Questions?

We’re here to quickly answer your questions related to American Behavioral Clinics’ programs, services, or anything else related to your treatment. Below you will find answers to some of the more commonly asked questions.

  • Full name
  • Current phone number and address
  • Birthdate
  • Insurance Card
  • Providers name
  • Purpose for the appointment
  • How you were referred
  • Your insurance card
  • Your copay, co-insurance, or deductible
  • Any prescribed and non-prescribed medications you are currently taking
  • Change of address or phone number if it recently changed
Your payment is due at the time of service. If you forget your copay, please let the front desk receptionist know. As a courtesy, can send the bill in the mail for the copay amount in addiction to any other outstanding balances.

With over 500 years of combined professional experience in behavioral health services, American Behavioral Clinics offers healing and hope for individuals seeking help with mental illness and substance abuse related issues. Making the initial decision to commit to seeking help can be intimidating and scary. Rest assure, ABC is dedicated to our patients as we provide the programs and skills needed to succeed in meeting your treatment goals.

At American Behavioral Clinics, your overall experience with our mental health professionals will focus on providing confidentiality, empathy, support, understanding and the opportunity for you to freely express your thoughts and feelings.

You will receive a thorough assessment of your mental health problem/s and a treatment solution that is tailored to your specific needs.

Mental Health Assessment: Your provider will ask questions about your symptoms, how long you’ve had your symptoms, your personal family history of mental health, and any previous behavioral health treatment you’ve had.

Medical History: You’ll answer the following questions:

  • What is your current general health situation?
  • Do you have any allergies?
  • Any past illnesses, accidents, or surgeries?
  • What are your current and past medications and dosages?

Social History: Your ABC provider may also ask questions about your personal history or lifestyle.

  • Are you married?
  • What is you living environment?
  • Do you have a good support system?
  • What is your highest level of education?
  • What sort of work do you do?
  • Did you ever serve the Military?
  • Are you experiencing any legal now or in the past?
  • Have you ever been arrested?
  • Any drug and/or alcohol use?
  • Do you smoke?
  • What is your biggest source of stress in your life or if you’ve had any major trauma/s?

Family History: You provider will ask general questions on how your overall upbringing was like.

Mental Evaluation: You’ll answer questions about your feelings, thoughts, and behaviors. You most likely will be asked about your symptoms in more detail,

Cognitive Evaluation: During the evaluation, your provider will assess your ability to think clearly, recall information, and will use mental reasoning. They may ask you questions about your ability to do daily activities and responsibilities, like caring for yourself. Additionally, you may be asked the following basic tasks:

  • Focusing your attention
  • Remembering short lists
  • Recognizing common objects or shapes
  • Solving simple math problems

In conclusion to the Initial Evaluation at your first appointment, your ABC provider will provide you with a primary diagnosis and treatment plan. They work with you to work out a treatment plan that may include a combination of therapies that are tailored to your health needs, personal preferences, family situation and age. If required, they may refer you to a specialist and/ or order various tests to help understand what is going on.

American Behavioral Clinics understands situations arise. Please contact the clinic where your appointment was scheduled as soon as you realize that you won’t be able to make the appointment. However, if you do not notify us within 24-hours of your scheduled appointment time, you may be charged a no-show fee. For repeated late-cancellations or no-shows, we reserve the right to discontinue service.

Please call the clinic where your appointment is scheduled to inform the receptionist as soon as possible. You will be offered appointment options depending on the provider’s schedule times and dates available.

  • Reschedule your appointment
  • If available, we can make an appointment later in the day
  • Depending on the provider and if available, we can make an appointment with another provider

Our providers are with patients throughout the day, so it is not typical for them to respond immediately to individual phone unless it’s an emergency. To assist us with getting back to you as quickly as possible, please remember to give your full name, your birthday, current phone number, reason for the call, name of medication/s and dosage if applicable, and pharmacy name and number if applicable.

Phones are returned within 24-hours of the provider receiving the initial message. If your provider is out of the office, the on-call provider will return the call instead. We strive to have phones calls returned within in the following time frame:

  • If you call between 8am – 11am, we try to return your call between 12pm – 2pm.
  • If you call between 11am – 3pm, we try to return your call by 6pm.
  • If you call after 4pm, we may need to call you back the following day depending on the urgency and nature of the call.
  • All returned call times will vary from provider to provider.
If you are experiencing a life-threatening emergency, please call 911. If you have an emergency and need to speak to your provider after business hours, please call our answering service at 1-800-809-8979.
If you call our offices after 5pm, you will reach our voicemail where you can leave a message for the receptionist to check the following morning. If you are experiencing an emergency and need to speak to your provider after business hours, please call our answering services at 1-800-809-8979. They will take your name and phone number along with the nature of your call and will page the on-call provider. When the ABC on-call provider calls you back, he/she will discuss whether or not you need to go to an emergency room or a walk-in clinic for immediate care, or if the problem can wait for an appointment for the next day or next scheduled appointment. If applicable, please have the name and phone number of your preferred pharmacy available.
Group therapy is one of the most effective mental health treatments for individuals. American Behavioral Clinics’ mental health professionals have designed groups that meet the specific needs of our patients. We continually are adding more groups to meet the demand and needs of our patients. If you have any new group suggestions, please inform our staff so we may accommodate your request.

If you are a current patient at American Behavioral Clinics, talk to your provider about joining one of ABC’s groups. If you are looking to become a new patient, you can set up a first appointment with one of our specialists. This initial assessment at your first appointment does not commit you to group therapy, it just offers the opportunity to talk and discuss your treatment options.

If you decide that you would like to further explore joining one of the groups provided, your provider will further assist you with attending the group and meeting the group leader. You are not obligated to attend group and only get billed for group when you attend.

All Substance Abuse Groups are for individuals over18 years old and must attend individual therapy with an AODA specialist before attending group. These groups in particular may require regular weekly attendance if you are required to join the group due to the Driver Safety Program or Suboxone Program.

If you have further questions about groups, please contact one of our clinics today.

American Behavioral Clinics require regular scheduled office visits with a provider for all patients who are taking prescription medications. The interval will vary based on the medication prescribed; however, the average interval is 3 months. If a patient has not been seen in greater than 6 months, refill requests will be denied by our physicians and an appointment will be necessary before consideration of a refill.

Each American Behavioral Clinics provides a parking lot for all patients that include a minimum of at least 2 -3 accessible parking spaces that are van accessible. Accessible entry doors are available at each ABC location.

  • Layton Clinic: Accessible entry ramp and door located on the east side of building.
  • Bluemound Clinic: Accessible entry located in front of building through main entry doors.
  • Mequon Clinic: Accessible entry ramp and door located the south side of building. Main entrance is located under blue awning.
  • Elm Grove Clinic: Accessible entry ramp and door located in back on the south side of building.
  • Elkhorn Clinic:

Mental illness does not typically develop due to one particular reason or cause. Usually, it’s are combination of factors that may impact your thinking, mood, and behavior, which may include:

  • Biological factors such as your genes or brain chemistry.
  • Life experiences such as trauma or abuse
  • Family history of mental health problems
Mental Illness is more common than people think and affects millions of Americans. According to National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), approximately 1 in 25 adults in the U.S experiences a serious mental illness in a given year. NAMI also reports that 1 in 5 children aged 13–18 have or will experience a severe mental disorder at some point throughout their life. Mental illness substantially limits and interferes with many major life activities of the individual and the lives of close loved ones.
There are many types of mental illnesses that vary in degree of severity. Some of the more common ones in America are ADHD, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, depression, behavioral disorders and schizophrenia.

Depending on the mental illness, signs and symptoms can differ due to various factors and circumstances. The symptoms of mental illness can affect thoughts, mood and behavior. Some common signs and symptoms include:

  • Hopelessness
  • Feeling sad or down
  • Crying spells or tearful
  • Loss of interest or pleasure in activities
  • Withdrawal from friends and family
  • Loss of appetite, excessive hunger, or fatigue
  • Difficulty sleeping or tired
  • Irritable or angry
  • Feelings of fear, panic, or uneasiness
  • Difficulty concentrating, decision making, or memory retention
  • Changes in sex drive
  • Alcohol or drug abuse
  • Inability to cope with grief or loss
  • Obsessive thoughts
  • Thoughts and/or attempts of suicide
Mental illness cannot completely be prevented; however, seeking treatment early on can help manage and/or recover from an illness or disorder. Having awareness and recognizing the warning signs of a potential mental illness is the most important first step in the process to recovery.
Contact an American Behavioral Clinic as soon as possible if you think you or a loved one is living with a mental illness. Refer to our Providers (link to Provider Page) to learn more about what issues they treat, experience, and overall bio.

At American Behavioral Clinics, our goal is to provide hope, achieve wellness and a higher quality of life for our patients by delivering top quality care in a compassionate, comfortable, and patient-centered atmosphere.

Yes, patients have the choice to decide if they would like to bring a family or friend to an appointment. We understand that mental health issues not only affect patients, but close loved ones as well. We encourage the support of close family members and friends to participate in the treatment process.