Frequently Asked Questions

Life can get heavy. Stress, anxiety, grief, relationship strain, and the pressure of simply keeping up can leave you feeling overwhelmed, stuck, or disconnected from yourself. Counseling is a confidential, supportive space where you can slow down, talk through what you're carrying, and start to understand what's getting in the way of living the life you want.

At Lotus Counseling Services, counseling isn't about being told what to do or having a professional analyze everything you say. It's a collaborative process where you and your therapist work together to explore your thoughts, feelings, and experiences, identify patterns that may be holding you back, and build practical tools for lasting change. You don't have to be in crisis to benefit. Many people find counseling helpful during major life transitions, periods of low motivation, or simply when they feel like something is off and can't quite name it.

Virtual therapy is simply counseling delivered online rather than in an office. At Lotus Counseling Services, all sessions are conducted via secure, HIPAA-compliant video through SimplePractice, meaning you can meet with your therapist from the privacy and comfort of your own home, or anywhere you have a quiet space and a reliable internet connection.

There's no commute, no waiting room, and no need to take extra time out of your day. You just log on at your scheduled time and your session begins. Telehealth has opened access to quality mental health care for people across Illinois and Indiana who might otherwise face barriers like distance, transportation, or scheduling constraints.

Yes, telehealth therapy is just as effective as in-person therapy in typical private practice settings and the research backs it up.

Multiple peer-reviewed studies have found that people who receive therapy virtually improve at the same rate as those who attend in person. The outcomes are comparable across the conditions we most commonly treat, including anxiety, depression, trauma, and addiction. Virtual therapy is not a compromise or a lesser version of care. For many people, it actually makes it easier to show up consistently, which itself leads to better results.

Sources:
https://www.cmaj.ca/content/196/10/E327
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.07.30.24311208v1.full
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12415301/

The short answer is: most people, at some point in their lives.

There is a common misconception that therapy is only for people in crisis or those with a diagnosed mental health condition. In reality, people come to counseling for all kinds of reasons, and you do not need to be at a breaking point to benefit.

Some people come because something specific has happened: a loss, a relationship rupture, a major life transition, or a trauma they have been carrying for years. Others come because of a quieter, harder-to-name feeling that something is off, that they are going through the motions, that they are not quite living the life they want. Both are valid reasons to reach out.

Counseling is also genuinely useful as a preventative investment. Just as people exercise or eat well to support their physical health before a problem develops, many people find that regular therapy helps them manage stress, build self-awareness, and navigate life's inevitable challenges with more resilience and clarity.

If you have been wondering whether therapy is for you, that wondering itself is usually a sign worth paying attention to.

There is no single answer, and anyone who tells you otherwise is oversimplifying. The length of therapy depends on what you are working through, your goals, and how the process unfolds for you individually.

That said, here is a general picture. Many clients working through a specific concern, such as a life transition, a period of elevated anxiety, or grief, find meaningful progress within three to six months of consistent weekly sessions. Clients working through longer-standing patterns, complex trauma, or deeper relational concerns often benefit from a longer engagement. Some people come to therapy for a defined period, reach their goals, and move on. Others find ongoing monthly or bimonthly sessions valuable as a longer-term investment in their wellbeing.

Your therapist will check in with you regularly about how things are going and whether the frequency and focus of your sessions still feel right. You are never locked into a timeline, and the pace of your work is always something you and your therapist decide together.

We do not offer formal free consultations, but we do want you to feel confident before committing to your first session. If you have questions about whether Lotus is the right fit for you, or would like guidance on which of our clinicians may best meet your needs, you are welcome to request a brief call with our founder and CEO, Monica McCombs. Monica is happy to speak with you personally, answer your questions, and help you find the right match within our practice.

From there, your intake session serves as its own form of introduction. It is not a test or a formality. It is a real conversation between you and your therapist, a chance to explore whether the relationship feels right before committing to ongoing work together. Many clients find that the intake session itself gives them a clear sense of whether they are in the right place.

We primarily work with adults ages 18 and older. We also work with adolescents on a case-by-case basis. For younger clients, we find the best outcomes when the adolescent is personally invested in the process and genuinely wants to be in therapy rather than attending solely at a parent's direction. If you are reaching out on behalf of a teenager, we are happy to have a conversation about whether our practice is a good fit.

At Lotus Counseling Services, we believe there is no single approach to therapy that works for everyone. Each person comes to us with a unique history, set of experiences, and vision for what healing looks like for them. That is why our clinicians are trained in a range of evidence-based therapeutic models and work collaboratively with each client to determine what will be most effective for their specific needs and goals.

Our approach is integrative at its core. This means your therapist may draw from multiple frameworks depending on what best serves you. These include:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), which helps identify and shift patterns of thought that contribute to distress;

• Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), which builds skills for emotional regulation and distress tolerance;

• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which focuses on building psychological flexibility and living in alignment with your values;

• Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) for moving past ingrained trauma responses;

• Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) for trauma and PTSD;

• Motivational Interviewing for those navigating addiction and ambivalence about change; and

• Person-Centered and Trauma-Informed approaches that prioritize your safety, autonomy, and pace throughout the therapeutic process.

Whatever modalities your therapist draws from, the foundation remains the same: a genuine, collaborative relationship where you feel heard, respected, and supported in moving toward the life you want.

We are in network with many different insurance panels to ensure that our services are accessible.

We are in network with: Anthem, BCBS, Aetna, Cigna, Carelon, Ascension (SmartHealth), Aetna EAP, Cigna EAP, and CCA EAP.

If we are not currently paneled with your insurance provider, you have a couple of options.

The first is private pay. Our session rate is $150 for both individual and couples therapy, and limited sliding scale spots are available for those experiencing financial hardship. Reach out to us directly to inquire.

The second is out of network benefits. Many insurance plans will reimburse you for a portion of therapy costs even when the provider is not in their network. If your plan includes out of network benefits, here is how it works: you pay for your session at the time of service, and at the end of each month we provide you with a superbill, which is an itemized receipt that includes all the information your insurance company needs to process a reimbursement claim. You submit that superbill directly to your insurer and they reimburse you according to your plan's out of network rate.

We recommend calling the member services number on the back of your insurance card and asking specifically about your out of network mental health benefits before your first session, so you know what to expect.

We are not able to guarantee reimbursement, as that is entirely dependent on your individual plan. But for many clients, out of network benefits make private pay more affordable than it first appears.

First, we are a group practice, which means you have access to a team of clinicians with a range of specialties, backgrounds, and approaches rather than a single therapist whose availability and expertise may or may not match what you need. If your needs change over time, or if the first match is not quite right, we have options for you within the same practice.

Second, we take matching seriously. Before your first session, we take the time to understand what you are looking for and connect you with the clinician best suited to your needs, personality, and goals. You are not simply assigned to whoever has the next open slot.

Third, we are built for real life. All of our services are delivered virtually, which means no commute, no waiting room, and no need to carve out half a day for a one-hour appointment. Appointments are often available within the same week of reaching out, because we know that the window between deciding to get help and actually following through is narrow, and we do not want logistics to close it.

Finally, Lotus is a Black-owned and woman-owned practice. For clients who have felt unseen, misunderstood, or hesitant to seek help in traditional clinical settings, that matters. Our clinicians bring both professional training and genuine personal investment to the work of making care feel accessible and affirming for every client we serve.

Getting started is simple. Reach out to us by phone, text, or email and a member of our team will follow up with you to learn a little about what you are looking for, answer any questions you have, and match you with the clinician who is the best fit for your needs, availability, and insurance.

Once you are matched, your first appointment is scheduled. That first session, often called an intake session, is a chance for you and your therapist to get to know one another. Your therapist will ask questions to better understand your background, your goals, and what has brought you to therapy. You are equally encouraged to ask your therapist questions. Finding the right fit matters, and we want you to feel confident that Lotus is the right place for you.

Appointments are often available within the same week of reaching out. Call or text us at 773-219-2000 or select the button below to schedule your first appointment.