North Shore Family Services
North Shore Family Services is a privately held, founder-owned therapy practice operating four offices in the Chicagoland suburbs, serving children, teens, adults, couples, and families with CBT, DBT, and play therapy delivered in-person and via teletherapy.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1994
- HeadquartersNorthbrook, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What North Shore Family Services does
North Shore Family Services, PLLC is a privately held, founder-owned therapy practice headquartered in Illinois, operating four physical offices across the Chicagoland suburbs (Libertyville, Northbrook, Park Ridge, and Skokie) and offering teletherapy as a parallel delivery channel. The practice provides individual therapy for children, teens, and adults, couples therapy, and family/parenting therapy, using evidence-based methodologies including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), and play therapy techniques. Additional service lines include school consultation (IEP/504 navigation, on-site observations, staff meetings) and a speaking engagements program for parent groups, schools, and businesses, drawing on more than 20 years of staff experience in public schools.
The practice is built around a team of licensed clinicians — including LCSWs, LCPCs, and LPCs with credentials such as ADHD-CCSP and ASD-CS — led by founder Dori Mages, MSW, LCSW, who began clinical work in 1994 and opened the practice after earning her MSW from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1997. The technology stack is minimal and conventional: an internal client portal, a staff login, and a Psychology Today directory listing. There is no proprietary AI, no published API, no app, and no disclosed AI-related capabilities; the competitive premise is human expertise and clinical rapport, not software.
The business model is fee-for-service clinical billing, with revenue generated from per-session therapy charged to insurance or self-pay clients. The practice is in-network with Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO plans and 16 specific BCBS HMO sites, submits out-of-network claims on a weekly basis as a courtesy, and accepts self-pay via card, QuickPay/Zelle/Venmo, cash, and check. Ancillary revenue comes from speaking engagements delivered to groups and businesses. Customer acquisition relies on insurance referrals, the Psychology Today directory, the practice's own blog and social media, founder-led earned media (ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, Chicago Tribune), community partnerships such as CATCH, and direct contact. There is no institutional investment, no parent company, and no documented M&A history.
North Shore Family Services firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- North Shore Family Services
- Legal name
- North Shore Family Services, PLLC
- Website
- https://northshorefamilyservices.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1994
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- North Shore Family Services is a privately held, founder-owned therapy practice operating four offices in the Chicagoland suburbs, serving children, teens, adults, couples, and families with CBT, DBT, and play therapy delivered in-person and via teletherapy.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where North Shore Family Services is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Northbrook
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
North Shore Family Services business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Therapy Sessions: Individual, couples, and family therapy sessions billed to insurance or self-pay. The practice accepts Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO and HMO plans and submits claims to other insurance carriers for reimbursement.
- Insurance Billing: Co-payment collection at time of service for in-network subscribers. For out-of-network or self-pay clients, full payment is collected at time of service with claim submission for reimbursement.
- Speaking Engagements: Presentations offered to parent groups, school staff, businesses, and professionals on topics related to parenting, behavioral/emotional concerns, workplace relationships, and productivity
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Per session | Insurance-based therapy sessions |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
North Shore Family Services product offering
Product offeringCore offering
North Shore Family Services is a private outpatient therapy practice (PLLC) providing individual, couples, and family therapy across four Chicagoland locations in Illinois. Founded in 1994 by Dori Mages, the practice employs multiple therapists trained in CBT, DBT, and play therapy, and serves children, adolescents, and adults. The practice also delivers school support services and professional speaking engagements, and accepts Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance.
Product overview
North Shore Family Services is a private therapy practice offering individual, couples, and family therapy services across four locations in the Chicagoland area (Libertyville, Northbrook, Park Ridge, and Skokie). The practice specializes in serving children, teens, parents, adults, and couples. Core therapeutic services include Individual Therapy for Children & Teens (using CBT, DBT, and play therapy), Individual Therapy for Adults, Couples Therapy, and Family Therapy. Additional offerings include School Support Services (with over 20 years of public school experience) and Speaking Engagements on parenting and behavioral topics. Services are delivered through in-person sessions and Teletherapy (video sessions).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Individual Therapy
- Couples Therapy
- Family Therapy
- School Support Services
- Speaking Engagements
Companies that use North Shore Family Services
Customer profileSegments5 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
North Shore Family Services technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
North Shore Family Services partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- CATCH (Community Action Together for Children's Health)minorCATCH is a grassroots group that addresses the well-being and emotional health of community youth. Founder Dori Mages spoke at the CATCH inaugural panel discussion event in Northbrook, IL on October 25th as a key speaker on children's emotional health topics.
- Blue Cross Blue ShieldcoreIn-network provider for most Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO plans and Blue Cross Blue Shield HMO Sites: 075, 145, 155, 184, 213, 246, 266, 318, 413, 435, 447, 468, 483, 492, 746, and 759. The practice collects co-payment at time of service for in-network subscribers.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
North Shore Family Services competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat3 records
Customer concentration
North Shore Family Services social profiles
Digital presenceNorth Shore Family Services compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
North Shore Family Services financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
North Shore Family Services leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
North Shore Family Services funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
North Shore Family Services M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about North Shore Family Services
What does North Shore Family Services do?
North Shore Family Services is a private outpatient therapy practice (PLLC) providing individual, couples, and family therapy across four Chicagoland locations in Illinois. Founded in 1994 by Dori Mages, the practice employs multiple therapists trained in CBT, DBT, and play therapy, and serves children, adolescents, and adults. The practice also delivers school support services and professional speaking engagements, and accepts Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance.
Is North Shore Family Services a public or private company?
North Shore Family Services is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was North Shore Family Services founded?
North Shore Family Services was founded in 1994. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is North Shore Family Services based?
North Shore Family Services is headquartered in Northbrook, United States, in the North America region.
How does North Shore Family Services make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Therapy Sessions are the primary driver. The others are insurance Billing and speaking Engagements.
Does North Shore Family Services have an API?
No public API is recorded for North Shore Family Services.