Frequently Asked Questions
Where is your office?
Is online counseling as effective as in-person counseling?
Yes, and many people prefer it for its convenience.
Now, you can receive gospel-informed compassion from the comfort of your home or office.
What are your hours?
I’m available Monday through Thursday:
Monday: 2:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Tuesday: 7:00 am – 3:00 pm
Wednesday: 1:00 noon – 7:00 pm
Thursday: 7:00 am – 2:00 pm
I’m also available by appointment if you’d like to meet outside of these times.
How long are the sessions?
Do you take insurance?
Yes, I am paneled with several providers.
I am recognized by Aetna, Anthem, Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Illinois, Cigna, Optum, Oscar, Oxford, UMR, and UHC-UnitedHealthcare, to name a few.
I also accept HSA, FSA, and CareCredit.
How do I set up an initial appointment?
If you have insurance…
I have a platform that will verify your insurance and allow you to book an appointment at your convenience.
Send me an email and let me know what insurance you have. I will send you the link to create an account, which will take you through the steps needed to verify your insurance and then proceed to set up our initial appointment.
If you’re self-paying…
If you’d like to create an account without insurance, please contact me by email with your name, address, email, and phone number. After I receive this, I will send you a link to create an account and add payment information. You will then be able to set up our initial appointment.
My email address is jane@areyoureadycounseling.com.
What is your cancellation policy?
We understand that plans can change unexpectedly. However, to manage our schedule effectively and accommodate all clients fairly, we request that you notify us at least 24 hours in advance if you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment.
Please be aware that cancellations made less than 24 hours before your scheduled session will incur a fee of $45. This fee compensates for the time set aside specifically for you.
Does biblical counseling differ from psychotherapy?
Yes, it does.
Psychotherapy is secular counseling that relies on human philosophy and reasoning to solve people’s problems. It assumes no final authority.
In contrast, biblical counseling is anchored to the authority and sufficiency of the Bible. A biblical counselor looks to God’s diagnosis and approach to the counseling problem. This approach is comprehensive, compassionate, and effective. God guides it through the Word.
What type of clients do you serve?
I only provide individual counseling services, focusing on exploring personal issues.
I am not a marriage and family counselor.
What age range do you serve?
I serve adults (ages 18 and up).
What do you do in sessions with clients?
You can anticipate that I will listen to your story, get to the root of your problem, show you how to make practical changes that improve your life and please God, and pray with you and for you.
Every counseling session will include practical change assignments.
Do clients receive assignments to work on between sessions?
Yes. Growth occurs between meetings because we only meet for 50 minutes or so a week. Assignments provide a time to apply what was discussed.
Homework is an important tool to help you develop skills that can be used for a lifetime.
What is your professional training?
I have a Master of Science in Counseling from the University of Illinois.
I have been in the profession for 26 years; 16 have been as a Christian.
I maintain my state professional licenses through continuing education in evidence-based psychology.
I regularly attend biblical counseling training through the Biblical Counseling Coalition (BCC), the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC), and the Christian Counseling & Education Foundation (CCEF).
Do you work with non-Christian clients?
I engage with people from all walks of life and religions. Although a client may not subscribe to Christianity, I do. I will not discriminate in how I counsel clients; every client I have has heard and will hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Gospel is an intricate part of counseling because life changes happen when a broken person begins living for God rather than the self.
Biblical counseling does not ignore the insights of the social sciences of psychology, but confidence in Scripture will guide us when we need further details and insight (which is often true).
What do you do for fun?
I’m not exactly the outdoorsy type. When my husband gets the itch to go camping and invites me along, I usually ask if the campground is at a Holiday Inn or Marriott. He puts up with me (bless his heart!).
But I make it up to him by fully embracing our off-roading adventures. We love taking our Utility-Terrain Vehicle (UTV) on the trails, and living in the country gives us plenty of farmland to explore. We’ve even ventured out to Wisconsin and West Virginia for some serious trail-riding fun. He wants to take me to South Dakota next – an upcoming adventure!
What are your hobbies and interests?
Books
I’m a bookworm at heart. While I enjoy a good fiction read, I gravitate toward theological authors like John MacArthur, Paul Tripp, Robert Kellemen, Bruce Wilkinson, and Chuck Missler.
YouTube
Like many of us, I spend far too much time on YouTube. My favorite channels include Todd Friel, John Bevere, and, of course, Chuck Missler.
Quilting
I have a wonderful friend who’s a quilting whiz, and she’s been my muse. I’ve started two quilts… yes, only two, and neither is finished. So, I’ve shifted my focus to making table runners. I do love the satisfaction of completing a project!
Dogs or cats?
Cats… hands down! I’ve always had cats and chickens. Dogs and chickens aren’t exactly a match made in heaven.
I’ve been lobbying for cows and sheep, but my husband’s not quite on board… yet.
Family?
I’m married to the love of my life, and let me tell you, it’s a love forged with plenty of blood, sweat, and tears. After 4 years of dating and 32 years of marriage, I’ve got 36 years’ worth of stories to back up my strong views on love.
I’ve come to realize that love doesn’t just happen to you. I really dislike the term “falling in love.” It makes it sound like we had no say in the matter! The same goes for “falling out of love.” Love is a choice, plain and simple. But I digress (that’s one of my soapbox topics).
We have three adult children – one married and two single. I’ve often toyed with the idea of starting a dating service for 20-somethings so I can handpick future husbands for our daughters, but they don’t seem too keen on the idea.
Since you asked about family, I’d be remiss in leaving out my family of God. Being part of God’s family isn’t just a nice metaphor; it’s as real as it gets. The Bible explains this in further detail, but I was adopted into God’s family the minute I realized who He really was and asked if I would submit myself to Him.
Think of it like this: Just as a child is lovingly brought into a family through adoption, this is how we’re brought into God’s family. God’s family members often meet together at the household of God to increase spiritual bonds with other Christian brothers and sisters. Within this extended family, God is busy reshaping my thoughts, words, and actions to align with His way of life.
