In a mental health crisis, call or text 988 or go to the nearest emergency room. For other emergencies, call 911.
Fees & Insurance
I offer two very different styles of therapy, and the fees are different for each one. Please refer to the pages about ongoing individual therapy and therapy intensives for information about the fees, cancellation policies and payment methods for each one. What follows is some information about using medical insurance benefits for your therapy.
Using Your Out-of-Network Benefits
I do not accept insurance and am considered an out-of-network (OON) provider for most insurance plans. If you want, I can provide you with a statement (called a “superbill”) to submit to your insurance company for OON reimbursement. Here are some things you may want to consider before deciding whether or not to request OON reimbursement from your insurance company.
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In order to ask for OON reimbursement from your insurance company, I will need to give you a diagnosis. Not all clients who want therapy have or need a diagnosis, but insurance companies will not pay for services without one.
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When you receive a mental health diagnosis, it becomes part of your medical record for the rest of your life. This can sometimes affect your ability to get medical or life insurance in the future or might affect your premiums.
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Insurance companies might also require me to send them part or all of your record, and employees of the insurance company (and possibly others) would then have access to your private, personal and sensitive information.
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Insurance companies sometimes might only reimburse for a certain number of sessions or length of time in therapy. They might also not reimburse for certain types of therapy or therapy for certain diagnoses.
Questions for Your Insurance Company
If you do decide to submit superbills for OON reimbursement from your insurance company, you are responsible for communicating with them and understanding your plan’s benefits and limitations. Here are some questions you may want to ask your insurance company.
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Do I have OON mental health benefits?
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What is my OON deductible?
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Do I have a co-pay or co-insurance, and how much is it?
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How can I request OON reimbursement?
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Is there a limit to how many therapy sessions my plan covers in general or per year, and what is it?
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What is the policy year (for example, January 1st to December 31st)?
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Does my plan cover virtual therapy? Are reimbursement rates comparable to in person services?
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What types of services (called CPT codes) are covered and not covered? What are the OON reimbursement rates for each one? (Upon request, I can provide you with a list of CPT codes that I might use for your therapy.)
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Are there specific diagnoses (called ICD-10 codes) that are not covered, and what are they?
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Do I need pre-authorization for psychotherapy or a referral from my Primary Care Provider?
Medicare, Medicaid & HMOs
Medicare, Medicaid and HMOs typically do not reimburse for OON providers. If you are a Medicare beneficiary, Medicare requires you to sign a private contract with me indicating you are aware that Medicare will not pay for or reimburse you for these services. Please let me know if you are a Medicare recipient.
Other Things to Know
Please be aware that a 90-minute therapy session will be called a 60-minute session on your superbill. Insurance companies count any session that is 54 minutes or more as a 60-minute session. For example, sessions that are 55 minutes, 60 minutes, 75 minutes, 90 minutes or 2 hours are all coded as 60-minute sessions. Please also be aware that insurance companies do not reimburse for therapy intensives and may not reimburse for multiple sessions in the same day or multiple session in the same week.