Services, Fees and Insurance
NOT ACCEPTING NEW CLIENTS
Free 15-minute phone consultation
All potential clients are offered a free 15-minute phone consultation to assure that I’m a good fit in terms of approach, availability and payment method. If not, I will help find someone who is. Schedule your free consultation by clicking the Schedule Consultation button at the bottom of this page.
Individual Therapy
Sessions are 50-55 minutes in length. The first session is $235. Subsequent sessions are $195. If you use an insurer that I am in-network with, you will generally only have to meet your deductible and co-pay. Please see below to determine if I take your insurance or if one of the other options will work better for you.
Cancellation Policy
If you do not show up for your scheduled appointment, and you have not notified me at least 24 hours in advance, you will be charged $195. I do this to ensure that as many people as possible have access to my available hours.
Payment
I accept Venmo, Zelle, or credit card. Please note that in most cases, HSA and FSA funds may be used for therapy.
Insurance
I accept private pay clients, as well as the following forms of insurance:
Medicare (traditional Medicare only); I do not accept any Medicare Advantage plans
Aetna
Blue Cross Blue Shield
I use a service called Headway, Inc. to manage appointments and billing for all the above insurers, except Medicare. Medicare users see below. If we decide to work together, I will help you get set up on Headway’s confidential scheduling and billing platform. It is quite easy. Headway is free to clients.
Please note that the use of insurance requires that the therapist include a diagnosis that will be recorded in your medical record. This has become less of an issue as mental health issues have become less stigmatized, but it is important to know. In some cases, the therapist also must provide additional clinical information to the insurance company, such as treatment plans, summaries or copies of the entire record.
Medicare Users
I bill Medicare directly. You simply pay your co-pay at each visit, and I take care of submitting the information to Medicare. I do not take Medicare Advantage plans.
Other Insurance Users
If you do not have one of the insurers listed above, you will need to use “out of network” benefits for reimbursement. In this arrangement, you pay me at the time of service, and I provide you with a monthly summary of services called a “superbill.” You can submit the superbill to your insurance company for reimbursement. It includes your diagnosis and other information the insurance company requires. Many insurance plans pay 40 percent or more for “out-of-network” therapists but please check with your insurance company to be sure what their policies are prior to scheduling an appointment.
Private pay
Private pay allows for maximum confidentiality and minimum paperwork. No insurer or other authority will get information on your diagnosis or treatment progress, except in cases of suspected child abuse, elder abuse, or felony crimes, which state laws require professional providers to report. You may, of course, authorize other providers or individuals to access your information with prior written consent.
With private pay, you pay in full at the time of service. If requested, I can provide you with a monthly summary of services called a “superbill.” If you would like reimbursement for your sessions, you submit the superbill to your insurance company which will then reimburse you. Many insurance plans pay 40 percent or more for out of network therapists, but please check with your insurance company to be sure what their policies are prior to scheduling an appointment.
Please note, that a superbill includes your diagnosis and other information insurance companies require for reimbursement, thus forfeiting the privacy benefits discussed above.
Good Faith Estimate - This applies to private pay only.
As of January 1, 2022, under Section 2799B-6 of the Public Health Service Act, health care providers and health care facilities are required to inform individuals who are not enrolled in a plan or coverage or a Federal health care program, or not seeking to file a claim with their plan or coverage both orally and in writing of their ability, upon request or at the time of scheduling health care items and services, to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” of expected charges.
Under the law, health care providers need to give patients who don’t have insurance or who are not using insurance an estimate of the bill for medical items and services.
You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate for the total expected cost of any non-emergency items or services. This includes related costs like medical tests, prescription drugs, equipment, and hospital fees.
Make sure your health care provider gives you a Good Faith Estimate in writing at least one (1) business day before your medical service or item. You can also ask your healthcare provider, and any other provider you choose, for a Good Faith Estimate before you schedule an item or service.
If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more than your Good Faith Estimate, you can dispute the bill.
Make sure to save a copy or picture of your Good Faith Estimate. For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises.