Frequently Asked Questions

Our Office Manager, Patrick James, works closely with every client to help maximize their insurance benefits. He’ll forward claims to your insurance company within two weeks of each session, then send a monthly email statement for any remaining balance. It’s important to keep your insurance information current with our office and to make sure Patrick has your correct email address from the start.

We also want you to be an active partner in this. That means checking your own benefits before you’ve built up a large balance, and keeping an open line of communication with us if finances ever get tight. The last thing we want is for money to be another stressor in your life. For a full breakdown of how insurance and billing works, visit: Insurance & Payment Specifics.

You can also download our insurance benefits worksheet to help guide you through the process before your first session.

Of course. Walking into a new therapy practice for the first time can feel like a big step, and we want it to feel familiar rather than foreign. You can take a virtual look at our space at: See Our Offices.

We’re located at 3285 N. Arlington Heights Road, Suite 201, Arlington Heights, IL 60004. Hours are by appointment. Call us at 847-398-0499 anytime if you’d like to chat before your first visit.

Since benefits vary so much by policy, you’ll need to call the patient support number on your insurance card directly. A few things worth knowing upfront:

• We don’t bill to EAP programs. Some insurers enroll clinicians in EAP plans without telling them, then tell clients billing is possible. It isn’t, with us.
• We require a credit card on file. You can download the credit card authorization form here. If you’d rather not keep a card on file, paying in full by cash or check at each session is an option.
• Secondary insurance. We’ll only submit to your primary plan. We can provide a Superbill so you can seek reimbursement from a secondary insurer yourself.

If your account becomes overdue, Patrick will reach out first. If things continue, your therapist gets involved. We work really well with clients who communicate early about financial difficulties. Honesty goes a long way here.

Our team brings together experienced clinicians who work with individuals, couples, and families using a blend of Somatic Experiencing and relational approaches. When you first contact us, we take time to match you with the right therapist for your specific situation.

You can meet our full team at: Our Staff.

We have clear policies around appointments, cancellations, and communication that we walk every new client through when they get started. Giving us as much notice as possible if you need to cancel or reschedule makes a real difference — for your care and for other clients who may need that slot.

If you have questions before your first visit, contact us here and we’ll walk you through it.

Two main options:

1. Auto-pay: All copays, deductibles, and outstanding charges go onto your credit card on file monthly. You’ll get an email receipt listing all dates of service.
2. Monthly invoice: We email you a statement, and you make payment by:

• Calling or emailing Patrick James to run the card on file
• Bringing a check to your next appointment (or mailing one in, auto bill-pay works fine)
• Paying directly through the Client Portal

For billing questions, contact either Julie Jones at jjones@familyresilience.org phone 847-398-0499 x25 or Patrick James at pjames@familyresilience.org phone 847-398-0499 x21.

Our Client Portal gives you secure online access to your billing info, appointments, and payment history. You can update personal and insurance details, view your appointment history, store a credit card, and pay your balance.

You’ll receive an email invitation from us once you’re set up. Save your password when you create your account — you’ll need it every time you log back in. Use of the portal is optional, and Patrick enters your registration info on the backend anyway, so everything will be there when you log in.

One limitation: the portal uses your email as your login ID. So if multiple family members share an email address, there’s currently a restriction to a single account. We’re working with our billing software provider to fix that.

Questions or access issues? Reach Patrick at pjames@familyresilience.org or 847-398-0499 x21.

Head straight to: https://frg.mytherabook.com/home/login. Haven’t received your invitation yet? Contact Patrick James at 847-398-0499 x21 or pjames@familyresilience.org and he’ll sort it out quickly.

Our blog covers topics that come up repeatedly in our work. Right now, you’ll find posts on how to choose the right therapist, what Somatic Experiencing actually is, and what resilience means in a practical sense. The list keeps growing.

Here are the current posts:

• How to Choose a Therapist / Counselor
• What Is Somatic Experiencing?
• What Is Resilience? How Can I Become More Resilient or Help My Kids Bounce Back Better?

You can find everything at: familyresilience.org/dive-deeper

Last month, a client’s partner called us in a panic: their spouse had gone into a flashback during a family dinner and they had no idea what to do. We walked them through it over the phone, and the key steps they needed weren’t complicated — just not widely known. That’s why we published this guide.

The core steps:

1. Calmly but firmly tell the person they’re having a flashback, and that they’re going to be ok. Don’t ask them to tell you the story right now. That comes later.
2. Calm yourself first. If you’re reacting with fear, they’ll read it in your body language, even if your words are right. Focus on your own exhale.
3. Ask them to look around the room. Comment on something external together. Get their attention out of their internal world and into the room.
4. If they’re struggling, encourage movement. Shaking, shivering, even jumping helps. Flashbacks often evoke freeze, which is the most traumatizing part. Don’t ask them to stop or calm down — let the movement finish naturally.
5. Give them a glass of cold water. Warmth returning is a good sign.
6. Exhaustion often follows. Help them rest.
7. Let their therapist know.

Call 911 or go to the ER if you observe: chest pains, prolonged break from reality, catatonia, or signs of shock (shallow breathing, low heart rate, pale skin, low blood pressure).

Full guide here: Handling Flashbacks

The core idea is this: trauma and chronic stress don’t just live in the mind. They get stored in the body. When the body stays stuck in a high-alert state, talk therapy has real limits. Touch-based work helps the body physically remember how to drop into regulation — essentially, how to relax. And when the body settles, emotional work in therapy tends to become far more effective.

In a session, the practitioner may place a hand under the small of your back. You remain fully clothed throughout. That contact helps the kidneys and adrenal glands regulate, which calms the stress hormones that can become toxic when they linger in the body. Additional work can include brain stem holds, fascia regulation, and integrating primitive reflexes. Nothing proceeds without discussion and your consent. For minors, a parent or adult must be in the room.

Research and further reading:

• Two Experiments on the Psychological and Physiological Effects of Touching
• The Deepest Well by Nadine Burke Harris (on childhood adversity and long-term health)
• Nurturing Resilience by Kathy Kain & Stephen Terrell
• Somaticpractice.com and Austinattach.com

This is a simple at-home tool recommended by FRG director Kristen Marzolf to support your nervous system between sessions. The science behind it comes down to the vagus nerve — stimulating and supporting this nerve helps the body drop into neurological regulation more efficiently. Think of it like muscle memory for your stress recovery system.

What you need: two rubber hot water bottles (the old-fashioned kind with stoppers, about $10 each on Amazon or at a pharmacy). Here’s how to do it:

1. Fill both bottles with hot water to about 2/3 full, press out the air, and firmly replace the stopper.
2. Lie flat somewhere comfortable. A bolster under the knees helps.
3. Place the bottles in a “V” shape under the small of your lower back, angled with the ends pointing toward your tailbone. Stoppers face outward — don’t lie on them.
4. Stay for about 20 minutes per side. Read, meditate, or just rest. Avoid emotionally charged content during this time. The goal is to unwind.
5. Notice any shift in your body’s state. Warmth and a sense of calm dropping in means it’s working. You’re even welcome to fall asleep on them.

Done 3 to 4 times a week (or daily), this can meaningfully speed your body’s ability to recover from stress.

Credit for this idea goes to Steve Terrell, PsyD of AustinAttach. Written by Kristen Marzolf, LCSW, SEP.

Want to read more on the vagus nerve science behind this?

• 28 Ways to Stimulate Your Vagus Nerve
• Tone Your Vagus Nerve

Questions? Email Kristen directly at kmarzolf@familyresilience.org

This isn’t a studio experience, and it won’t feel like one. It’s trauma-sensitive, body-positive, and appropriate for any level of experience. People who’ve been triggered in traditional yoga classes often find this a much safer entry point. You’re in charge throughout — every decision about what feels right for your body is yours to make.

Yoga groups at FRG are also in development for clients who want a community context for this kind of work.

To understand more about why connecting with the body matters so much in the healing process: Why the Body Matters