Session rates: Rates reflect the experience of the therapist and market rate for out of network, cash pay therapy. Depending on your insurance and situation, you may wish to seek reimbursement from clergy pay, HSA, FSA and any insurance that has an out of network benefit. Many of these sources do cover therapy sessions and/or group sessions. For my practice, all fees must be paid at the time of service by credit card.
At your request, I can provide you with a “super bill,” or receipt at the end of each month that you can submit to these sources for reimbursement. While you are responsible for the full payment at the time of the session, many insurance companies will reimburse your session as an “out of network” service. I highly advise calling them first so you are aware of the reimbursement rate for you.
Timeline: Therapy usually yields the best results when started on a weekly basis but can be stepped down to biweekly or monthly as appropriate, needed or preferred. While personal circumstances can vary greatly for what your personal therapy timeline will look like, I find that most clients with mild cases (of anxiety, for example - usually with a strong dynamic of people pleasing) can improve in as little as 3 sessions. This happens as skills are learned, practiced and “therapy homework” is completed such as journaling, applying guided meditation practices, and following through on self care plans. Deeper work that can help have even longer lasting results usually is done between 8-24 sessions. I am here to support the best path for you. It’s always okay to take a break from therapy, or try another practitioner, and come back when you feel ready. I am more than happy to help you find a therapist who will meet your needs. I will discuss referring you to someone else when/if we come to a place where progress has slowed and I feel another practitioner with different skill sets would meet your needs more effectively.
Session Rate & Therapy Timeline
Good Faith Estimate
You have the right to request a Good Faith Estimate (GFE) under the No Surprises Act and will be provided one upon scheduling and when requested.
A Good Faith Estimate (GFE) is an estimate of the total expected costs for non-emergency medical services (such as therapy) given to clients who are not using their insurance (such as all my clients who cash-pay at the time of service). This document, provided by me, will help you understand your potential costs. If your final bill is at least $400 more than the estimate, you can dispute it. I will provide a Good Faith Estimate at the start of treatment, upon request and at least every 12 months if your services continue past that time frame.
Here are the law’s guidelines for when you can expect a GFE:
If a service is scheduled at least 10 business days in advance, the Good Faith Estimate must be provided within 3 business days. (This is within 3 business days of the scheduling, not of the appointment itself.)
If a service is scheduled at least 3 business days in advance, the Good Faith Estimate must be provided within 1 business day of scheduling.
If a service is scheduled less than 3 business days in advance, a Good Faith Estimate is not required (but I will provide one as a best practice)
If an individual requests a Good Faith Estimate, it must be provided within 3 business days.
Since it is hard to estimate the exact number of sessions I feel will be needed upon scheduling your first appointment, the wording in your GFE may look something like this:
Depending on [list applicable factors], you may need between 12 and 30 psychotherapy sessions of 50 minutes each this year. At [rate per session] the estimated total costs are between [12 x rate per session and 30 x rate per session].
Let me know any questions you may have. :) We are in this therapy journey together.