FAQS

If you choose not to use your insurance benefits, we charge $200 for the first evaluation session and $175 for every follow up session. If you do choose to use your insurance benefits and we are in network with your insurance provider, your fees could be as low as $10-$25 for a copay, or you may need to pay a specific contracted rate to meet your deductible. Call our office and we will gladly check your individual insurance benefits, as every plan is different. We try to avoid any kind of therapy “sticker shock” by this benefits checking process before seeing your therapist.

Yes! All of our staff therapists are in-network with Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO and AARP Medicare Supplement Plan C. Most (not all) of our clinicians are also in-network with Aetna PPO and CIGNA PPO. Please note, only licensed therapists can see clients with United Healthcare insurance plans. (See “Our Therapists” page to identify which clinician is in-network with your plan). All other plans, including all HMO plans, or Medicaid and other Medicare plans are considered “out of network”.

If you have an out of network carrier we suggest that you consider self-pay options or that you request a hardship application to apply for a lower rate. See Sliding Scale question for more details.

Yes, offering lower fee services to clients in need is integral to Evergreen’s values. We understand that therapy is needed, yet it can be very expensive. Every therapist on our staff has 1-2 clients on their caseload that qualify as a “low fee” or “pro-bono” client. These clients need to meet these criteria:

1) Medicaid, Medishare, or any other mental health coverage that doesn’t offer outpatient mental health coverage.

2) Has an out of network insurance plan that is not currently in network with any Evergreen clinical staff.

3) Proven financial need via our hardship application that our office manager provides (please email or call with to request)

Yes, we do offer video sessions, but only for Illinois residents. Call your insurance provider with more information, as each plan varies.

As of this time we are doing both in-person and telehealth sessions. We are excited to meet back in person with our clients, with appropriate safety protocols in place for clinicians and clients.

Absolutely! We understand that sometimes mental health symptoms can even add stress to the process of getting help! We’re here to make this process as convenient as possible. Please email us at [email protected] and our intake coordinator will contact you. This intake process email will do two things: 1) we will collect your information to check your insurance benefits, and 2) we will schedule your first session with the therapist that is the best fit for you. No need for any phone call before your first session!

This is an important choice, and can feel confusing when you’re browsing so many therapist bios and specialties. If you’re feeling uncertain, feel free to email or call our intake coordinator to answer these questions. At different stages of life and relationships, any of these services may be helpful at different times. We here at Evergreen prefer to keep families and individuals in those families “in house”. For instance, that can look like you would see one clinician for individual grief work, and then you and your family could see another clinician for family work, and then see another for couples work. Evergreen is unique in that these clinicians can work as a team in consultation meetings to get more collaborative, hands-on care, an option not very common in outpatient therapeutic care.

Evergreen Counseling offers a variety of different therapy modalities for a variety of different populations. All of our therapists practice from a trauma-informed perspective and adapt that perspective to meet the needs of each individual client, couple, or family. Examples of talk therapy modalities that our therapists use include psychodynamic therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), person-centered therapy, Internal Family Systems, Emotionally Focused Therapy, the Gottman Method, and more. Some of our therapists are trained in somatic (body-based) therapies like Transforming Touch, EMDR, and the Safe and Sound Protocol. 

Since all of our sessions are both via telehealth and in person, your therapist will either invite you via a video link sent to your email address, or you will meet at our office in Wheaton. If you’re meeting via telehealth, when the appointment begins, ensure you have a private, quiet space for one hour to meet with your therapist. Your therapist will then invite you into the HIPAA compliant video platform. If you’re meeting in person, your therapist will meet you in our socially distanced waiting room. Once the appointment begins, therapist will then discuss a few business items before the conversation about what brings you to therapy. That usually includes going over the informed consent forms, questions about fees/insurance, as well as going over confidentiality policies. Once these business items are sufficiently discussed, questions might be asked like, “What brings you to therapy today? Have you been in therapy before? How do you hope to have therapy help you?” You will NOT be required to answer complex questions about feelings about your childhood on the first session ;). Our therapists are trained to be aware of your cues, and follow YOUR lead. Your comfort and feelings of relational safety come first at Evergreen. Then, after 55 minutes, the session concludes and another session will be scheduled for the following week, as necessary.

Well, that depends! We recommend you start a relationship with a therapist on a semi regular basis, starting at once a week. If you’re in a circumstantial crisis such as going through a relationship loss, or you’ve started a new job and now have panic attacks for the first time, chances are that, with therapy, the crisis symptoms will pass when the adjustment period is over, which is usually around 2-3 months. However, if you’ve had a history of anxiety symptoms, and now panic attacks are occurring, you might need to plan for longer work, perhaps up to 6-9 months. Of course, some persons are in need of longer term care, even up to several years of work. It is entirely up to you and your therapist, deciding together what your mental health goals are.

Go ahead and give our main line a call, 630-480-0060, or email us directly at [email protected]. Our intake coordinator will help you determine your therapeutic needs. We will match you with the therapist that might be the best fit for your therapeutic and/or your scheduling needs!

We are not a one-size-fits-all-your-mental-health-needs kind of group practice. We have a certain number of staff members, who have all chosen specific areas of training and specialties. You may find a great fit here with one of our staff members, but—perhaps you won’t. We don’t claim to be good at issues we’re not trained in. Look carefully at the staff bios on our “Meet our Therapists” page. Each issue has been chosen carefully by our staff. Call our intake coordinator with any clarifying questions you may have. We will refer you to someone who is a better fit if that person isn’t here at Evergreen. A good therapist fit is worth the search—but it doesn’t have to be here with us. But if it is, you know what you’re getting.

A child has a right to privacy in their therapy sessions, just as an adult does. That being said, if your child's therapist thinks it would help the child meet their treatment goals, they may ask for you to attend a session when it's appropriate. This would only happen with your child's consent and knowledge.