Session fees
Why I’m a private-pay practice
I don’t bill insurance directly, and that is a deliberate choice about the quality of your care. When an insurance company sits inside the therapy, it can limit how many sessions are covered, requires a mental health diagnosis on file from day one, and can review your records. Working privately means the two people deciding the focus, pace, and length of your care are you and me.
Using your out-of-network benefits
Many insurance plans will reimburse you for part of the cost of therapy with an out-of-network provider. Here is how it works in practice. You pay for the session at the time of service. I provide you with a superbill, which is an itemized receipt containing everything your insurer needs. You submit it to your insurance company, and they reimburse you directly according to your plan's out-of-network benefits.
One honest note: a superbill does require a diagnosis code, because insurers won’t reimburse without one. If keeping a diagnosis entirely off your insurance record matters to you, you can simply pay privately and skip the superbill. That choice is always yours.
If you want to know what your plan covers before we start, call the member number on your insurance card and ask four questions: Do I have out-of-network benefits for outpatient mental health? Do you reimburse services from a Registered Mental Health Counselor Intern? What percentage is reimbursed after my deductible? And are telehealth sessions covered?
A note on cost and worth
Therapy is a real investment, and I don’t pretend otherwise. It’s also one that shows up everywhere: your sleep, your relationships, your work, the way you talk to yourself at 2am. If cost is the one thing standing between you and starting, say so in the consultation, and we’ll talk it through honestly.