Getting started
Making the first call is the hardest part.
Here is exactly what happens after you dial, so nothing about the process is a surprise.
Four steps
From your first call to your first session
01
Read the counselor biographies
You are encouraged to read through the counseling staff biographies before you call, in case someone stands out to you.
02
Call or Email the Office
The first time you call you will likely speak with our office administrator, Kristen. She will ask a few questions to help connect you with a therapist — what kind of counseling you are seeking, whether you will use insurance, any restrictions on phone messages or correspondence, whether you have a counselor or gender preference, and whether you are a member of an affiliate church. Please have your insurance information handy.
03
Hear back from a therapist
If you know which counselor you would like to see, your information goes to that therapist, who will call you personally. In most cases you should hear back within 24 to 48 hours. If you are not sure, Dr. Patricia Francis, OP, our Clinical Director, will assign a therapist.
04
Arrive for your first session
When you arrive, ring the doorbell to the right of the French doors; this lets your therapist know you are here. The first meeting helps you decide whether the therapist is a good fit, answer your questions about counseling, and begin shaping a treatment plan together.
Call us
Reach the office at 630-752-9750. We are at 507 Thornhill Drive, Carol Stream, IL 60188.
Good to know
A few practical things
Parents of minor children
When parents are separated or divorced and the client is a minor child, both parents are kept informed about the counseling in the way the law and your custody arrangement require. Let us know about the arrangement when you call so we can follow it from the start.
If you are unwell
Please do not come to the office when you are unwell. Call the office or your therapist and, whenever possible, we will hold the session by video or phone instead.
Changing an appointment
If you are already seeing someone here and need to reschedule or cancel, call your therapist's direct line rather than sending a message through the website — that is the only way the message reaches them in time.
Medication
The Center does not prescribe medicine. If medication may help, your therapist will talk with you about a referral.
If you would like to see the building before your first visit, take our office tour.
Telehealth
Is telehealth for me?
Online counseling provides access to mental health services from the safety of your home. We use HIPAA compliant video and phone technology to provide counseling, assessment and educational services.
What exactly is telehealth?
Telehealth is a catchall term for everything involved in providing remote access to healthcare — the people, services and technologies. Our therapists provide online counseling through video conferencing software. All you need is a phone, tablet or computer with a camera.
What can you expect?
Online counseling allows you to make a genuine connection with your counselor and have depth and quality to your conversations. It is common for video calls to feel like a regular face-to-face conversation, and meetings generally mirror the length of a full in-office session.
How a session is set up
Your therapist schedules the appointment in advance and asks you to complete an Informed Consent form before the first session; parental consent is required for children under 18. You then receive an email with a link to the video meeting — our staff use platforms such as Zoom, Doxy.me and FaceTime. At the appointment time, click the link to open the meeting. Counseling by phone is also available if your access to technology is limited.
Security and support
Our therapists use video technology that is HIPAA compliant, and we take additional precautions to keep your information and sessions secure and confidential. We do not conduct therapy by email, though we will likely correspond by email to set up a session; email transmissions are not always secure.
Medicare and many insurance companies cover telehealth sessions. You are encouraged to contact your insurance company directly to verify your benefits, or call our business office for help. Our therapists are licensed in the State of Illinois and, by law, can only conduct online therapy with clients who are physically in Illinois.
What is therapy?
A few things worth knowing
Therapy is a relationship
The quality of the connection between therapist and client matters more than any method or technique. Therapy is at its best when you feel safe to be truthful with your counselor — a place to work through difficulty without condemnation or shame.
Therapy is a process, and healing can take time
Getting unstuck can be like unravelling a ball of string; making sense of what surfaces along the way matters as much as reaching the core of an issue. You don't have to be in crisis to benefit — many people come while making an important decision or navigating a change.
Therapy is unique to the person seeking it
The care you receive depends on what brings you to counseling, your therapist's skills and training, current research, and the goals the two of you set together.
Pastoral counseling adds another dimension
Human life is more than biology. Pastoral counseling attunes to the spirit and soul as well as the mind and body. We are an ecumenical Christian organisation, and our counselors work with people of all faiths as well as those who practice none.
What you share with your therapist is confidential, with few exceptions required by law. If you have questions about privacy, ask at any point — you will get a straight answer.