Creating Positive Outcomes
Counseling Fees / Payment Methods
Fees for counseling services:
Insurance Coverage
- Out-of-pocket co-pay usually between $0 - $25.
- Co-pay varies based on insurance provider.
Private-Pay
- 50-minute
session
$90
The typical number of contacts with both individuals and as a couple and/or family is under 8 sessions. Some are seen more sessions, some less. No one can promise exactly how long it will take you to get satisfactorily back on track.
Investment example, marriage counseling and/or couples counseling, over the course of a three-month period we're estimating investing little more than $200 out-of-pocket with insurance coverage. It is a matter of priorities and values. What is the price of a divorce lawyer? What is the price of peace of mind? You may find slightly lower rates, but you will not find the same combination of professional experience and expertise.
To estimate the financial benefits, consider the changes that you are making in stress levels that may affect your long-term health care costs. Look at whether the therapy is helping you be a more productive employee or enabling you to earn more money through promotions or by changing jobs. Look at the relationship and family problems that you are working on in therapy and evaluate if the therapy is likely to avert expensive problems in the future.
When you estimate the cost/benefit ratio, remember your personal improvements or as a couple ant that may yield financial benefits over many years to come, and the therapy costs are usually spent up front. If you are like most people or married couples, as long as there is a need for treatment, you will find that the potential financial benefits justify the investment in psychotherapy even when insurance does not pay for the treatment. In addition, think about the possible intangible improvements in your quality of life and relationships that cannot be measured financially.
Payment Options: Cash or Check
I see many private-pay clients as some clients prefer to have the highest level of confidentiality from: employeers, insurance companies, spouses, etc. I also accept insurances: United Health, Aetna, and Cigna Health Insurance. These behavior health insurance companies contract with many other insurance companies to provide mental health benefits so you may be covered.
Why Some People Choose not to use Insurance Coverage:
It's
no secret: our privacy rights are under attack. The insurance and
financial industry have a powerful lobby in Washington, and they have
done everything possible to have access to medical information to their
advantage.
The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999, allows banks, brokerages, mortgage underwriters, and insurance companies to act as a single entity. Despite strict rules regarding privacy policies, most information can be shared. The Medical Information Bureau, a private organization that acts like a credit agency, collecting and distributing medical information, makes medical privacy difficult to maintain.
If you are planning on using your insurance coverage for mental health treatment, you should be aware that your records can be reviewed by the insurer and that claims information can be traded under terms of a privacy policy that most people sign without reading or understanding.
Under these circumstances, many people choose to keep their privacy by not using insurance coverage. Is this wise? There are many arguments for and against it, depending on how you believe the information may be used. I advise my patients to learn about the issue and form their own decisions based on their own needs and values.
The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999, allows banks, brokerages, mortgage underwriters, and insurance companies to act as a single entity. Despite strict rules regarding privacy policies, most information can be shared. The Medical Information Bureau, a private organization that acts like a credit agency, collecting and distributing medical information, makes medical privacy difficult to maintain.
If you are planning on using your insurance coverage for mental health treatment, you should be aware that your records can be reviewed by the insurer and that claims information can be traded under terms of a privacy policy that most people sign without reading or understanding.
Under these circumstances, many people choose to keep their privacy by not using insurance coverage. Is this wise? There are many arguments for and against it, depending on how you believe the information may be used. I advise my patients to learn about the issue and form their own decisions based on their own needs and values.
** Is Therapy a Wise Way to Spend Your Money? by Ivan Miller, Ph.D