What to Expect

Calling to schedule

When you call one of our locations our Support Staff will ask you for several pieces of information to assist in getting you connected to the best therapist for your situation.

• In general terms, why are you seeking counseling?
• If you are planning on using your health insurance benefit, please have your insurance information available.
• Are there any needs related to language, culture and/or building accessibility? Spanish-speaking therapists are available and all of our offices are handicap accessible.

When using an insurance benefit, Support Staff will collect information over the phone and find out which therapists are in your network. They will also find out about any deductibles or co-pays you may be responsible for and any restrictions the insurance company may have regarding using your benefit. Support Staff will call you back with this information.

Bill of Rights

Welcome to our practice. This document will explain your client’s rights and responsibilities. It is part of your client registration and is an important part of your health care plan. If you have any questions, please contact Centennial’s leadership: Timothy Buhrt (St. Charles), Jennifer McKay (Yorkville), Jennifer Geltz (Sandwich), or Kathie Faith (St. Charles).

We comply with applicable Federal civil rights laws and affirm that we will deliver high-quality health care to every client.  Our commitment to you, our client, includes the following rights:

• Be treated with dignity, respect, and autonomy.
• Be treated respectfully regardless of your age, gender, disability, race, color, ancestry, citizenship, religion, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, health condition, marital status, veteran status, payment source or ability, or any other basis prohibited by federal, state, or local law.
• Have your treatment explained in terms that you can understand and to have any question answered concerning your symptoms, diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment.
• Be assured of the confidential treatment of disclosures and records and to approve or refuse the release of such information, except when release of specific information is required by law.
• Received a clear explanation of your condition and treatment options and know your treatment choices regardless of cost or coverage by your benefit plan.
• Develop a collaborative treatment plan, whether verbal or written.
• Be informed of fees.
• Refuse to be treated and to be informed of the consequence of such decisions.
• Have clinical decisions about your care made on the basis of treatment needs.
• If you believe Centennial Counseling Center has failed to provide these services or discriminated in another way on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex, you can file a grievance with:

Timothy Buhrt, CEO,Centennial Counseling Center
1120 E. Main Street, St. Charles, IL  60174
Telephone:  630-377-6613
FAX: 630-377-6225

You can also file a civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights, electronically through the Office for Civil Rights Complaint Portal online, by mail, or phone at:

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Avenue, SW
Room 509F, HHH Building
Washington, DC  20201
1-800-368-1019, 1-800-537-7697 (TDD)
Complaint forms are available at http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/office/file/index.html

You are an important and active member of your care plan.  You have certain responsibilities to yourself and to your care team.  In the spirit of shared trust and respect, we ask you to:

• Treat those giving you care with dignity and respect.
• Give clinician information that he/she may need in order to provide quality care and appropriate services.
• Ask questions about your care in order to understand your care.
• Keep your appointments.  Appointments should be cancelled no later than 24 hours in advance.  Know that a “no show fee” will be charged for appointments cancelled less than 24 hours prior to appointment.
• Let your clinician know when treatment is not working for you.
• Let your clinician know about problems with paying fees.

Your first appointment

We ask that you come early for the first appointment to fill out the forms needed before getting started. If you prefer, you can download a copy of the forms here.

At your scheduled time, your therapist will greet you in the waiting room and bring you to his/her office. Sessions are approximately 45-55 minutes long. Your therapist will take time to get to know you and learn about your goals for therapy.

Kids as clients

When parents bring a child under the age of 12, the therapist may have a preference as to begin with the parent(s) alone or by meeting with the parent(s) and child together.

Either way it is helpful to bring along all relevant documents that may be informative. These might include copies of:

• Hospital Discharge Summaries
• Psychological Evaluations
• IEP or 504 Plans
• Results of any testing that has been done
• Custody/Divorce Decrees
• Joint Parenting Agreements
• Custody Evaluations

Note for divorce situations

If you are involved in a divorce or custody litigation, please remember the role of a therapist is not to make recommendations for the court concerning custody or parenting issues or to testify in court concerning opinions on issues involved in the litigation. Only court-appointed experts, investigators, or evaluators can make recommendations to the court on disputed issues concerning parental responsibilities and parenting plans. In this context, therapy is largely focused on the welfare of the children, supporting and helping them through the process.

In situations where one parent is initiating counseling and the child is covered under the OTHER parent’s insurance policy, we will need the insured’s pertinent information to file the claim. Furthermore, it is expected that the attending parent will pay all fees at the time of service and take care of reimbursement on their own.