During the COVID-19 pandemic, all sessions are conducted via Telehealth on a secure video platform. Most insurance companies will also cover sessions conducted via telephone.
Once the danger of meeting in person is contained, I am likely to offer both in-person and telehealth sessions. Insurance companies may or may not continue to cover telehealth after the state of emergency is over.
Anything discussed during the course of psychotherapy is held in strict confidence; additionally, it is my policy to safeguard your privacy outside the office setting. This means that you will not be acknowledged in any way unless you initiate contact yourself — whether that happens at the grocery store or anywhere else in the community. There are, however, exclusions and limitations to confidentiality of which you should be aware. These include 1) statements you might make indicating an intent to harm yourself or others, 2) statements you might make indicating an intent to commit or a history of committing child or elder abuse, 3) information that would facilitate your medical care in a life-threatening emergency and 4) information subpoenaed for use in a court proceeding.
Initial/Evaluative sessions are billed at $175.00;
Family or Conjoint therapy sessions are billed at $175.00;
Individual therapy sessions are billed at $160.00.
You may have insurance to help cover the cost of care.
Payment (whether co-pay, deductible, or private pay) is expected at the time of service. I accept cash, check, and Visa/Master Card.
Telephone consultation is not charged for conversations under 15 minutes. Additionally, there are options for reduced fees should you have financial need.
If you want to use an insurance benefit to pay for psychotherapy services, it is helpful to understand what this means.
Insurance companies often require cooperation between the client (you) the provider (the therapist) and a managed health care component of the insurance company. The managed health care component of your insurance company may or may not be associated with your actual insurance company as many large insurers contract out their mental health and/or chemical dependency benefit to specialized companies. You can usually find out this information by looking on the back of your insurance card; often (but not always) there is a separate phone number listed for mental health if your insurer contracts with a different company for mental health.
In general, however, insurance companies limit coverage for mental health issues to services determined to be “medically necessary” and to conditions that are treatable by shorter-term, problem-focused approaches whenever possible.
This may mean that your insurance company will cover only office visits to work on a particular problem as intensely as possible. Each insurance policy is different and nearly all are complex. It is a good idea to check with your insurance company yourself for a better understanding of your particular benefit.
Additionally, when you use your health insurance to pay for psychotherapy, your clinical file may be reviewed by a quality assurance group set up by your insurer or through your mental health organization. You and your therapist must be aware of this, and what it means.
While my office generally is able to bill your primary insurance, I do not bill your secondary insurance. However, I can provide you with the documentation you would need to submit such a claim yourself.