FAQS
WHAT ARE YOUR FEES?
INDIVIDUAL THERAPY: $100 – $160, depending on the clinician’s experience and skill level.
COUPLES THERAPY: $150 We do not accept insurance for couples therapy.
DO YOU ACCEPT INSURANCE?
We accept Aetna and United Healthcare/Optum and are considered “Out of Network” providers for other insurance companies. We will provide you with a “Super Bill” which is a receipt to give to your insurance company to receive reimbursement in accordance with your policy. You can talk with your insurance company regarding the terms of your policy to get a better understanding of what sessions will cost.
WHY DON'T YOU ACCEPT SOME INSURANCE?
Some of our providers do not accept insurance for many reasons.
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Health insurance companies require a diagnosis in order to provide you with treatment they will reimburse. However, not everyone has a mental illness, but rather are struggling with life stressors. Some common reasons for coming to therapy, like couples counseling and grief counseling, are typically not covered by insurance.
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Your therapist is required to give you a diagnosis, which your health insurance will keep on file permanently. The diagnosis stays on your permanent health record and can affect your future. For example, if you would want a job that requires a security clearance or if you would like to adopt a child, mental health diagnoses are taken into account.
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Insurance companies usually authorize a specific number of sessions. Having an insurance company say we need to get all of your issues resolved in x amount of sessions puts unnecessary pressure on the both of us! We also don't want to leave you without our work completed because the insurance company thinks you don't need any more treatment.
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Your treatment remains confidential when you do not use insurance.
If you are still interested in using your health insurance, many plans (usually PPO) have out-of-network benefits, and we will provide you a receipt to submit for reimbursement. Keep in mind that your therapist will still have to give you a mental disorder diagnosis, which will still be part of your permanent health record.
HOW LONG SHOULD I EXPECT TO BE IN COUNSELING?
Duration of counseling is different for every client. Your therapist will tailor sessions according to your needs. In general, therapy usually begins by seeing clients more frequently (i.e. once per week) until they experience improvements with their concerns. After this, clients often move into a stage of therapy called “Maintenance”. The frequency of sessions will be reduced until you feel your concerns have been fully resolved long-term. The specific duration of therapy cannot usually be predicted but there are some factors that affect the duration of therapy. Things such as trauma, issues stemming in childhood or having been present for many years, betrayals in relationships, and specific mental health diagnoses can cause a need for therapy to be more long-term. Your investment of time and resources into your therapy will pay dividends throughout your life.