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Monday – Thursday: 9 a.m. – 8 p.m.50-minute sessionsLicensed in ILMatilde Cerrato, Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) · IL Lic. # 000000Xochitl Pulido, Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) · IL Lic. # 000000Abril Covarrubias, Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) · IL Lic. # 000000Raymundo Gamboa, Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) · IL Lic. # 000000Octavio Bueno, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) · IL Lic. # 000000
4 more licenses
  • Matilde Cerrato, Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) · IL Lic. # 000000
  • Xochitl Pulido, Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) · IL Lic. # 000000
  • Abril Covarrubias, Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) · IL Lic. # 000000
  • Raymundo Gamboa, Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) · IL Lic. # 000000
  • Octavio Bueno, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) · IL Lic. # 000000
(708) 555-0100

Cicero, Illinois

Here, we listen in Spanish

Refuge is a nonprofit clinic in Cicero for immigrant families and for survivors of domestic violence. Therapy in Spanish, with a fee set by your income.

  • Nonprofit clinic
  • Fee set by your income
  • Quick exit on every page
The brick entrance of a neighborhood clinic, with a planter of flowers beside the glass door

Who it is for

Is Refuge for you?

You do not need to speak English, have health insurance, or tell everything on the first day.

  • Families who arrived recently

    Mothers, fathers and young adults starting over who want to talk about what they feel in their own language.

  • Survivors of domestic violence

    People who live or lived with violence from a partner or a family member. We go at your pace and talk about your safety when you want to.

  • Families with teenagers

    Sessions for the whole family or only for parents, with Illinois consent rules explained in writing.

  • People without health insurance

    If you have no plan, or your plan does not cover therapy, the fee is set by your income.

Refuge is not an emergency service and does not prescribe medication.

Services

Our services

Therapy in Cicero or by video, and a way to legal help.

  • A blue armchair with a cushion beside a wall of framed prints, a lamp and plants

    Individual therapy

    For one adult. 50-minute sessions, in Spanish, English or both.

    See individual therapy
  • A children's corner in a waiting room, with a round table, small chairs and picture books

    Family therapy

    For families with teenagers or grown children, and for parents who want guidance.

    See family therapy
  • Three people seated in a circle of chairs, seen from the knees down

    Support group

    A weekly group for survivors of domestic violence. The place is shared after first contact.

    See the support group
  • Teal upholstered chairs in a waiting room beside a window
    External link

    Legal help

    We are not lawyers. We connect you with a legal aid organization for immigrants and survivors.

    Go to our partner organization

The team

Who sees you

Each therapist has their own Illinois license, shown at the foot of the page. The intake coordinator does not provide therapy.

  • Matilde Cerrato, therapist, standing in a navy cardigan and glasses

    Matilde Cerrato

    Clinical director and therapist

    • Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) · IL Lic. # 000000

    Sees adults and families, and oversees the support group. Speaks Spanish and English.

  • Xochitl Pulido, therapist, in a blue shirt in the hallway of a community center

    Xochitl Pulido

    Therapist

    • Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) · IL Lic. # 000000

    Sees adults, and teens with their families. Speaks Spanish and English.

  • Abril Covarrubias, therapist, seated on a linen sofa in a burgundy cardigan

    Abril Covarrubias

    Therapist

    • Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) · IL Lic. # 000000

    Sees adults and leads the support group. Speaks Spanish and English.

  • Raymundo Gamboa, therapist, with a moustache and a brown corduroy jacket, seated in a leather armchair

    Raymundo Gamboa

    Therapist

    • Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) · IL Lic. # 000000

    Sees adults, and parents who want guidance. Speaks Spanish and English.

  • Octavio Bueno, therapist, in a dark quarter-zip sweater, seated at a round wooden table

    Octavio Bueno

    Family therapist

    • Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) · IL Lic. # 000000

    Sees families and couples. Speaks Spanish.

  • Serafina Apodaca, intake coordinator, standing in a courtyard garden in a denim shirt

    Serafina Apodaca

    Intake and resources coordinator

    Welcomes people on their first visit, explains how the clinic works and helps connect them with legal and social services. Does not provide therapy. Speaks Spanish and English.

How fees work

You know what you will pay before you start.

  • Insurance

    Refuge works with Illinois Medicaid and some employer insurance plans. We do not take Medicare yet: if you have Medicare, we help you find someone who does. If you have no insurance, or your plan does not cover therapy, see the fee set by your income.

    • Illinois Medicaid

    • Some employer plans, such as PPO plans

  • If you pay yourself

    Refuge is a nonprofit clinic and does not charge one fixed price: the fee is set by your household income and how many people live on it. The fee also depends on the kind of session and its length: 60 minutes for the first, 50 for an individual session and 60 for a family session. A limited number of spots have a reduced fee; ask how to request one. Payment is due at the end of each session, by card, including HSA and FSA cards. We give you the fee in writing before the first session. We ask for 24 hours' notice to change an appointment.

  • Receipts for reimbursement

    Each month we give you an itemized receipt (a superbill) with the dates and the type of session, to send to your plan, which may reimburse part of the cost. It carries a diagnosis code that your insurer can see. Your plan decides whether it reimburses anything: ask it before you start.

  • An estimate in advance

    If you pay without insurance, you have the right to receive a written estimate of what your care will cost before you start. We give you one before the first session. If the final bill is $400 or more above the estimate, you can dispute it. The estimate is not a contract.

  • Checking your benefits

    If you use Medicaid or an insurance plan, someone on our team checks your benefits before the first session and tells you what to expect. If you pay yourself, there is nothing to check.

How to begin

Four steps, no rush

  1. 01

    You write or call

    Through the form, by phone or by text. Tell us what time and which way suits you for our reply.

  2. 02

    We tell you who has an opening

    Someone on the team replies within one business day with a time and the fee in writing.

  3. 03

    First session

    It lasts 60 minutes, in Cicero or by video. Your therapist explains how they work and what is confidential.

  4. 04

    You decide whether to continue

    No one asks for a number of sessions. If it is not the therapist you want, we help you switch.

Questions

What nearly everyone asks

Do you take my insurance?

We work with Illinois Medicaid and some employer plans. We do not take Medicare yet. If you have no insurance, or your plan does not cover therapy, the fee is set by your income.

How much does it cost, and how does the fee set by my income work?

There is no fixed price. We ask about your household income and how many people live on it, and the fee for each session is set from that. A limited number of spots have a reduced fee. We give you the fee in writing before the first session. We do not ask for immigration papers to begin.

What is a superbill and how do I use it?

It is a monthly receipt with the dates and the type of session. You send it to your insurance plan, which may reimburse part of the cost. It carries a diagnosis code your insurer can see, and reimbursement is not certain.

What is a Good Faith Estimate?

If you pay without insurance, you have the right to receive a written estimate of what your care will cost before you start. We give you one before the first session. If the final bill is $400 or more above the estimate, you can dispute it. The estimate is not a contract.

Can I use an HSA or FSA card?

Yes. HSA and FSA cards work like any card, at the end of each session.

What happens in the first session?

It lasts 60 minutes. Your therapist explains how they work, the limits of confidentiality and the possible risks and benefits of therapy, and listens. At the end, the two of you decide whether to continue.

Write to us

Tell us how you would like to start

We reply within one business day, the way and at the time you ask. If it is not safe to leave a message, say so here and we will reply another way.

Hours
Monday – ThursdayToday
9 a.m. – 8 p.m.
FridayToday
9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
SaturdayToday
9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
SundayToday
Closed

Please don't include medical details in this message. For anything urgent, call us.