FAQs

Are you accepting new clients?

Yes! I am currently accepting new clients. I update my website regularly and will change this section if I become unavailable for intakes or develop a waitlist. 

How many sessions do I need for counseling?

The amount of time you spend in therapy is deeply personal and depends on your individual needs, goals, and resources. The number of recommended sessions varies by condition and treatment type; however, the majority of clients report feeling better after 3 months of weekly therapy. It is typical to then decrease to biweekly or monthly therapy sessions to prevent a relapse of symptoms. Most of my clients are discharged in 6-12 months.

How long are sessions? 

A session lasts 50 minutes which is considered a therapeutic hour. We will start wrapping up our sessions around the 45 minutes mark. 

How often do we meet?

It is recommended to begin with weekly therapy sessions until your symptoms decrease. It is then common to decrease to biweekly or monthly sessions.

What if I need to come more than once a week?

If a client needs to come more than once a week, this is usually due to a crisis that eventually gets resolved and weekly sessions are resumed. However, if a client needs more than once a week on an ongoing or regular basis it may be necessary to seek a higher level of care in another agency or clinic.

What can I expect from a first session/meeting?

The first session involves getting to know one another, talking about your coping strategies, as well as your symptoms. I will have you fill out some intake paperwork before the first session including mental health assessments for depression and anxiety, as well as a form asking background questions. I will go over the assessment results with you and ask any additional questions I may have after reading your responses to the background questions.

We will talk about your goals for counseling, and I will give you an overview of strategies I feel would be helpful to reach those goals. We can also use that time to answer any questions you may have, talk about the course of therapy (how long it may take you to reach your goals), and whatever else you think I should know to best support you. 

I take a relaxed, calm approach so that you don’t feel bombarded with questions and feel as comfortable as possible. My personal goal is for you to walk away from our first meeting feeling empowered, valued, heard, and hopeful that you are on the right track to make healthy changes in your life. 

Is online therapy right for me?

Although there are many advantages of virtual counseling, it’s not right for everyone. Virtual counseling (telehealth) works best for those with mild to moderate symptoms (not people who are suicidal or in a crisis).

Do you offer in-person sessions?

No. At this time my counseling practice is exclusively online in order to provide services to clients throughout the state of Illinois. 

I see you offer Christian Counseling. Do I have to be a Christian to work with you? 

I work with clients from all nationalities, races, religions (or non-religions), and backgrounds. I am a Christian whose faith is the foundation of my life. I carry my faith into my practice; however, I never impose my views and only integrate faith into therapy sessions if requested. I am intentional about only working towards your specific goals and consider myself to be very inclusive.

What can I expect from Christian Counseling if I am interested in faith being integrated into my sessions? 

My approach to Christian Counseling is integrative. This involves incorporating both psychological theories and techniques as well as biblical concepts into my work with clients. I believe that true healing comes from focusing on all parts of yourself including mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual. I have received specialized training integrating faith into counseling to help you build a toolbox that is aligned with your values and beliefs. 

Some ways that faith may be integrated during your sessions include focusing on God’s grace and forgiveness, exploring Bible verses relevant to your current symptoms, examining how your spiritual life influences your relationships, evaluating your thought life and aligning it with biblical truths, looking at what the Bible says about certain maladaptive behaviors and habits, and developing ways to have a deeper connection with God. 

I faithfully pray for my clients daily; however, I do not typically pray with or for clients during counseling sessions. I strive to make each client feel as comfortable and supported as possible and integrate faith as much or as little as is desired. 

I see that you are a Certified Dialectical Behavior Therapy (C-DBT) provider. What is DBT therapy? 

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) offers individuals comprehensive skills to manage anxiety, overwhelm, painful memories or emotions and decreases conflict in their relationships. This modality focuses on 4 specific areas of therapeutic skills. These are:

• Mindfulness – Helps individuals be more present in their daily lives. 
• Distress tolerance – Most people try to keep themselves safe from all negative emotions. Oftentimes this means suppressing negative feelings which creep into their lives in maladaptive ways. Distress tolerance is geared toward increasing a person’s tolerance of negative emotions so that they can work through them rather than ignoring them. This helps resolve the core issue of the negative emotion. 
• Emotion regulation – Offers strategies to manage intense emotions that are the root cause of problems in a person’s life.
• Interpersonal effectiveness – These techniques allow an individual to communicate with others in a confident, assertive way that maintains self-respect and strengthens relationships. Boundary setting and developing healthy communication strategies help immensely in a person’s overall well-being! 

Where is my practice based? 

I am located in the west suburbs of Chicago, Illinois (Yorkville) but through the use of technology, I’m able to connect with and support clients across the state of Illinois. I do not have an in-person location at this time. 

What are your fees?

$175 for the initial session (includes diagnostic interview and treatment planning).

$150 for a 50-minute session.

Do you accept insurance?

Yes, I am in-network with Anthem, Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) PPO, and Blue Choice PPO insurance plans.

Will I still have to pay a fee if my insurance is in-network?

If your insurance does cover therapy sessions, you may still be responsible for paying a fee (i.e. deductible, copay, etc). Each BCBS PPO plan is different so it’s important to look into your specific benefits. You will be required to place a credit or debit card on file to be charged at the end of every session with any applicable fee.

I encourage all my clients to call the member services phone number on the back of their insurance cards prior to their first session to verify their benefits. This ensures that there are no financial surprises. 

To better understand what you may owe for therapy sessions, here is a list of questions to ask when calling your insurance provider:

Do I have a deductible to meet before therapy sessions will be covered?

How much of my deductible has been met to date?

How much will I owe for therapy sessions after my deductible is met?

Do I have a copay?

Do I have a coinsurance fee?

Does my deductible apply to telehealth mental health services? 

If you have a high deductible plan, the first session is typically around $150 and subsequent sessions are approximately $130. Please verify exact amount with your insurance company for your specific plan. I am happy to help with verification of your specific benefits as requested.   

What if you don’t accept my insurance?

With some insurance plans, you may be eligible for reimbursement if your provider is out of network (OON) to offset the costs. You will be required to pay the full fee for services, then submit an invoice to your insurance for any available reimbursement. I will help you with this by providing monthly invoices (also called superbills) with the necessary information for you to submit to your insurance company.

Do I have to use insurance?

While many clients choose to utilize their insurance benefits, I have a number of clients who choose not to use insurance. Your contract with your health insurance company requires that I provide it with information relevant to the services I provide, which includes a mental health diagnosis. Some clients have concerns about the degree of privacy that can be maintained once this information becomes part of the insurance company’s files. Others do not wish to be given a mental health diagnosis and paying out of pocket is a better option for them.

What type of clients do you typically work with?

The majority of my clients are females ages 18-45 years old. Many of my clients are seeking counseling to work on issues related to anxiety, stress, perfectionism, people-pleasing, motherhood, relationship issues, and other women’s issues. My clients are generally high functioning women who find themselves burnt-out, stressed, and overwhelmed. If this resonates with you then you are in the right place!

What is your cancellation policy?

Please cancel appointments at least 24 hours in advance to avoid a $50 cancellation fee. This fee cannot be billed to your insurance. 

What is the process to schedule a session?

The first step is to reach out to me via email, text, phone, or my website contact page. I will usually contact you within 24 hours to discuss schedules and make sure that we would be a good fit. Please specify the best way to contact you (phone, email) when reaching out. 

What happens after I schedule my session?

Once we have an appointment scheduled, I will email you the intake paperwork via a secure client portal that will take you approximately 20-30 minutes to complete (consent forms, etc). You will receive a link to your scheduled appointment via email and text prior to your appointment. Please be sure to complete your intake paperwork at least 24 hours prior to your first scheduled session.