Virtual Counseling Services
Our virtual counseling services are a safe way of getting the support you need even when getting to a therapy appointment is difficult.
The need for convenient, effective counseling is not a new demand. However, the impact of coronavirus has led many people to consider virtual counseling when they otherwise may not have done so. Sound like you? You are not alone!
Although Restorative Counseling has proudly offered this service for years, the disruption and uncertainty of COVID-19 have made this more of a necessity than ever before.
Considering virtual counseling?
Just getting to a therapy appointment can be difficult.
Tele-mental health, teletherapy, and so on – it goes by many names, but virtual counseling allows you to meet directly and securely with your therapist through live and interactive video and audio conferencing.
Virtual therapy gives you more accessible counseling options. Busy Schedule? No problem. You can schedule your session on your lunch break, after the kids are asleep, whenever it’s convenient for you. No more wasted travel time.
Transportation or mobility issues? Again, no fuss. You can schedule your session no matter where you are if you have privacy and an Internet connection.
Distance concerns? No longer. If you live outside Chicago and don’t think that in-person therapy would work for you, think again. You can now receive services from the comfort of your own home.
How does virtual counseling work?
You’ll meet with your therapist virtually through real-time video and audio over a secure online connection.
Is it secure?
Yes. We use a HIPAA-secure video platform to protect your privacy and confidentiality.
Is virtual counseling covered by insurance?
Many insurance plans do cover virtual therapy services, but each client needs to call to confirm their benefits. We provide a useful form for guiding you through how to confirm coverage.
Here’s how we will utilize our strength-based approach to help you during your virtual counseling journey:
- Focusing on internal strengths and resources and less on weaknesses or shortcomings to make changing behaviors and improving your life easier.
- Gaining an understanding of what is most important to you and your values to help determine what decisions are best for you.
- Improving your resiliency.
- Learning to develop realistic habits that will help you take care of yourself physically, socially, and emotionally.
- Exploring challenging or painful experiences so you can move forward with a sense of hopefulness.
- Protecting your independence, resilience, and ability to make choices for your overall wellbeing.
Meet our dedicated clinicians offering Virtual Counseling
Stephanie Grunewald, PhD
I am dedicated to exploring the layers of shame, guilt, and fear that have prevented you from living the life you desire.
Katie Jackson-Griffin, LCPC
I am passionate about guiding you to love yourself and build up your resilience to take on all of life’s challenges.
Jordan Meehan, LCSW
I provide a safe environment where you can develop insight into your experiences, behaviors, and relationships, as well as build healthy coping habits, self-care skills, and positive self-regard.
What to expect from the counseling journey
We create a unique counseling process that is tailored to each person’s strengths and experiences.
Counseling is meant to be a time of self-exploration and growth. Your clinician will tailor treatment to your specific needs based on your goals and what you would like to achieve. Counseling has the potential to be short-term or long-term based on your individual needs.
Sustained progress can be made in as few as 8 weekly sessions, but most people find that they need treatment for a minimum of several months. We encourage you to attend weekly sessions, as this allows you to establish a close working relationship with your clinician and to make progress more quickly. Our hope is for you to reach your goals sooner rather than later so that you can live the life you desire.
Both before and during your first session, you will be asked to provide information about yourself and your reasons for seeking counseling. During the first session, your clinician will briefly review Restorative Counseling’s policies so that you are aware of your rights as a client and can ask any questions you may have. The primary focus of the intake process is to discuss your personal, social, family, and educational history to help give your clinician an overall picture of who you are. Goals for treatment will be discussed and your clinician will provide insight into how they conduct counseling sessions.
In addition to learning about you, the Intake process is a time for you to learn about your clinician. It is important that you feel they are the right fit for your style and needs. We encourage you to ask questions so you can be clear on what to expect from your clinician.
The intake session(s) typically lasts 55-60 minutes.
Ongoing sessions are 45-53 minutes, depending on your insurance plan.
As you move through the counseling process, you and your clinician will discuss your progress. Once it has been decided that you have achieved your goals, you and your clinician will discuss terminating services. These final few sessions will focus on reviewing the progress you have made and how you can continue to maintain these changes moving forward.