FAQ's
You have questions. We have answers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Well, the guy who started our practice has a degree in psychology and his last name is Ward. Since he set it all up, he got to choose the name. Plus, he thinks he’s funny and we’ve stopped trying to convince him he’s not.
We do! We accept the Medicaid plans listed in the next FAQ below. If you have a different type of Illinois Medicaid, we cannot bill Medicaid for your services. Locally, we refer to Family Counseling Service (630-844-2662 or www.aurorafcs.org). If that’s too far from your home, we can help you find a closer provider who accepts Medicaid.
We do! We currently accept the following insurance:
- Aetna/First Health
- BCBS PPO
- BCBS HMO – Advocate
- BCBS HMO – Dreyer (Advocate Site 099)
- BCBS HMO – Pathways (Amita Health, Fox Valley Medicine)
- Blue Cross Community Health Plan (Medicaid)
- BCBS MMAI (Medicare/Medicaid)
- Cigna/Evernorth
- Magellan
- Meridian Health Plan IL (Medicaid)
- UMR
- United Health Care/Optum
If we are OUT OF NETWORK with your insurance, we encourage you to contact your insurance company and ask about “out of network” coverage. Some insurances will allow you to see us out of network, and you’ll likely just have a slightly higher copay or coinsurance. You also have the option of paying cash for services (see next FAQ below). Sometimes you are able to submit your payments back to your insurance company for reimbursement using what’s called a “superbill” that we can provide.
We offer a sliding fee scale for clients who are seeing one of our providers who is not in their insurance network, and for people who may not be able to afford our regular fees.
We may be able to reduce your costs based on your circumstances. Reach out to us if you want to begin services but are concerned about your ability to afford mental health care.
For both coaching and clinical services, you’ll meet with a professional and complete an assessment. This helps you and our team member clarify exactly what you’re hoping to accomplish and develop a plan to get you there.
Our approach recommends therapy and psychiatry together. Study after study shows that people get better faster, with longer lasting improvement, when participating in both kinds of treatment together. That being said, we do sometimes allow clients to just see a medication provider. If that’s the case for you, understand that your medication provider may recommend at a later time that you restart therapy services. It’s important for you to know that we do almost always ask someone seeking medication services to first see one of our therapists for a full mental health assessment. This helps gather some of the information the medication provider will need, requiring less of their time, and keeps costs lower for you.
That’s ultimately up to you. Your coach or counselor will make a recommendation, but how often you schedule with us is ultimately your decision. Many people start with weekly sessions for both coaching and therapy, then reduce the frequency of appointments as their goals are being met. For psychiatry, your provider may want to see you once a month (or more if you’re really struggling) at the beginning. Most people who are doing well on their medications are only seen every 2 or 3 months at the very most.
Because change is hard! Even thinking about putting in the work to make change in our lives can be stressful. Plus, let’s be realistic; you don’t really know us yet. We just ask that you trust us… you’ll be glad you reached out.
Offering telehealth-only services is more convenient, more private, and offers easier access for our clients. We’ve also found that most people do just as well with online services as they do in-person. If you find that telehealth services simply aren’t working for you, or we think you might benefit from an in-person provider, we’ll help you get connected to one.
