Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Contact us by calling (630) 206-4060 ext 3, emailing [email protected], or completing the Contact Form on our website. Our Scheduler will make every effort to connect with you within one business day to answer any questions that you may have, provide information about treatment and assessments with our practice, and schedule you with one of our experienced clinicians.
We want your initial visit to go as smoothly and stress-free as possible. When you contact us to schedule an appointment, our Scheduler will ask you for basic demographic information, including the patient’s name, parent’s name (if patient is a minor), primary address, phone number, and email address. You will then receive an email with a link connecting you to our secure Client Portal, where you can complete the intake forms electronically through our paperless system. Our intake forms include Practice Guidelines and Consent for Treatment, a brief questionnaire summarizing why you are seeking services, and a symptoms checklist for your therapist to review before your first appointment. Please complete all forms to the best of your ability.
You can also upload your insurance card and credit card (for automated billing) directly into the Client Portal. Our automated system will prompt you through the forms to get you started.
In addition, the following items will be helpful to have, if available, at your initial appointment:
- A copy of any previous hospitalization records
- A copy of any previous neuropsychological or psychological evaluations
- A copy of early intervention assessments (speech, occupational therapy, etc.)
- A copy of Individualized Education Plans (IEPs), 504 documents, or relevant educational records
This information will be important to fully understand your past and current functioning and will help guide your ongoing assessment and treatment. You may upload copies of these documents directly into the secure Client Portal. The Client Guide on How to Use the Client Portal provides more details on the features of the Client Portal. Please contact our office with any questions or concerns.
New and existing clients can access the Client Portal using the button below.
Our practice does not employ an on-site receptionist. When you enter our office suite, please make yourself comfortable in one of our spacious waiting areas. Your therapist will greet you at the time of your appointment. While we make every effort to be prompt and timely with appointments, there are times that your therapist may be running a few minutes behind schedule in order to address the needs of other clients. Please remain seated and your therapist will be with you as soon as possible.
Your clinician will spend some time reviewing the initial paperwork and making sure you feel comfortable. Time will be spent discussing your treatment goals, further assessing symptoms, and reviewing background and historical events, such as developmental history, academic milestones, medical and treatment history, and family and interpersonal relationships. When meeting with children or adolescents, it is important to have parents or caregivers involved in the initial sessions to provide additional information and learn about treatment planning. Comprehensive assessment and detailed treatment planning are vital to successful treatment and can take several sessions to complete.
Typical intakes and therapy sessions are scheduled for 50 minutes. Psychological assessment appointments may be scheduled in blocks of 2 to 5 hours, depending on the type of testing and the developmental level of the client.
During the intake appointment, you and your therapist will collaboratively determine the frequency of therapy sessions. In the early stages of treatment, we typically recommend meeting with your therapist weekly or every two weeks. As your symptoms improve, you may meet with your therapist less frequently. However, we recommend continuing at least monthly for several months before discharge to avoid the possibility of relapse.
Depending on your treatment goals, involving family members and other important support systems in treatment can be very helpful. When working with children, adolescents, or young adults who are in transition, we often meet with parents to provide parent coaching to ensure that treatment is being implemented consistently at home. We may also recommend involving members of your student’s educational team, such as school psychologists, school social workers, teachers, and other treatment providers, to provide consistency and support across settings.
This is a very difficult question to answer. It depends on many factors, such as the severity of symptoms, time available to devote to treatment, level of family or social support, critical life events, and other stressors. A fairly realistic expectation of treatment duration is approximately 15-24 sessions, with some people moving through treatment more quickly and others more slowly. Your therapist will work with you to assess your progress over the course of treatment and revise treatment goals as necessary.
We accept PPO plans for Blue Cross Blue Shield, Blue Choice, Aetna, and United Health Care/Optum Behavioral Health. Be sure to notify our Scheduler if you have insurance and want us to submit claims on your behalf. Before initiating treatment, we will assist you in verifying your benefits coverage for therapy and assessments. You may have deductibles to meet, co-payments or co-insurance, or limitations or restrictions on the number of sessions covered or the types of services provided, which may affect your expected financial contribution during treatment. It is strongly recommended that you contact your insurance company to verify your network benefits before scheduling your initial appointment.
If you are uninsured or do not wish to bill insurance for services, you can obtain a Good Faith Estimate of expected charges. Our current rates for intakes, therapy sessions, and related services will be provided to you as part of your intake paperwork and are also listed on our Fees page. Note that your insurance plan may not cover some services, even if you are in-network.
You can update your insurance on file at the practice by clicking here.
Many of our clinicians are in-network with the following plans:
- Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO
- Blue Cross Blue Shield Blue Choice PPO
- Blue Cross Blue Shield High Performance Network PPO
- Aetna PPO
- United Healthcare/Optum Behavioral Health PPO