Services, Fees, and Insurance

Investing in therapy is worthy endeavor, and it can feel quite expensive, both in terms of finances and the time needed. But it is probably worth noting here that I am not aiming to be anyone’s forever therapist. I wish to help people become their own ‘therapist’ and befriend their own experience so that I become obsolete. In my personal therapy and as psychologist, I’ve seen that giving oneself the gift of therapy can mean deep intimacy, presence, and agency over how we show up in our lives. It means a lot to me that your therapy is valuable to you and worth the resources it takes to come and do the work you want to do.

For private pay clients, my first (hour long) session consultation fee is 250$ and ongoing 45-minute sessions are 225$ for individuals, and 60-minute couples sessions are 250$.

For those who may need assistance connecting with services, I am committed to a social justice model. I offer a portion of my practice as sliding scale fee appointments for those who want to discuss them. I can also help brainstorm alternate options for support and resources outside of therapy and changing session frequency if clinically appropriate.

INSURANCE

I am not directly in-network with insurance companies. In the past I was on multiple panels, and I found they do not reimburse well, and they often intrude and block treatment inappropriately and unhelpfully, as well as threaten patient privacy. You may still be able to use your insurance benefits out-of-network. Insurance companies will often reimburse 70-90% of the visit fee to an out-of-network mental health provider. I can furnish you with insurance-friendly invoice superbills and provide some help navigating your benefit plan to seek that reimbursement benefit. Some of the following might be relevant questions and vocabulary to discuss with your member support particular to your specific insurance plan:

Does my plan cover mental health providers who are out-of-network, for outpatient mental health teletherapy video sessions?

  • Do I have a yearly maximum number cap on this type of sessions?

  • Do I have a deductible, and do I have a separate mental health deductible for out-of-network visits? How much of that deductible has been met this year, and when does it reset (at mid-year or the calendar year)?

  • Do I need pre-authorization for outpatient mental health sessions, and if so, who can submit that and what steps or forms are needed here?

  • If my benefits do apply to therapy sessions (and perhaps after a deductible has been satisfied), what percentage of the session will my plan cover and how much will be my responsibility?

PAYMENT AND CANCELLATIONS

Payment is due at the time of service. Payment processing is typically done via IvyPay (a HIPAA-compliant card processing company that securely vaults card information and is text-based). Do let me know if you want to pay via another route and we can modify that practice. If you are unable to make a session, please notify me at least 72 hours (3 days) in advance so that I can make the session available to another client. If you miss a session without providing me 72-hours notice, you will be charged the full amount for your session. Of course if it’s an emergency, that’s an exception and, in general, if it’s not a pattern, we can talk about an occasional missed session with less rigidity. My cancellation policy is heavily influenced by therapy research that very clearly shows that consistency aids momentum and efficacy outcomes in therapy, and I find my job the most rewarding when clients are feeling that therapy is really working for them.