General FAQs

IntraSpectrum Counseling accepts major credit cards, and cash.

Yes. We offer both in-person and tele-health online therapy (subject to health insurance provider policies). If you would like, or if your therapist believes you may clinically benefit from, tele-health therapy, you will be able to do so in the future. We are happy to assist if you are not sure about your health insurance provider’s policies regarding in-person vs. online therapy. Feel free to contact us at help@intraspectrum-chicago.com.

Clients can cancel or reschedule an appointment anytime without incurring a late cancellation fee by giving us 2 calendar days’ notice via email to your therapist. If you cancel an appointment with less than 2 calendar days’ notice, fail to show for your appointment, or are 10 or more minutes late for your appointment, you will be charged a $185 cancellation fee for the appointment. In addition, your insurance will not cover any missed sessions. For more information about our cancellation & rescheduling policy, please click here.

We know it’s important to make therapy available when you are. It’s more likely you’ll be able to commit to therapy when your sessions can be scheduled around work and other important commitments.  IntraSpectrum Counseling is open extended hours, seven days a week (Monday -Friday 9am to 9pm, and Saturday -Sunday 9am to 7pm), and our therapists’ work schedules include some evening and weekend appointments.  Typically, clients will wait no longer than a few weeks from they time they submit an online inquiry form until their initial appointment.

Our offices observe four practice-wide holidays each year, so that our team members may spend time with their loved ones. IntraSpectrum Counseling is closed for:

New Year’s Day
Independence Day (July 4th)
Thanksgiving Day
Christmas Day

Please note:

• There will be additional times during the year when your therapist is out of the office due to PTO (planned time off). Your therapist will speak with you in advance regarding rescheduling if their time away will impact your session.
• Because our therapists offer services seven days a week, when we observe a holiday it is only for the day on which the actual holiday falls (e.g. we are open on the Friday following Thanksgiving, on Christmas Eve, on New Year’s Eve, etc.)

If you have any questions, please feel free to speak with your therapist.

Our offices in the Loop (180 N Michigan Ave, Suite 1830) and one of our Andersonville offices (1511 W Berwyn Ave) are accessible for individuals with disabilities. Our other Andersonville office (5340 N Clark, Suite 212) is not accessible for individuals with disabilities.

If you have a disability or other mobility need, please share that information and your accessibility needs during the intake process, to ensure that IntraSpectrum Counseling and your therapist can best support you.

Building management for our Loop office (180 North Michigan Ave, Suite 1830) does require visitors to show photo ID and sign-in and out when entering and leaving the building lobby after 6pm on weeknights and all day on weekends.

We understand that the building management’s policy may trigger difficult feelings for some, and we sincerely apologize. Building management views this new policy as a security and safety measure. We have lodged our disapproval and inclusivity concerns about the policy with building management. Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do as a tenant to change it.

To help advocate for our clients, guests, visitors and team members and make this policy as unobtrusive as possible, we remain in communication with building management to share our concerns and obtain changes to make the building a safe and inclusive environment for all. In addition to posting the information here on our website, we have also added language to 1st appointment emails sent to clients with in-person appointments in the Loop. If you have any questions, please speak with your therapist or email us at help@intraspectrum-chicago.com.

It’s easy to request a copy of your ISC records, and we are happy to assist. Simply download and complete the Authorization to Obtain or Release Information form and send it to us via email (to records@intraspectrum-chicago.com) or via fax to (312) 263-1933. Requests are typically handled within 5-10 business days.

We need your legal name to create a medical record. Additionally, we need a legal name to submit claims to insurance companies. The name on your insurance claim and the name on your insurance policy must match. If you change your legal name, please let us know so that we can update it in our system. Your legal name will be displayed on claims sent to your insurance company, your medical records, superbills, and invoices. Whenever possible, our electronic health record system will display your chosen name.

IntraSpectrum Counseling is committed to the professional growth and development of our clinicians, and our team includes therapists who work under clinical supervision. To become licensed to practice independently, all mental health providers must complete a minimum number of therapy hours under clinical supervision. This means that they meet on a regular basis with another clinician who is licensed, and more experienced in both therapy and supervision. The process ensures the efficacy of the therapist / client relationship, helps therapists develop diagnostic skills & intervention strategies and work through ethical questions, and it satisfies the requirement for state licensure. If your therapist is working under supervision, your case may be discussed during these clinical supervisory meetings, as needed. More information will be shared during your initial session, and we welcome you to ask any questions you may have.

Our locations are both convenient to public transportation and have parking options nearby.

Loop Office (180 N. Michigan Ave, Suite 1830, Chicago IL 60601)
(Located across the street from Millennium Park, between Lake and Randolph Streets)

• If you are taking public transportation, we are near Lake St. El stop (most of the El train lines run through this station), and Randolph St. Metra Station. For those traveling from the suburbs, we are approximately 1 mile from Ogilvie Metra stop. There are also several Chicago Transit Authority bus routes with stops right in front of the building.
• If you are driving, there are a number of parking garages in close proximity, and metered parking on nearby side streets. Be sure to leave yourself extra time to search for a parking space if you decide to drive. (Pro-tip-Smartphone apps such as SpotHero and ParkWhiz can sometimes provide discounts for garage parking).

Clark St. / Andersonville Office (5340 N. Clark St., Suite 212, Chicago IL 60640)
(Located at the corner of Clark St and Summerdale Ave)

• If you are taking public transportation, Clark St. bus routes and the Red Line El train (Berwyn stop) are the best public transport options to reach either of our Andersonville offices.
• If you are driving, there is ample free and metered parking on Clark St, Ashland Ave, and several nearby side streets. Additionally, there is free parking in the US Bank parking lot behind the building (entrance on Summerdale Ave), for in-person Clark St clients during non-banking hours only (weekday evenings after 5:00pm and Saturdays after 1:00pm). To ensure compliance with our lease when using the US Bank parking lot, please: (1) plan to arrive / park no more than 15 minutes before a therapy session, (2) depart the lot once you exit the building following a therapy session, and (3) if you plan to stay in-area after a therapy session, move your car to a parking space outside of the lot first.
• Please do not park in the small lot behind the US Bank parking lot. This lot is reserved for bank and IntraSpectrum employees.

Berwyn Ave / Andersonville Office ( 1511 Berwyn Ave., Chicago IL 60640)
(Located just north of West Foster Ave., between Ashland Ave and Clark St)

• If you are taking public transportation, Clark St. bus routes and the Red Line El train (Berwyn stop) are the best public transport options to reach either of our Andersonville offices.
• If you are driving, there is ample free and metered parking on Clark St, Ashland Ave, and several nearby side streets.
• Please be aware that in-person clients with evening / weekend sessions at the Berwyn Ave office are not authorized to use the US Bank parking lot at the Clark St office.

Yes, in order for us to comply with various state and federal rules and regulations, all clients must re-sign our Informed Consent, Teletherapy Consent, HIPAA Privacy Notice, Credit Card Authorization, Emergency Contact Information, Medicare Opt-Out, and Cancellation and Rescheduling Policy each year. All policies and forms are also available on our website’s “Forms & Policies” page under “About Us,” and you can click here to view the page.

If your session is in person, masking is optional at all locations both in common areas and during therapy sessions. While face masks are not required, for the health and safety of all, we will continue to provide surgical masks in our waiting rooms for those who would like one.

We have several measures in place for the health and wellbeing of our clients, team members, and visitors and guests in our offices:

• If your session is in person, masking is optional at all locations, both in common areas and during therapy sessions. While face masks are not required, for the health and safety of all, we will continue to provide surgical masks in our waiting rooms for those who would like one.
• All team members, including therapists, must be fully immunized against COVID-19, including annual booster vaccines.
• All team members, including therapists, must receive annual seasonal influenza vaccinations.
• H13 True HEPA Air Purifier Filters run at all times in the common areas and individual offices at all of our locations.
• Sani-Cloth Germicidal Cloth Wipes are used to wipe down and clean each individual office at all of our locations.
• Appointment Reminder emails sent prior to each visit also remind clients that if their session is in-person and they have a fever, cough or other symptoms, that they should contact their therapist to reschedule the session

Any updates to our policies will be communicated to the general public here on the ISC website, and to clients via their ISC therapist and Appointment Reminder messages (email & text) sent before each scheduled session. If you have any questions, please speak with your ISC therapist or email us at help@intraspectrum-chicago.com.

LGBTQ+ is an umbrella term for people who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and/or Intersex (also called Differences in Sexual Development, or DSD). The “Q” also stands for those who are questioning or in a state of flux with their gender and/or sexual identity.

IntraSpectrum Counseling is Chicago’s leading psychotherapy practice dedicated to the LGBTQ+ community. We strive to create an inviting, affirming and inclusive space for the vast spectrum of gender and sexual identities, as well as creating a sex/pleasure-positive space for non-heteronormative sexual expressions such as kink, poly, and open relationships. Our therapists have expertise in supporting LGBTQ+ clients, including specialized training in addressing the many intersections between mental health and the LGBTQ+ community.