Frequently Asked Questions
You might be surprised to learn that Marriage & Family Therapists are uniquely trained to work with relationships and individuals from the very beginning of their training!
That depends! After your intake session, we’ll plan 2-6 sessions and go from there. You may start to feel better within those early sessions or we may realize it will take some more time. Your therapist will be with you every step of the way.
Partnership is the heart of our practice. We think you’ll appreciate our collaborative approach, open communication, and earnest follow-through on the expectations we set together.
We cannot be immediately available during a crisis or emergency. If you are in a crisis and want to speak with someone immediately, you can connect to a crisis counselor by texting or calling 988. If you are experiencing an emergency and need help, please call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.
We primarily use Integrative Systemic Therapy, which provides a framework from which we draw upon the strengths of other family, couple, and individual models. Brief descriptions of some of the other models we commonly use can be found here.
Email confirmations and reminders will include the video link for your potential new client consultation or telehealth session. You can also access the video link within your client portal. Note that each consultation or session will have a unique video link.
Because our team is licensed to practice in Illinois, please note that you must be physically present in Illinois during your telehealth session.
Telehealth sessions require a 24-hour notice of cancellation to avoid a fee of $160. Office sessions require a 36-hour notice of cancellation to avoid a fee of $160. We understand emergencies may arise, so every client receives one "freebie" each calendar year. You will receive additional freebie(s) any time a therapist may need to cancel with less than 24 hours of notice for a telehealth session or 36 hours of notice for an office session.
You or your therapist can end treatment or the therapeutic relationship at any time. This may occur if you have met your goals, if you and your therapist are not a good fit, if you or your therapist determine that counseling or therapy is not effective, if you are in default of your payment obligations, or for any other reason. You are welcome to reach out for referrals by emailing the practice at inquiries@definition-chicago.com or your therapist.
We promise to research and inform you of the quote of benefits your insurance company provides us before your first session. We will also advocate for you when we notice inconsistencies or inaccuracies with your claim. Most importantly, we promise we will never mess with your finances by charging your card without proper notice and consent.
Our practice accepts these payment options as well as credit and debit cards.
The No Surprises Act was designed to protect uninsured and self-pay clients from unexpected medical bills. As a provision of the No Surprises Action, Definition will provide a Good Faith Estimate to uninsured and self-pay clients to inform you of the cost of your services.
We’re committed to protecting your privacy and confidentiality by utilizing HIPAA-compliant software for all our operations and ensuring we work from private spaces.
There are some limits to your privacy and confidentiality such as reporting suspected child, elder, or dependent adult abuse or neglect, or preventing or reducing a serious threat to anyone’s health or safety.
We also ask that you additionally protect your privacy and confidentiality by using the secure messaging feature of the client portal to communicate with us and attending your telehealth session from a private space with headphones (wired are best).
You can access your portal here. Within the portal, you can complete paperwork, request and manage appointments, connect with your therapist over telehealth, review and pay invoices, and securely message your therapist. We recommend downloading the SimplePractice Client Portal app to make all of the above as easy as possible.
You can book a free consultation with any of our therapists to start, and we can always match you with someone else if needed. Get to know a little about our team here first!
When you’re ready to get started, request an appointment via the link below!
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