The basics
What does outpatient substance abuse counseling actually include?
Outpatient counseling means weekly, or more frequent, therapy sessions while you continue living at home and managing daily life. Eye Cue Mental Health offers psychotherapy for substance use and co-occurring mental health conditions, delivered by a clinician specializing in substance abuse and addiction. Start with a call and we verify your benefits before your first session.
Eye Cue is not a detox center, residential program, or intensive outpatient program. If you need a higher level of care, we can help you find the right referral. Our lane is outpatient psychotherapy: one-on-one sessions that address the emotional and behavioral patterns tied to substance use. Many clients pair this work with our individual therapy sessions.
How we work
What approaches the counseling uses
Your clinician draws on evidence-based approaches and adapts to your presenting concerns, on the insurance you already carry.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
We identify the thought patterns that trigger use and build practical skills for managing them. One session builds on the last, so the work compounds over time.
Psychodynamic therapy
This approach looks at the longer emotional history driving current patterns, including early relationships and unresolved experiences beneath the substance use.
Solution-focused therapy
This starts with what is already working and builds from there, rather than dwelling exclusively on the problem history.
Trauma-informed care
Underlying trauma often sits beneath substance use, particularly for clients with PTSD or complex histories. If trauma is a factor, we may also discuss trauma therapy as part of your treatment plan. Eye Cue does not offer medication management or prescribing; the practice is psychotherapy-only.
Why us
How Eye Cue is different from a county program or community clinic
Private-practice outpatient care on the insurance you already carry, with the same clinician in person or by video.
Private-practice setting, Medi-Cal accepted
No metal detectors. No sessions that get interrupted. A quiet private-practice office in Cerritos, with Medi-Cal accepted among several insurances.
The same clinician across your treatment
County programs often hand you a different face every few months. At Eye Cue you work with the same clinician across the length of your treatment, whether you sit in our office or join by video.
Treatment length driven by medical necessity
"No one is pulling the strings. You are in charge of your treatment." That is how founder Saqib Iqbal, LCSW, describes it. Treatment length is based on your medical necessity, not an algorithm telling us when to step you down.
If the fit is off, we match you again
If the clinician you are matched with is not the right fit, we match you with someone else in the practice. You do not start over with a new intake somewhere else.
In-person or telehealth, your call
Switch from the Cerritos office to video and back without changing therapists. Same clinician either way, anywhere in California.
Open 7 days a week, 8 AM to 10 PM
Weekend and evening slots are rare among Medi-Cal mental health clinics in LA County. Our Cerritos office is open every day.
What it helps with
Mental health conditions that often come with substance use
Per the SAMHSA National Survey on Drug Use and Health, roughly half of people with a substance use disorder also experience a mental health condition. Our outpatient therapy addresses both.
Major depressive disorder
Depression and substance use frequently feed each other. Address the use without the depression underneath, and the pull to use stays strong.
Generalized anxiety disorder
Chronic worry can drive self-medication. Therapy works on the anxiety and the substance use patterns at the same time.
Panic disorder
Sudden panic episodes often co-occur with substance use. We work to reduce both the frequency and the fear around them.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Unresolved trauma sits beneath a lot of substance use. Trauma-informed care addresses the cause, not just the symptom.
Adjustment disorder
A major life change can push someone toward substances to cope. Therapy helps you find steadier ways through the transition.
Dual diagnosis
Substance use plus a mental health diagnosis. If you have been told your situation is too complicated for outpatient, ask us first. Many dual-diagnosis clients do well in weekly outpatient therapy with the right clinician match.
Coverage
Does Eye Cue accept Medi-Cal for substance abuse counseling?
Eye Cue Mental Health accepts Medi-Cal and many private insurance plans. Whether your specific plan covers substance abuse counseling depends on your plan and your medical necessity, and we verify your benefits before your first session. We hold contracts with Medi-Cal, Anthem Medi-Cal, Blue Shield Promise Medi-Cal, LA Care, Molina, Cigna, and Aetna.
If you are not sure which plan you have or whether it is in network, call us first and our intake team walks you through what to expect.
In-person, Cerritos CA
17215 Studebaker Rd., Suite #110, Cerritos, CA 90703. At the 91 and 605 freeway interchange, on the LA County and Orange County border.
Telehealth, statewide California
Clients in Long Beach, Lakewood, Norwalk, Bellflower, Artesia, La Mirada, Buena Park, Cypress, and Anaheim join by video. Anthem Medi-Cal, Blue Shield Promise Medi-Cal, Cigna, and Aetna contracts are not county-restricted.
See location pages: Cerritos · Long Beach · Lakewood · Norwalk · Bellflower · Artesia · La Mirada · Buena Park · Cypress · Anaheim
In their words
What our clients say
A note from someone we worked with at our Cerritos office.
"This therapist has saved my life. Makes you feel great when you walk out of his office. Saqui will also give you tools to continue your treatment on your own time. Highly recommend him for people all ages."
Javier M.
Google Review, 5 stars
Individual results vary; this reflects one client's experience and is not a promise of outcome.
Eye Cue Mental Health at a glance: in practice since November 2017 · a multi-clinician team serving LA County, Orange County, and statewide via telehealth · sessions available 7 days a week, 8 AM to 10 PM.
Good questions
Frequently asked questions
Still unsure? Call 562-860-2891 and we will talk it through, no commitment.
No. Eye Cue Mental Health is an outpatient psychotherapy practice. Sessions are weekly, one-on-one, and you continue living at home. If you need detox, residential, or intensive outpatient care, we can point you to appropriate resources, but those are not services we provide.
You can switch to another clinician within the practice. The team includes a clinician specializing in substance abuse and addiction, and Saqib Iqbal, LCSW, supervises the team and stays involved in clinical fit. You do not start over with a new intake process.
Eye Cue holds active contracts with Medi-Cal and Medi-Cal managed care plans. Roughly 70 percent of our caseload is Medi-Cal, so Medi-Cal intake is routine for us. Call 562-860-2891 and intake will confirm your specific plan before your first session.
Eye Cue works with clients through insurance changes rather than terminating care. Whether a new plan is in network depends on the specific plan; intake will verify and let you know what the options are. Call us as soon as you know your plan is changing.
Session frequency is based on your clinical needs, not on an insurance session quota. Treatment length is based on your medical necessity. If your situation calls for more frequent contact, that is a clinical conversation with your therapist.
Yes. Eye Cue offers telehealth statewide in California where insurance contracts allow. You can start on telehealth, switch to in-person at the Cerritos office, or move between both while keeping the same clinician.
Get started
Ready to talk to someone who specializes in substance use
Call us to schedule your first session. We verify your benefits before your first session and match you with the right clinician. We are open 7 days a week, 8 AM to 10 PM. In person at 17215 Studebaker Rd. or telehealth across California.
- 562-860-2891
- 17215 Studebaker Rd., Suite #110, Cerritos, CA 90703
- Open 7 days a week, 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM
If you are in crisis right now, call or text the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline any time. For substance use crisis support, contact the SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357, free and confidential, 24/7. Eye Cue Mental Health is an outpatient clinic, not a crisis or emergency service.
