questions.

• Do I have out-of-network coverage for psychotherapy? (They might ask you for the medical billing code, which is 90837 for a 50-minute individual therapy session).
• Is a prior authorization needed?
• Is there a deductible? If so, how much of my deductible has already been met?
• What is the calendar year for my deductible?
• Am I limited on how many times I can see my therapist within the year?
• How much will I be reimbursed for?
• What is the process for submitting for reimbursement? What paperwork needs to be completed and where do I send this to?

In order to bill your insurance company, I am required to diagnose you with a mental illness. Not every client qualifies for one, or wants to be labeled with a diagnosis. Furthermore, that diagnosis will often dictate how many sessions you can get depending on the medical model your insurance company uses to justify and cover the cost. Meaning, a non-therapist at an insurance company will evaluate your chart/session notes to make these determinations. If that doesn’t undermine the fundamental values of therapy, I don’t know what does.

Another factor I just touched on is the issue of confidentiality. When you use insurance to pay for therapy, your insurance company has access to your diagnosis and treatment plan. This means that your personal information could potentially be shared with others, such as your employer or other healthcare providers. For some clients, this can be a dealbreaker.

A 50 min individual session is $145.  That being said, I am always willing to discuss financial hardships with clients in which I may determine that a reduced or sliding scale fee is appropriate from case to case.

While I don’t accept insurance, I do accept Health Savings Account (HSA) and Flexible Spending Account (FSA) payments.

There is no one size fits all rule for therapy sessions. However you can expect that our initial sessions will be focused on info gathering and will likely not be fully representative of the full therapy experience. In most cases, it usually takes several sessions before we hit our collective stride. There’s also the very real reality that, at the outset of counseling, things may get worse before they get better. Talking though painful situations and confronting difficult emotions is uncomfy AF, and many of us have spent a lot of time mastering the art of avoiding pain. It’s normal to feel conflicted with sharing (even if you really want to), and requiring more sessions than you initially expected doesn’t that doesn’t mean you are failing at therapy.

In any case, I do want to remind you that you are and always will be in full control of how often we meet, how quickly we dive into issues, and when we may need to slow down or stop. I will always respect your decisions and support your autonomy in your healing journey.

In general, the law protects the confidentiality of all communications between a client and therapist, and I take that very seriously. No information is disclosed without prior written permission from the client.

However, there are some exceptions required by law to this rule. These exceptions include:

• Suspected child abuse or dependant adult or elder abuse. The therapist is required to report this to the appropriate authorities immediately.
• If a client is threatening serious bodily harm to another person. The therapist is required to notify the police.
• If a client intends to harm himself or herself. The therapist will make every effort to work with the individual to ensure their safety. However, if an individual does not cooperate, additional measures may need to be taken.

By using insurance, the client allows their insurance company to access confidential information. This is the only way insurance will pay for sessions.

As of right now, all sessions are offered online through the Simple Practice platform. However I may offer in-person sessions in the future. Please let me know if that’s something you may be interested in.