Megan Pietrucha, Psy.D., LLC
Licensed Clinical Psychologist & Sport Psychology Consultant
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I make an appointment?
Making the decision to seek help can be intimidating, but help is only a phone call away! I can be reached at 773-609-5855. Your call is very important to me, so if I am unable to take your call, please leave a message and I will return it within 24-48 hours.
If you are experiencing a life-threatening emergency, please call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. I do not maintain 24 hour access to my phone or email.
What can I expect in my first session?
The first session is dedicated to gathering information and learning about you, what brought you to therapy, your goals for therapy. This is done in a conversational, and hopefully, comfortable and safe manner with the purpose of fully understanding your current situation and how aspects of your past might impact your current emotional health. At the end of the session, you can expect that I will share my professional diagnostic impressions. We will also collaboratively discuss if and how we will continue to work together and set a plan for future sessions.
It is extremely important that you feel comfortable in therapy and with the therapist you chose to work with. I always encourage clients to consider the first and second sessions as an opportunity to see if this is a good fit for you also.
Do you take insurance?
YES! I currently accept Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO. However, if you have another carrier, we can still work together. At the end of each session, you will be provided with a bill that you can submit to your insurance for reimbursement.
To determine if you have mental health coverage, the first thing you should do is check with your insurance carrier. Check your coverage carefully and find the answers to the following questions:
- What are my mental health benefits?
- What is the coverage amount per therapy session?
- How many therapy sessions does my plan cover?
- How much does my insurance pay for an out-of-network provider?
- Is approval required from my primary care physician?
What types of payment methods do you accept?
Fees for co-payments or self-pay are accepted with the following payment methods:
Check, cash, and credit or debit card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover)
Is therapy confidential? Does anyone have to know that I'm in therapy?
In general, the law protects the confidentiality of all communications between a client and psychotherapist. No information is disclosed without prior written permission from the client. In the event that you would like someone to be informed, consulted, or support your therapy process, you would simply need to sign a release of information and I would be happy to facilitate the connection.
However, there are some exceptions required by law to this rule. Exceptions include:
- Suspected child abuse or dependent adult or elder abuse. The therapist is required to report this to the appropriate authorities.
- If a client is threatening serious bodily harm to another person. The therapist is required to notify the police.
- If a client intends to harm himself or herself. The therapist will make every effort to work with the individual to ensure their safety. However, if an individual does not cooperate, additional measures may need to be taken.
For more information on what you can expect from therapy, try reading this article on "What is Good Therapy".