Frequently Asked Questions

Are you Taking New Patients? Can You Help Me?

We welcome new patients of all ages, and we will try our best to help you on your path to total wellness. We have experience and training for working with a wide variety of mental health and psychiatric issues. For a list of our specialty areas, click here.

Due to our expertise and interests at this time, we will refer you to other specialists if you need:

• court mandated anger management
• treatment for domestic violence
• therapy for personality disorders
• substance abuse treatment
• psychological testing

Can I See You After Work or on Saturday?

Yes! Unlike many psychiatry and therapy offices, we offer evening and weekend appointments for working adults and children. In the Westmont office, we take appointments on:

• Monday through Thursday: 11:00 am – 7:00 pm
• Fridays from 9 am – 3 pm
• Saturdays from 9 am – 3:00 pm

In the Chicago office, we see clients:

• Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 9:00 am – 6:00 pm
• Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10 am – 7 pm
• Saturdays from 10:00 am – 3:00 pm

For addresses and directions to these offices, click here.
 

How Many Appointments Will I Need?

It depends on whether you need psychotherapy, medication management, or both. It will also depend on what you are struggling with, how consistent you are with your medication, and how quickly you can apply what you learn in therapy, or make the changes for total wellness that we discuss.

Do You Bill My Insurance?

Yes, we will bill your insurance for you on a monthly basis. We accept most major health plans, including:

• APS Healthcare
• Aetna
• BlueCross and/or BlueShield
• Cigna
• Compsych
• Healthlink
• Humana
• Integrated Health Plan
• Lifesynch
• Magellan
• Medicare (but NOT Medicaid)
• PHCS/Private Health Care Systems
• Psychealth
• United Healthcare/ United Behavioral Health/Optum
• Value Options

If your insurance company is not on this list, we will check on being an out of network provider for you. We can also accept cash, checks, ACH Bank transfers, American Express, Discover, Visa, or MasterCard at the time of each appointment for your insurance co-pay and out-of-pocket payments.

Do you accept Medicaid?

Our office does not accept Medicaid. For a list of insurance companies our office does accept please refer to the list of insurances accepted above.

Do you have a sliding scale?

No we do not, but we do work with most insurance companies.

Do you know of anywhere that offers a sliding scale or accepts Medicaid?

Every community has a local mental health center, which you can locate by calling your local township office. You can also find the nearest provider office by entering your zip code into the Illinois Department of Human Services Office Locator.

What Are Your Fees?

Your insurance co-pay will depend on your plan and whether you have met your deductible for the year. Call the particular office where you would like to schedule an appointment or call our billing staff at (847) 504-4057 Monday through Friday 8 am-5 pm to discuss your particular situation. Our out-of-pocket fees range from $200-$300. Your first office appointment will be a longer appointment, charged at the higher end of that range.

We also charge $25 for brief appointments to simply refill medication prescriptions in-between appointments or rewrite lost prescriptions.

What If I Have to Cancel?

To avoid paying for a missed appointment, we require a 24 hour notice to cancel and reschedule. You are financially responsible for missed appointments. This cost is not covered by insurance.

What Should I Expect?

You should expect our undivided attention, our genuine caring, and our passionate desire to help you feel better and improve functioning in your daily life. We will in turn, expect from you, your candid self-reporting, patience with the change and healing process, and collaboration in designing and applying your treatment plan.

When you call to make your first appointment, we will email you a link to our web portal where you can download and complete all the necessary paperwork prior to your appointment and you will be instructed to complete some questionairres online regarding your medical history. Please complete these online prior to your appointment. The first time we meet, we will check your forms, review your history, and discuss what causes you to be seeking help. You'll leave that visit with some suggestions, an idea of your longer term treatment plan, and renewed hope.

Are Sessions Kept Private?

Your privacy and the confidentiality of our conversations are given maximum protection. We never talk about you with other patients or outside our offices. Adults would have to sign a release for us to discuss your case with relatives or your primary care physician. Children also have a right to reasonable confidentiality regarding what they tell us.

There are some limits to confidentiality. We are required by law to report:

• Ongoing physical or sexual abuse
• Intent to commit suicide or homicide
• Neglect of vulnerable children or elders
• Other crimes that have been committed by you or against you

For more details, click here.
 

Other Exceptions

Government agencies or schools that grant benefits for disability or accommodation for demonstrations of learning may request records or a summary of your records in order to determine eligibility. You will be asked to sign a release for that purpose. From time to time your insurance company may require a copy of your treatment plan and other information in order to process your claim for payment. If you are involved in a law suit or criminal proceeding, the court can subpoena your mental health and medical records, and we would be forced to comply. Requests from insurance companies and courts may not require your permission for us to provide them information.