Black Therapist in Illinois Who Takes Medicaid? Here's How to Get Started
You have looked up "Black therapist in Illinois who takes Medicaid" more than once. Maybe more than five times. A directory listing looks promising, you call, and you hear some version of "we do not take that plan" or "we are full right now." You hang up and you are back where you started, except now you are also tired of asking.
Here is the direct answer. That therapist exists, and you do not have to keep starting over. Walk With Me Counseling Center is a Black owned, Illinois licensed virtual therapy practice, and we are in network with Blue Cross Community Health Plans, the state's Medicaid managed care option. Below is exactly what is covered, who you would be working with, and how to check your specific benefits before you commit to anything.
Yes, There Is a Black Therapist in Illinois Who Takes Medicaid
Walk With Me Counseling Center accepts Blue Cross Community Health Plans, Illinois's Medicaid managed care plan, administered through Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois as part of the state's HealthChoice Illinois program. We are a licensed, fully virtual practice serving adults across Illinois, founded and staffed by Black women therapists.
Blue Cross Community Health Plans members pay nothing for covered therapy sessions. Your care is covered entirely. We verify your specific benefits before your first appointment. No guesswork, no bill you were not expecting.
Which Medicaid Plan Do We Accept
Medicaid in Illinois is not one plan. There are several. Most people get here through HealthChoice Illinois, the state's Medicaid managed care program. Walk With Me Counseling Center is in network with one of those plans: Blue Cross Community Health Plans.
Here is what that means for you.
Blue Cross Community Health Plans. You are covered. Your therapy costs nothing, confirmed before your first visit.
A different Illinois Medicaid plan. As of now, we are only paneled with Blue Cross Community Health Plans.
Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO. That is commercial insurance, not Medicaid. We take that too. Typical cost is zero to twenty five dollars a session.
Not sure which one you have? Check your insurance card. Or log into the HealthChoice Illinois portal.
Meet the Therapist
Deja Phillips, LSW, CADC is the therapist paneled with Blue Cross Community Health Plans. In her own words, she helps people who have been judged for how they react, instead of why they react.
Under this plan, she works with individual therapy on anxiety, trauma, relationship patterns that keep repeating, and addiction recovery. Her approach is trauma informed and mindfulness based. Together, you slow things down and look at what is actually happening underneath, so you can feel more steady and less controlled by the moment.
Deja is part of a small team of Black women therapists, alongside founder Tasha Young, LCPC, and Veleka Avant, LSW, CADC. Your free consultation will confirm what your Blue Cross Community Health Plans benefits cover.
Why Adults Choose Walk With Me Counseling Center for Medicaid Therapy
No billing surprises. We verify your Blue Cross Community Health Plans benefits before your first session, not after.
Statewide, not just Chicago. Because sessions are one hundred percent virtual, where you live in Illinois is not a barrier.
Real specialization, not generic talk therapy. Deja's training covers trauma and addiction recovery specifically.
Built with underserved clients in mind. Accepting Medicaid is not an add on here. It is a core part of why this practice exists.
What Culturally Responsive Actually Means Here
Here is a hard number. Only about one in three Black adults with a diagnosable mental illness ever get treatment. Cost. Stigma. Not enough therapists who share their lived experience. Those are the reasons, and they show up again and again.
Walk With Me Counseling Center was founded by Black women. Women who know what it is like to be the strong one for everyone else. Women who hesitated before asking for help themselves.
That means you will not have to explain your whole story before we can actually help. If faith matters to you, your therapist can bring that into sessions too.
And to be clear. You do not have to be Black to work with us. Every adult in Illinois is welcome here. But if you have been looking specifically for a therapist who shares that lived experience, and also takes Medicaid, this practice was built with you in mind.
How Online Therapy Works Across Illinois
Every session happens on a secure, HIPAA compliant video platform. That means no commute. No waiting room. Sessions that fit around work, childcare, or a bus schedule that does not cooperate.
We cover the whole state. Chicago. Aurora. Joliet. Rockford. Springfield. Champaign. Peoria. Bloomington. Naperville. And everywhere around them.
You need three things. A private space. A phone or computer. A stable internet connection.
One rule to know. Our therapists are licensed in Illinois, so you need to be physically in Illinois during your session. That is a telehealth licensing rule. Every practice has to follow it, not just us.
How Fast Can You Get Started
Availability shifts as caseloads fill, so the fastest way to get a real answer for your situation is a free 15 minute consultation, not a guess based on a blog post. Here is what that looks like.
Book your free 15 minute consultation. It is just a conversation about what brought you here.
We verify your Blue Cross Community Health Plans benefits. You will know exactly what is covered before any real session happens.
You start therapy on your schedule. Most clients are scheduled for a first appointment shortly after their consultation, based on current availability.
What You Can Get Support For
Under Blue Cross Community Health Plans, our team works with adults on:
EMDR and Brainspotting, for clients who want a body based way to process painful memories
Your consultation will confirm exactly what is available under your specific benefits.
You Do Not Have to Keep Searching
Finding a Black therapist in Illinois who takes Medicaid and has real availability should not take weeks of phone calls. Walk With Me Counseling Center is in network with Blue Cross Community Health Plans, founded and staffed by Black women therapists, and currently welcoming new adult clients across the state.
The next step is a free 15 minute consultation with Deja. No cost, no commitment, just a conversation about what you need and whether this is the right fit.
If you are in crisis or need help right now, call or text 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, or go to your nearest emergency room. Walk With Me Counseling Center provides ongoing therapy, not emergency or crisis services.
FAQ
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Availability changes as caseloads fill. The most reliable way to confirm real time availability for your situation is a free 15 minute consultation, where we also verify your Blue Cross Community Health Plans benefits.
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We are in network with Blue Cross Community Health Plans, the Illinois Medicaid managed care plan administered through Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois. We are not currently paneled with other Illinois Medicaid managed care plans.
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No. Blue Cross Community Health Plans members do not pay anything for covered therapy sessions. Your care is covered entirely. We verify your specific benefits before your first appointment, so you know that going in, not after.
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No. Our therapists are Black women and we specialize in culturally responsive care for Black clients, but we welcome any adult across Illinois who feels our approach is a good fit.
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Most Blue Cross Community Health Plans members do not need one. If your specific plan has any special requirements, we will walk you through them before your first appointment.
