will vary depending on if you are Self-Pay or using insurance

Clients with out-of-network plans will often receive reimbursement resulting in similar or less out-of-pocket expenses as in-network insurance

Involving insurance for any service can be complicated and confusing. We are here to help! For more questions about insurance costs, please see the sections below

We are here to help, please schedule a consultation with our Client Coordinator Specialist here, to speak with someone during business hours call, text, or email

WHAT IS COVERED UNDER THERAPIST CONFIDENTIALITY?

Counseling and psychotherapy services are confidential. This means that whatever is shared between you and your counselor will not be shared elsewhere. However, there are universal exceptions:

• If insurance is used, medical record documents and information will be requested by your insurance company to help pay for services or to confirm medical necessity

• If you have given written permission to share information

• If you elect a 3rd party to financially contribute to your services

• If you are involved, or become involved in a court case and you inform the court that you are involved in counseling and therapy services, your records may be subpoenaed

• If the counselor believes that you are in danger of harming yourself

• If the counselor believes that you are in danger of harming someone else

• If the counselor has concerns about the abuse or neglect of a child or vulnerable adult

For child and family services:

• In general, children under the age of 18 will be required to have parental involvement. Information shared by the child to the counselor will only be shared with the parents when deemed therapeutically necessary by the counselor. The counselor will discuss this with the child before parents are informed whenever possible.

• Illinois State law offers a few exceptions to this general rule. You can view these exceptions at this website.

We are here to help, please schedule a consultation with our Client Coordinator Specialist here, to speak with someone during business hours call, text, or email

Insurance FAQ

CAN I USE MY INSURANCE FOR THERAPY?

Insurance companies operate on a “medical necessity” requirement. Unfortunately, this is a universal insurance concept that can complicate care. Insurance companies require that the named insured must:

• Attend a Diagnostic Intake session

• Qualify for a mental health disorder diagnosis

• Attend sessions for the purpose of treating that diagnosis

• Give permission for insurance companies to obtain any created medical records

Due to the medical model used by insurance companies, we are not able to bill your insurance for parent coaching services, life coaching services, or couples counseling where the focus is on the relationship not on an individual’s clinical treatment

Please be wary of counseling, psychotherapy, and psychological services that do not disclose this information to you. If you are using your health insurance, a diagnosis has been made and placed on your medical record. A practice billing for inappropriate services can result in costly clawbacks and unexpected bills in the hundreds and sometimes thousands. It is our goal to make this as transparent and clear as possible

We are here to help, please schedule a consultation with our Client Coordinator Specialist here, to speak with someone during business hours call, text, or email.

WHAT INFORMATION IS GIVEN TO MY INSURANCE COMPANY?

The insurance company requires access to and may obtain copies of your treatment information to determine the “medical necessity” rule. This includes:

• Mental health diagnosis

• Treatment plans

• Session notes

• Progress reports

• Test results

• Treatment summaries

HIPAA has laid out the rules for how your mental health and medical records can be used. For more details about the information exchanged and your rights in protecting that information please go here

Unfortunately, if you decide that you do not want such information released or accessed by insurance company staff, then you must opt-out of using insurance

We are here to help, please schedule a consultation with our Client Coordinator Specialist here, to speak with someone during business hours call, text, or email

DO YOU DETERMINE MY INSURANCE BENEFITS?

Your insurance plan is between yourself, your employer, and the insurance company. We are happy to assist in verification for in-network plans; however, the insurance company is always going to offer more accurate information to you as the policy holder. The amount you owe out-of-pocket is determined by your plan and not by the provider or practice

In order to determine your insurance benefit coverage and your predicted out-of-pocket expenses, you will need to call the customer service number on the back of your insurance card and ask the following questions:

• What are my “outpatient behavioral health benefits” for in-network providers and out-of-network providers?

• What is my deductible, co-insurance, or co-pay rate?

• Are telehealth sessions included?

• Are benefits restricted to a specific platform?

• What is the name of the person you are speaking with?

• What is the confirmation number for this benefit verification?

Please note that ALL insurance benefit verifications are estimates only and it is not a guarantee of coverage. The actual amount owed may be more or less than originally estimated. As is the nature of using insurance, costs and coverage are only confirmed once the service has been consumed and claims are sent and received. We do our best to make this as accurate as possible beforehand by obtaining your estimate as well as obtaining one on your behalf to compare

Note: BCBSIL has an app for Android and iPhone users that provides easy access to your benefit information without the need to phone

We are here to help, please schedule a consultation with our Client Coordinator Specialist here, to speak with someone during business hours call, text, or email

WHAT IF MY INSURANCE IS OUT-OF-NETWORK?

Many insurance companies and plans provide out-of-network (OON) coverage for mental health services. This may cover all or part of your visits

We have many clients utilizing their out-of-network benefits that result in less out of pocket expense after reimbursement than many in-network plans. For example, many of our OON clients pay $10 to $30 a session after reimbursement

You will need to contact your insurance company or HR department for details regarding your coverage and expected cost. For out-of-network insurance plans, Chicago Counseling offers the courtesy of electronically billing claims on your behalf. The process is as follows:

• Pay the session fee up front

• We electronically submit your claim on your behalf

• You receive a check or bank deposit from your insurance company for the difference

We are here to help, please schedule a consultation with our Client Coordinator Specialist here, to speak with someone during business hours call, text, or email

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WHAT WILL SESSIONS BILLED TO INSURANCE COST ME?

If you plan to involve your insurance company, please be aware that the amount you owe out-of-pocket for in-network and out-of-network plans is determined by your plan and/or employer set-up and not by our practice

We will happily bill your insurance as a courtesy. Please know that you are ultimately responsible for service costs

If you’d like to know your predicted out-of-pocket costs ahead of time, please follow the steps in the above section “DO YOU DETERMINE MY INSURANCE BENEFITS?”

Your insurance plan is between yourself, your employer, and the insurance company. We are contractually obligated to collect the amount determined by your plan and we are not able to provide any change or exceptions based on your plans details

We are here to help, please schedule a consultation with our Client Coordinator Specialist here, to speak with someone during business hours call, text, or email