Licensed to practice in 2 states and accepts 48 insurances. Specializes in Anxiety, Family Therapy, Trauma and PTSD and 7 more.
Max Pardo Hornung
(he/him)
About me
Hello! I'm a licensed clinical social worker from Chicago, Illinois. I received my masters in social work from the University of Chicago in 2022 with a specialization in trauma-informed care. I work as a clinical supervisor at a community mental health agency on the souths side of Chicago. Apart from therapy, I am a musician, chicago resident, and a proud uncle.
Get to know me
In our first session together, here's what you can expect
During our first session, I will focus on building rapport and getting to know you. I will ask a series of questions for assessment so I can better get to know you and your past experiences in therapy. I aim to end our first session solidifying treatment goals.
The biggest strengths that I bring into our sessions
I work to create safe place that matches individually to each client and their desires. I was drawn to this work in part by having a lot of therapists who I did not like and did not help me. Some weeks you might not need to engage in intensive trauma-work and that's okay.
The clients I'm best positioned to serve
I love working with folks who want to better understand themselves, and improve their lives. I have most experience working primarily with male-identifying individuals ages 12-43, but also have extensive experience working with single mothers.
Specialties
Top specialties
Anxiety
Family Therapy
Trauma and PTSD
Other specialties
ADHD
Career Counseling
Coping Skills
Depression
Family Conflict
Men's Issues
Racism
Identifies as
Black / African American
Man
White
Serves ages
Adults (18 to 64)
Teenagers (13 to 17)
Licensed in
Illinois
Ohio
Accepts
Aetna
Aetna - ASR Health Benefits
Aetna - Allied Benefits
Aetna - Luminare
Aetna - Medicare
Aetna - Moda
Aetna - WebTPA
Aetna – HealthEZ
All Savers
Ambetter Health
Amerihealth Administrators
Amerihealth NJ Medicare Advantage
Arlo
AvMed
Blue Cross Blue Shield
Anthem
Independence Blue Cross
Independence Administrators
Cash - $150 per session
Centivo
Cigna
Cigna - HealthEZ
EAP:Cigna
EAP:Evernorth
EAP:UnitedHealthcare/Optum
Evernorth
GTEB
Golden Rule
Harvard Pilgrim/UnitedHealthcare
Humana - Medicare
Humana Dual (Medicare & Medicaid)
Medical Mutual of Ohio
UnitedHealthcare/Optum
Optum
OptumHealth Complex Medical Conditions
Oscar
Oxford
Surest (formerly Bind)
Tufts Health/Cigna
UMR - Advocate Aurora Health
United Medical Resources
UnitedHealthcare Dual (Medicare & Medicaid)
UnitedHealthcare Life Insurance
UnitedHealthcare Shared Services
UnitedHealthcare StudentResources
UnitedHealthcare/Optum - Medicare
UnitedHealthcare Complete Care (C-SNP)
WellCare
Location
Virtual
My treatment methods
Trauma-Focused CBT
Our trauma creates belief-systems and maladaptive behaviors which may have brought us to therapy in the first place. I pull from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to leave clients with a greater understanding of their thoughts and how it relates to their emotions and behavior. I also offering CBT coping skills to provide both short term relief and potential long term solutions to intrusive thoughts and intense, unwanted emotions.
EMDR
I am EMDR trained and pull from EMDR methodologies to desensitize clients to better process trauma. I can engage client in complete EMDR/ EMD desensitization or can take bits and pieces of the modality to fit client needs.
Psychoeducation
It is essential that I equip all my clients with the language and knowledge of self to better understand their experiences. It is my responsibility to provide this education so clients - who are always the experts of themselves - can continue learning and growth on their own.
Person-centered (Rogerian)
It is an honor to be a psychotherapist, and I want every client to guide their own healing journey. While I pull from a host of modalities, not every modality fits every client - and sometimes clients just need space for vent. I strive to create a safe space for clients which will enable them to take ownership over their healing journey, including what our sessions look like.
Family Therapy
I am trained as a practitioner and supervisor in functional family therapy and multi-systemic therapy. I am open to assisting parents or holding sessions with caregivers, or family members or an entire family to build better cohesion, address disruptive behaviors and motivate the family to better function within their natural processes and hierarchies.
6 ratings with written reviews
January 8, 2026
I had an excellent time with Mr. Hornung. I'm glad I found a therapist who can talk with me instead of at me.
Verified client, age 25-34
September 22, 2025
I think we had a great first session very open minded guy
Verified client, age 25-34
September 22, 2025
Shrinky-dink Mr Max is worth his weight in gold…. extremely pleasant with the exchanging of words