Private Pay Rates
$220 per 60-75 minute session (initial assessment)
$190 per 50 minute session (individual therapy, teen or adult)
$190 per 50 minute session (parent counseling)
$200 per 50 minute session (family therapy)
Choosing to pay privately (without insurance) helps to ensure your utmost confidentiality and privacy when working together. Information about the nature of your treatment and the issues discussed in sessions will remain solely between you and I. In a private practice setting, the medical records generated by our therapy sessions are not required to be integrated into your permanent medical record or history, unless you specifically choose to do so. This is a major benefit that oftentimes gets overlooked when considering private pay. Thus, it is very important to consider which option for pay you prefer and are most comfortable with prior to beginning treatment.
Insurance
My license, training, and education will allow you to be qualified for out-of-network reimbursement with your insurance plan if this is part of your policy.
I am an out-of-network provider for most insurance plans. Please be sure you take the time to carefully read through this section and understand how using your insurance coverage for mental health services can impact your confidentiality and quality of care. Many of my clients seem to be unclear about the details behind their insurance coverage when it comes to mental health, so I hope this helps.
When choosing to file a claim with your insurance company for mental health services, you will receive a diagnosis. Payments and reimbursements can not be made through your insurance company without a diagnosis code. Often times clients don’t clinically fit the code entirely (i.e. client may only have mild symptoms which in some cases would not require a diagnosis) If you choose to use your insurance plan, I HAVE to choose a diagnosis that best describes your symptoms and condition so that a payment code can be generated for the insurance company to use. Thus, the insurance billing process begins.
Your diagnosis is then filed with the Medical Information Bureau and will remain on file as part of your medical records for the rest of your life. If and when you apply for any type of medical, health or life insurance in the future, I and any other therapist you have a history with will be contacted and asked to release all medical records. Insurance companies require disclosure of highly personal information, the confidentiality, and privacy of which I cannot guarantee. This is a general rule that applies to all mental health professionals that accept insurance coverage on behalf of their clients. In some cases, a mental health diagnosis can also affect benefits and or increase premiums. Insurance companies also restrict the number of sessions you are allotted in a calendar year which in turn, can affect the quality of your treatment. Please consider all of these important details when choosing to use your out-of-network insurance benefits.
To determine if you have mental health coverage through your insurance carrier, the first thing you should do is call them.
I recommend asking these questions to your insurance provider to help determine your benefits:
- Does my health insurance plan include mental health benefits?
- What are my out of network mental health benefits?
- Do I have a deductible? How much of that deductible have I already met?
- Do I have a copay or coinsurance? What is it?
- What is the coverage amount per therapy session?
- How many therapy sessions does my plan cover?
- Do I need authorization or is approval required from my primary care physician?
- How much does my insurance pay for an out-of-network provider?
Payment
Payment is due in full at the end of each session. If meeting virtually or in-person, you have the option of making a credit card payment. You will receive an email with a portal link where you will electronically sign consent paperwork and securely submit your credit card information. You may also make a payment by cash or check. If you are utilizing out-of-network benefits, I can provide an invoice or “superbill” at your request, which you can submit to your health insurance company for reimbursement. You will pay your bill out-of-pocket, then submit your superbill to your insurer for reimbursement.
Cancellation Policy
If you are unable to attend a session, please make sure you cancel at least 48 hours beforehand. Otherwise, you may be charged for the full rate of the session.
Billing Questions
Please contact me at 925-293-7478 for any additional billing or insurance questions you may have.