It’s therapeutic to talk with someone about our concerns. Many of us have experienced relief after talking with a friend or family member about something we’ve been holding in. Our concerns often seem more manageable when we talk about them with someone we trust. And as we talk, our perspective on the problem often begins to change.

Therapy goes beyond the obvious to help us get unstuck. Often we know what we should be doing to help ourselves feel better, but we can’t seem to be able to do it. Counseling helps us work through the obstacles that keep us from doing what we know would be helpful.

Therapy can also help you:

Pinpoint your problems and understand aspects that can be improved.

Develop a more positive outlook by identifying negative or problematic thinking that contributes to feelings of hopelessness and helplessness.

Examine learned behaviors that may create or sustain known problems.

Regain your sense of control and pleasure in life.

Discover your strengths and learn how to use them to improve other areas of your life.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Change is difficult — which is why we often avoid it — and it takes courage to acknowledge a problem or difficulty. When you seek counseling, you’re taking a courageous first step toward resolving your problems.

Although therapy can be helpful to people who do have serious emotional problems, it’s also useful for people with everyday concerns, like adjustment, relationship, or phase of life issues. Coaching is a useful approach for those who feel adrift and want to establish a clear path toward their goals.

By the time many people come to us, they’ve probably already gotten more advice than they can handle—from any number of friends, family, or professionals. We believe that although our counselors are knowledgeable about the change process, you are the expert on your life. By working with someone who has training and experience with facilitating positive change, you’ll be able to set specific goals for yourself and then collaborate on developing the path toward reaching them. Your counselor will be a supportive guide throughout your journey.

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a type of therapy that helps you to recover from emotional stress and reoccurring symptoms that are the result of disturbing experiences.

Check out this resource for more information on EDMR.

Yes, we work with most insurance companies, but before you schedule your first appointment, you should call your insurance provider to ensure you have adequate coverage. Call the phone number on the back of your insurance card to see how many sessions your plan covers. If there is a separate number listed for mental health insurance, call that number first.

The foundation of the counseling relationship is trust, and we treat every aspect of our counseling relationships with great care. All mental health professionals must maintain confidentiality, except as required by law. Please feel free to ask your counselor about confidentiality rules and laws.

This is something you will discuss with your counselor during your first session. The frequency of your sessions will depend on your need, situation, and coverage. Together we’ll determine the right frequency for you, and we can always adjust it as we go along.

During your first visit we will talk about what brought you to Choices, and we’ll get to know each other better so we can develop a mutual sense of trust. We will provide a safe, comfortable environment where you can work toward achieving the goals we set together. Once we begin setting goals, we will outline a process by which you will start making changes to reach those goals. Throughout our subsequent sessions, we will refer to this plan to check in and see how we’re progressing. We will ask you questions, but we know you’ll have plenty of questions of your own — so please, ask away!

Though we try hard to connect you with the therapist who we believe will be the best fit for you, only you will truly know if this is the case. You are not committed to working with the first therapist you meet; like you, we want to make sure you are comfortable with the counselor who will guide you on your journey toward healing. Please don’t hesitate to raise any concerns you have, and if you feel you would be better served by a different therapist, we will be happy to refer you to another counselor — either within or outside our practice. Working with someone you trust is incredibly important, and finding a new counselor is a better alternative than dropping out of treatment without first addressing your concerns.

If, together, we determine that medication could benefit you, we can connect you with a psychiatrist appropriate to your needs and work closely with them throughout your treatment.

Our offices are located upstairs at the Wintrust Bank building:

500 Roosevelt Road Suite 205 Glen Ellyn, IL 60137

You may call us at 630-858-1353 or email choices@choicesinc.org and we will follow up with you shortly.

Call us at 630-858-1353 or email us at choices@choicesinc.org to schedule your appointment, and then take the time to download, read, and fill out the forms below. Our initial visit will be an hour long, with subsequent visits lasting 50 minutes, so please bring the following items with you to your first session so we can make the most of the hour we have together.

What to bring:

Insurance cards

Contact your insurance company ahead of time to make sure you have adequate mental health insurance coverage. Call the number on the back of your insurance card to check. If there is a specific number associated with mental health insurance, call that number first. If your insurance company provides you with a pre-certification number, bring that to your first visit as well (not everyone will have this, so it’s okay if you don’t!). Please click here for more about our financial policy.

Registration form

Click here to download our registration form. Please fill it out and bring it with you to your first session.

Questions

Whether this is your first time seeking counseling or not, it’s likely that you will have questions. We encourage you to take a look at our FAQ section for questions about therapy in general, and if you have questions related to your specific situation, please bring them with you to your first session. We’ve found it’s helpful for you to write these questions down, especially if they’re related to concerns you have when you’re feeling bad, because you may forget them or feel differently on the day of your visit.

Personal history - May or may not apply

You may have journals, sketchbooks or other items that you feel would be valuable to our discussion — if you are comfortable doing so, please feel free to bring them with you.

Family history - May or may not apply

If there is any information related to your family’s medical and psychiatric history that you feel is important, please bring it with you.

IEP and report cards – May or may not apply

For child and adolescent visits, please bring these items as well as any teacher checklists.