MEET DR. DAN

I am a licensed clinical psychologist that works with children, adolescents, and adults; I also work with families and couples. I was trained at the Illinois School of Professional Psychology, and the University of Chicago. I see patients at my conveniently located Roscoe Village office.

My job, as a therapist, is to support my patients’ feelings and thoughts however they may emerge, while at the same time working to encourage the transformation of those emotions and thoughts into transitions toward the pursuit of a fuller, more satisfying life.

In general, I am guided in therapy, assessment, and consultation by a psychodynamic perspective. At this point, I continue to value the integration of self-psychology, object relations, and self-in-relation theory. In order to capture the patients’ worldview, I strive to approach each individual without the influence of labels or preconceived notions. I seek to understand each person in her own right, as an individual seeking treatment will share the intimate details of her life and trust me to find understanding and/or meaning.

Although I hold steadfast to the conceptual views of psychodynamic theory, I have also learned to incorporate cognitive-behavioral interventions when necessary. Although I believe the psychodynamic therapy is necessary for long-term change, I feel that integrating the two theories makes sense if I have “a tool” available that may alleviate a client’s painful symptoms in a time of severe distress.

My own personal experience has taught me that to perform at a high level; I have had to develop a sense of balance in my own life. I would like to try to convey this attitude and philosophy to my clients to help them create a more satisfying life, while they attain their highest possible balance and stability. Specific objectives might include maintaining a balance between work and home, developing both enriching intimate and collegial relationships and having a sense of enjoyment while also appreciating the process of achieving goals.

A therapeutic relationship can also help you to become more aware of what feelings, wishes, thoughts, beliefs and expectations you bring into relationships with others, which is especially useful since it is inevitable that at times you will also bring them into the therapy relationship with one’s own patients. Therapy can be an opportunity to sometimes painfully confront issues such as these, sort through them and hopefully discover new ways of understanding and experiencing the self, as well as experiencing the new kinds of relationships with others.

PHILOSOPHY

Introduction

Many different aspects of our lives combine to create the totality of our body, mind and spirit. Identifying interferences to optimal personal functioning and removing them is an important part of emotional growth, often leading to, or facilitating, an improved sense of health in the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual aspect of both individuals and our interpersonal experiences. From one point of view, difficulties sometimes arise because our self-regulatory mechanisms have been negatively influenced by early experiences and we are very often unaware of both the level and nature of these difficulties. We only know that we are not getting as much out of life as we would like to experience and that we are uncomfortable with certain feelings, wishes and motivations. We may try to make ourselves feel more comfortable or secure by resorting to all sorts of external maneuvers, such as compulsive work, substance abuse, over-eating, transient emotional “affairs”, but we usually find that such methods of relief are only temporary.

Sometimes we try to hide the parts of ourselves that we consider to be negative; not realizing that these are vital components of our essential personality or selfhood, and they are usually quite visible to others. When we begin to discover these hidden or deeper aspects of ourselves, either because they emerge naturally or during the sometimes difficult process of our own psychotherapeutic treatment, we may experience shame and guilt. This is, I believe, perhaps only partly because the original positive impulses towards self-fulfillment have, under the influence of events in our early live, developed into forms that really are unpleasant.

Methodology

There are many different methods I may use to deal with the problems you hope to address. There will be instances in which I will give you assignments to work both during our sessions and at home, and in order for therapy to be successful you will need to make your best effort in completing the assignments.

Getting Started

The first few sessions we will take some time to evaluate your needs (usually 1 to 4 sessions). By the end of the evaluation, I will be able to offer you some first impressions of what our work will include and a treatment plan to follow, if you decide to continue. You should evaluate this information along with your own opinions of whether you feel comfortable working with me. Therapy involves a large commitment of time, money and energy, so you should be careful about the therapist you select. I am always available to answer questions about the process when they should arise, and will never personalize any patient’s decision to work with someone else.

Risks and Benefits

Psychotherapy can have benefits and risks. Since therapy often involves discussing unpleasant aspects of your life, you may experience uncomfortable feelings like sadness, guilt, anger, frustration, loneliness, and helplessness. On the other hand, psychotherapy has also been shown to have benefits. Therapy can often lead to better relationships, solutions to specific problems, and a feeling of less anxiety. However, there are no guarantees of what you will experience, and nothing in this agreement is meant to be seen as a guarantee of results. My only guarantee to you is that I will exercise my best professional efforts to help you.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Accessibility and Emergencies

I am often not immediately available by telephone. While I am usually in my office between 9AM and 9PM, I will not likely answer the phone when I am with a patient. When I am unavailable, my telephone is directed to a voice mail service which I check approximately every two hours. I will make every effort to return your call on the same day, with the exceptions of weekends and holidays. If you are difficult to reach, please inform me of times when you will be available. In case of emergencies please call 911, your local Emergency Room, or your primary physician. If I will be unavailable for an extended time, I will provide you with the name of a colleague to contact, if necessary.

Scheduling and Cancellation of Appointments

If we both decide I am the best person to provide the services you need in order to meet your treatment goals, then we will schedule appointments at a mutually convenient time. Once an appointment is scheduled, you will be expected to pay for it unless you provide 24 hours advance notice of cancellation (unless we both agree that you were unable to attend due to circumstances beyond your control.

PAYMENT/INSURANCE

Accepted Payments and Billable Activity

Cash or personal checks are accepted, as well as some insurance plans. In addition to weekly therapy appointments, my services may also include report writing, telephone conversations, and attendance at meetings with other professionals you have authorized, in preparation of records or treatment summaries.

Policy With Respect To Legal Proceedings

If you become involved in legal proceedings that require my participation, you will be expected to pay for my professional time even if I am called to testify by another party. I am, however, reluctant to become involved in any legal proceedings and reserve the right to resist involvement via legal counsel when I am compelled to testify or submit your confidential records. The same reservation applies when in my sole professional opinion I do not believe my involvement in legal proceedings concerning you would be in your best interests.

Billing, Payments and Collections Policy

A payment is expected for each session at the time it is held, unless we agree otherwise or you have insurance coverage which requires another arrangement. If you decided to pay with insurance and your insurance has a co-payment, that co-payment will need to be paid at the time of your appointment. Payment schedules for other professional services will be agreed to when they are requested. If your account has not bee paid for more than 60 days and alternative arrangements for payment have not been agreed upon, I have the option of using legal means to secure the payment. This may involve hiring a collection agency or a lawyer. In most collection situations, the only information I release regarding a patient’s treatment is his/her name, the nature of services provided, and the amount due. However, in a challenged fee situation, a court could order disclosure of all of your records.

Insurance Reimbursement