The most common questions parents
and other referrers ask us.

Appointments are scheduled generally between 9:00am and 6:00pm, Monday through Thursday, with some exceptions.

As a parent, feel free to initiate that first call. At PCCA, referrals come from multiple sources—parents, teachers, pediatricians and neurologists or other clinicians. These are typically the people who see the child regularly and know him or her best

PCCA accepts Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Illinois (PPO and BX HMO IL, SITE 284 and 447). We are committed to making the assessment accessible and affordable for every family, so we will work closely with you to help with coverage issues, establish a payment plan if needed, and navigate the often confusing world of health insurance.

Our approach focuses on highly individualized evaluations that uncover the “root” of the problem. This does two things: it prevents “overtesting” and allows the subsequent interventions address the cause, rather than the symptoms of any issues identified. Everything we do at PCCA—from the kinds of tests we administer to the length of our sessions—is evidenced-based. This means that science backs up our approach. Study after study shows that the earlier you intervene with a child, because of the way the brain develops, the better the odds of a good outcome. What is key, however, is making the right interventions. This, of course, is contingent upon the right diagnosis. That’s why we are thorough in the evaluation and use multiple sources to assess the child from different perspectives. Only when you have the correct diagnosis can you take the most appropriate action to remedy it.

Due to change in federal law, school districts are no longer required to evaluate children through standardized measures. In addition, in many school districts, there are fewer professionals available to evaluate learning and developmental issues in their students. In fact, often when a teacher identifies an issue in a student that needs to be evaluated, they refer directly to us.

Our approach is thorough, but cautious. We only give you a diagnosis if it fits. It helps to think about it like this: We view diagnoses as simply a means of communication. It gives us information on what to focus on—which recommendations to make, which practical ideas might work. The diagnosis is the first stop in helping to make your child happy and successful. Research also shows that in many cases when children get the appropriate early intervention, the original diagnostic “label” may no longer apply.

Even kids who have the mildest issues can benefit from the evaluation because we assess the child’s learning style, strengths, weaknesses, aptitude and all the other unique factors that affect success in life. Identifying strengths can help point a child toward a career path. Assessing and maximizing the learning style will help with college or higher education pursuits. Pinpointing weakness can help the child smooth out any bumps in the road and close gaps in learning or social development early. In fact, some teens with no presenting problems have evaluations because the evaluation gives them a highly individualized blueprint for life choices that may have a positive influence on their future success.

We believe that follow-through is especially important in the evaluation process. Even though your children will not be receiving treatment from us, we follow their progress, communicate with providers and parents and offer help in navigating the systems (both the healthcare and school systems). We can even advocate for your children’s needs and ensure that they receive the assistance they are guaranteed by law. We recommend subsequent evaluations on an individual basis. We take into consideration the vast developmental changes that occur over time. Issues can shift during different stages of development. Old problems may be resolved. There may be new challenges. These follow-up evaluations help us make new recommendations so that your children have the tools to succeed at every stage of development.

Your child’s treatment plan will be discussed with you, and depending on the child’s age, you might be an active part of treatment. With teens and older children, our therapists generally meet with them alone for a few sessions first, and when it’s appropriate, parents will be brought in to discuss how they can help support their child’s development at home. Research shows that involving parents in treatment can be instrumental in a child’s progress.

Depending on clients’ diagnosis and how well they are progressing, therapy can range from eight sessions to ongoing treatment. However, parents are involved in this decision, as goals are met or evolve.

For therapy clients, we ask to keep a form a payment on file, and once your insurance company issues an explanation of benefits, your form of payment is charged with co-pay balances. For evaluation clients, 50% of your costs are invoiced upon intake, and the other 50% are invoiced at the feedback session.

There is a standard fee for initial intake, assessment, psychotherapy, and other professional services. Please ask when you contact us, and we will be able to address your questions based on your individual needs.

We ask for a 24 hour cancellation notice and reserve the right to charge a cancellation fee if an appointment is cancelled within 24 hours.

To cancel an appointment, you can call Sara directly at 847.607.1416, ext. 0, and leave a message, or you can email her at saramccallum@pccassociates.care. For therapy cancellations, you can contact your child’s therapist directly.

No, we are not a crisis clinic, and we do not have providers “on call”. Please call 911 in an emergency and/or life threatening situation.

As a courtesy, we attempt to send email reminders of your evaluation appointments 24 hours before. Appointment reminders are sent for therapy appointments at the discretion of each individual therapist. Please note that all clients are responsible for cancelling their appointments per the cancellation policy.