Illinois Low-Cost Counseling for Families in Need

An inability to pay shouldn't bar families from receiving the counseling help they need. Many organizations in Illinois make sure families in need can get assistance without letting cost become an issue. Poor and low income families in the Land of Lincoln have a number of different low-cost counseling options.

Mark D. Parisi and Associates

• Mark D. Parisi and his associates in suburban Des Plaines specialize in providing quality counseling for needy individuals in the greater Chicago area. The practice has licensed clinical psychologists and clinical social workers on staff. The office takes all ages and serves individuals, families and couples. Specialized services include learning disability assessment, psychological testing and many others. Parisi and Associates take payment on a sliding scale, and in some cases, visits are only $40, as of May 2011.

Mental Health Services of Central Illinois The Children's Center

• The Children's Center in Springfield is part of the Mental Centers of Central Illinois umbrella. The center offers child and family outpatient counseling therapy as well as case management and other psychiatric services. It serves children from three to 17 who meet other admission criteria. The Children's Center accepts Medicaid so low income families can take advantage of its services.

Clinical Center at Southern Illinois University

• The Clinical Center at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale accepts counseling patients from the campus community as well as the general public. Many of its services are rendered by clinicians-in-training who are supervised by faculty and staff. Each patient is reviewed and matched with a clinician who can meet his specific needs. The center charges a lower fee than other healthcare practitioners, and it uses a sliding scale, which helps reduce the cost even further for those with limited incomes.

Lutheran Child and Family Services

• Lutheran Child and Family Services of Illinois has a rich history in helping people. In 1873, a group of Lutheran churches in northern Illinois established the German Evangelical Orphan Home in Addison. Since then, the organization has continued to help kids in need. The staff offers to strengthen families through support and other counseling services. The organization will take couples and families in crisis as well as situations where children are found to be abused and neglected. Payment is accepted on a sliding scale to help keep costs affordable.