Fees for Court-Ordered Services

The Chicago School Forensic Center provides forensic mental health services for individuals and families who are ordered by the Cook County Domestic Relations Court to participate in a psychological evaluation or some form of counseling. Some of these services are covered by Medicaid and commercial insurance, and some must be paid for by the client.

Medicaid Recipients

All individual services such as a psychological evaluation, mental health assessment, and individual counseling are usually fully covered by Medicaid. Family services such as therapeutic supervised visitation (TSV), reunification therapy, family therapy, and co-parenting therapy are not billed to Medicaid. Clients who are court-ordered to receive a family service always begin with at least one individual appointment and usually several prior to beginning the family service, all of which eligible for Medicaid reimbursement. However, once a Medicaid-eligible client proceeds to the family service, the fees are not billed to Medicaid and instead become self-pay. The standard fee for all family services is $75 per appointment. For Medicaid-eligible clients, this fee is automatically reduced by 50 percent to $37.50 per meeting.

Clients with Commercial Insurance

When registering for services, we will conduct a benefits verification with your insurance provider. Based on the outcome of the verification, we will be able to advise you what services and at what percentage your insurance provider will reimburse. In some instances we are able to directly bill commercial insurance; however, any balance not covered is still the client’s responsibility to pay. In other instances, even if the insurance plan cover some costs, we will ask the client to self-pay at the time of services and provide a monthly statement the client can submit to their insurance for possible reimbursement.

Self-Pay Clients and Making a Request for a Reduced Fee

Clients who are self-pay for all or some of their appointments and who can document that the out-of-pocket payment represents a financial hardship, may apply for the $75 per appointment fee to be reduced. A form to request a fee reduction can be downloaded from this page and submitted with the required documents by email.

Questions and Concerns about Payment

Do not hesitate to contact us regarding any concerns or questions you may have about payment. It is important for all clients to ensure they fully understand costs, insurance reimburse, and self-pay responsibilities before beginning services.

How does therapy help?

Psychotherapy helps people understand that they can do something to improve their situation. That leads to changes that enhance healthy behavior, whether it’s improving relationships, expressing emotions better, doing better at work or school, or thinking more positively. – The American Psychology Association