FAQ

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 in working with a wide variety of mental health and psychiatric issues.

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

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.

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

• APS Healthcare
• Aetna
• Blue Cross and/or Blue Shield
• Cigna
• Compsych
• Healthlink
• Integrated Health Plan
• Lifesynch
• Magellan
• Medicare (but NOT Medicaid)
• PHCS/Private Health Care Systems
• Psychealth
• Value Options

If your insurance company is not on this list, we do accept out-of-network patients too. 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.

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.

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

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.

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 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 charge $25 for refill requests between appointments or to rewrite lost prescriptions.  

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.

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 questionnaires 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 long-term treatment plan, and renewed hope.

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 their cases with relatives or their 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

The short answer is, psychiatrists are medical doctors; psychologists and social workers are not. All three kinds of professionals treat people with problems that vary widely by degree and type, from mild anxiety and depression to schizophrenia. Only psychiatrists can prescribe medication and social workers offer psychotherapy.

• Psychiatrists begin their careers with medical school. After earning their MD, they go on to four years of residency training in mental health. Psychiatrists in private practice typically spend their time with medication management and not psychotherapy.
• Psychologists go through five to seven years of academic graduate study, culminating in a doctorate degree. Psychologists use a variety of tools to examine a person's psychological status and personality, including questionnaires and neuropsychological tests to evaluate brain function or assess the extent of damage from an injury or illness. They are not licensed to prescribe any medication.
• Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSWs) are mental health professionals who have master's degrees in social work and have been licensed to practice psychotherapy after completing at least two years of clinical training. They are not licensed to prescribe any medication.

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 lawsuit 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 the information.