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I understand that choosing a therapist is not easy,
and that starting therapy can be a big decision.
I'm happy to answer your questions!
Q1: What are your fees and how often do we meet?
We will meet for an intake session when you first begin therapy, after which we will meet once a week unless we decide otherwise. It is important that the frequency of our sessions is suited to your goals. Meeting at least once a week at the start of therapy will help keep a consistent pace in therapy. Session length can also be tailored and the fees prorated. My fees are as follows:
Intake session (75 minutes): $250
Subsequent sessions (60 minutes): $200
No Surprise Act — Good Faith Estimate Notice
You have the right to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” of how much your mental health care will cost.
Under the law, health care providers (including therapists) need to give patients who do not have insurance or who are not using insurance an estimate of the expected charges for medical services, including psychotherapy services. You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate for the total expected cost of any non-emergency (mental) healthcare services.
Under the No Surprise Act, you can ask your health care provider for a Good Faith Estimate before you schedule a service. If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more than your Good Faith Estimate, you can dispute the bill. Make sure to save a copy or picture of your Good Faith Estimate.
For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises.
Q2: What types of payment do you accept?
In your online intake paperwork, you will be asked to provide credit card information that will be kept on file in my secure payment system. I will charge your card at the end of each session. I accept all major credit cards, as well as Flexible Savings Accounts (FSA) and Health Savings Accounts (HSA).
Q3: Do you accept insurance?
I do not accept insurance, but would be happy to provide an itemized receipt called a Superbill for you to file for out-of-network benefits. To find out if you have out-of-network benefits that support therapy, I recommend calling the number on the back of your insurance card to ask the following questions (if there is a number specifically for “behavioral health”, call that one!):
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I would like to work with an out-of-network mental health therapist [via telehealth (virtual therapy)], can you please tell me about my benefits?
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What is my deductible?
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What is my copay OR coinsurance?
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What is my out-of-pocket maximum?
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What information and documentation are needed to file a claim?
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How do I file a claim?
Q4: How do out-of-network benefits work?
When you work with an out-of-network therapist, you will pay the session fee up front instead of paying a co-pay (as you would with an in-network therapist). You then submit the Superbill to your insurance company, who may then reimburse you a percentage of the fee after your deductible has been met, depending on your plan. Remember, every plan is different, so it’s important to call your insurance company for details of your particular out-of-network plan!
Q5: Why don't you accept insurance?
While insurance can provide much needed financial support, there are certain non-financial costs to working with an in-network therapist (even if the therapist is great!). When a therapist is paneled with an insurance company in order to accept insurance from clients, his/her therapy is affected in the following ways:
1. S/he has to give you a clinical mental health diagnosis in order for the therapy services to be
reimbursable. A diagnosis stays on your medical record permanently, which means if your medical
record is ever requested for job or insurance purposes, your diagnosis will be revealed.
Diagnoses also limit the scope of therapy because it does now allow for problems or concerns that
are not pathological. For example, couples therapy is frequently not reimbursable unless one
partner has a mental health diagnosis. However, we know that not all issues in a relationship are
due to a clinical mental health condition! Poor communication, self-esteem difficulties, job loss,
challenges with in-laws, and difficult life transitions— for example— are all very normal difficulties
that, because they are not pathological, will not be reimbursed.
2. Insurance companies require a significant amount of paperwork from therapists and reimburse
therapists at rates much lower than their self-pay rates, which means therapists who panel with
insurance companies often book a large number of clients to keep their practice viable. When
therapists have to do this, even if they are competent therapists, therapy sessions can become
more focused on fulfilling insurance requirements than on client needs. That also means that
therapists have less time and energy for each client. Therefore, while you can save money on each
session by working with a therapist paneled with insurance companies, your course of therapy
might be much shorter when you work with an out-of-network therapist who can give you his/her
full attention.
Q6: How long will I be in therapy? Or, how many EMDR therapy sessions will I need?
How long you might need to be in therapy depends on the nature of your concerns and your therapeutic goals. Clinical research indicates that an average of 12-16 sessions are necessary for therapeutic change to be effective and lasting. However, the speed and success of our work will primarily depend on the effort that we both contribute to the process (as a client of mine would say, ‘the more you put into it, the more you get out of it!’). The more intentional we are in therapy, the faster your progress will be!
As for EMDR therapy, my clients have reported significant progress in 8-10 sessions. Depending on the difficulty being addressed, EMDR therapy can be very brief (for example, 3 sessions to address a recent car accident) or longer (for example, 10-15 sessions for severe childhood abuse or trauma).
As we work together, we will monitor your progress and reevaluate therapy goals to ensure that your therapy is both effective and meaningful.