:: Insurance and fees
 

In order to utilize your medical insurance for outpatient counseling, we will need to communicate with your insurance company regarding your care. To authorize treatment, many insurance companies now require clients to agree to allow their therapists to provide the company with a certain amount of personal information about the client's concerns and treatment goals.

I contract with a consulting company to do my billing and we will be happy to provide you with insurance receipts or complete the paperwork necessary to submit claims and request additional sessions for continuing treatment. If your insurance company responds to our billing in a timely manner, you may continue to simply pay your co-payment at the end of each session. However, if your insurance company becomes difficult to deal with, I may require you to pay the total counseling fee "up-front", and seek reimbursement for yourself. Please remember that a therapy fee, like any doctor's bill, is ultimately your responsibility. If for some reason your insurance payment does not come through as expected, you are still obligated to pay any accumulated charges.

My fee for a standard 50-minute session is $110. I am, on occasion, able to adjust my fee. If we decide to schedule occasional or ongoing sessions that are longer than 50 minutes, the fee is prorated accordingly--for example, the fee for a double session is twice that of a standard 50-minute session. Except in a few instances related to your insurance policy, I expect that clients pay their fee or co-payment at the end of each session. It is also much appreciated and saves time for us if you can write out a check before your session rather than at the end of it. Clients will be assessed a $20 fee for any returned checks.

Regarding phone calls between sessions, I do not charge a fee for occasional conversations, which are under 15 minutes in length, or for "check-in" phone messages that do not require a return call. I do charge a prorated fee for phone conversations longer than 15 minutes, as well as for paperwork (e.g. a letter or evaluation) done on your behalf, which takes longer than 15 minutes to complete.

It is my policy to work in every way possible to allow current clients to continue their therapy despite an adverse change in their finances. By the same token, I reserve the right to discuss a fee increase with anyone who is working with me under an adjusted fee. Most importantly, please never hesitate to discuss anything concerning your fee with me at any time.

Please check the list of insurance companies with whom I currently work.