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Do you take insurance? Why not?

I do not accept insurance at this time. I can, however, provide you with something called a “superbill,” basically a very detailed receipt that you can submit to your insurance for partial reimbursement if you have out of network coverage. To find out, call the number on the back of your insurance card and ask about out of network benefits; they are often included in PPO plans. The reimbursement usually won’t cover the full fee, but it might help defray the cost! If you have access to a Flexible Spending Account or a Health Savings Account, you can also use those to pay with pre-tax dollars. I would love to discuss my reasoning with you about my decision not to accept insurance, but this article provides a good summary.

How long are sessions?

Most sessions are 50 minutes.

How will I be involved in my child or adolescent’s treatment?

Research has shown that caregiver involvement is the most important factor in treatment outcome—so even though a child may need some private, independent space with a therapist to learn new skills, I expect caregivers to be present and ready to participate at each session. For most children and adolescents participating in a 50-minute session, this means approximately 35 minutes with them and approximately 15 minutes with the parent or caregiver.

Parent involvement in treatment begins to change during middle to late adolescence, however. During this time, children are naturally developing a greater sense of autonomy from the adults who care for them. It is often necessary for teens to have a “zone of privacy” around the content of their therapy sessions. This is something we can discuss in more depth if you and your teen decide to work with me for treatment.

Why do therapy and assessment cost so much?

Nobody becomes a therapist in the hopes of making it rich. While it may be tempting to feel like the cost per hour is quite high, clients are not paying solely for that one hour. I think about you between sessions, review your notes, plan interventions ahead of time, and seek supervision or consultation when necessary. Also, there are many costs associated with running a clinical practice that most clients do not know about (nor do they need to worry about this, unless their feelings about the fee are making it difficult to engage fully in treatment). This article summarizes some of the reasons therapy is priced the way it is, as well as some suggestions to locate lower-fee mental health services.

What is confidentiality?

Confidentiality refers to the fact that everything in therapy or assessment is kept private from others, with four exceptions: danger to yourself, danger to others, child abuse/neglect, or elder abuse/neglect. This means that I am not telling my friends or partners about you, and even the fact that you are a client at all is private—which is why I won’t initiate saying hello to you if I see you in public! Confidentiality is the cornerstone of effective therapy; without privacy, one would be unable to expose certain vulnerable parts of oneself. 

I can share information about your treatment or assessment with others to coordinate your care, but I will only do this if you provide written consent to release that information. The nature and purpose of the information exchanged will be discussed beforehand, though.

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