What To Expect
During your first appointment, we’ll discuss your current difficulties, as well as relevant history, and I’ll explain how I may be of help to you. You’ll have an opportunity to ask any questions you may have and we’ll discuss scheduling and next steps.
What To Bring
Please bring the following with you to your first appointment:
- Photo ID (e.g., driver’s license, state ID)
- Insurance card (if you have not already provided me with copies of your insurance card)
Insurance
I will usually collect your insurance information prior to scheduling your first appointment, which allows me to check your mental health benefits. With this benefits check, I’ll be able to find out your mental health benefits, copay amount, and any deductible that may need to be met. There will be times that I am unable to check your benefits due to the limitations of the tools I use for the benefits check. In those instances, I will ask you to contact your insurance provider at the number on the back of your insurance card. Here are some questions you should ask your insurance provider:
- What are my mental health benefits?
- What is my yearly deductible and how much has been met so far?
- What is my co-payment per session?
- Is there a session limit per year?
Please see my Fees & Insurance page for more information on my fees and insurance policies.
Registration
In order to prepare you for your first meeting with me, I’ll need you to register via the secure client portal of my website as well as answer questions regarding your current difficulties and relevant history. After I have scheduled your first session, you’ll receive a welcome email with your initial username and password. This process will take about 20 minutes to complete and will help me to get a head start prior to our first meeting. Please register one day prior to your first scheduled appointment. You’ll also be asked for your insurance information and a credit card for me to keep on file for making copayments and other payments.
Once registered, you’ll be able to use the client portal to view your scheduled and past sessions, check invoices and make payments, update your contact and billing information, download various documents, change your notification settings, and more.
SESSION NOTIFICATIONS: By default, you will receive text message reminders 24 hours prior to your scheduled sessions. The notification settings in the client portal allow you to choose to receive text message and/or email reminders of upcoming sessions or to turn them off entirely if you prefer.
Location
My office is located in the Professional Building of Thorek Hospital at the northwest corner of Broadway Street and Irving Park Road in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood. Come up to Suite 302 and make yourself comfortable in the waiting room with complimentary Wi-Fi and distilled water, and I’ll be with you at your scheduled appointment time. Please visit my Location page for more information on parking and public transportation.
BUILDING ENTRY: The doors to the Professional Building entrance are locked at 6 PM each day, so if you have an appointment after 6 PM, you’ll need to enter through the Thorek Hospital main entrance at 850 W Irving Park Rd and follow the signage guiding you to the professional building, Suite 302.
