All Photography by Jenny Lennox
My counseling rate is $120 a session (53 minutes).
Currently I am a provider with:
First Choice Health Network
Regence
Premera
Out-of-Network Insurance
If you are interested in submitting your counseling sessions to your insurance company for "out-of-network" coverage, I will provide a monthly/bi-weekly statement of services that can be submitted for reimbursement directly to you. However, full payment is due at time of service. I highly recommend that you speak with your insurance company before beginning counseling sessions to clarify your out-of-network benefits.
Payment Methods:
Counseling fees are required at the beginning or end of each session. Forms of accepted payment are cash, check, credit, debit, HSA, and ACH transfers through Square. I currently do not have the ability to make change.
Benefits of Private Pay:
Many clients choose not to involve insurance companies in their mental health care. Their counseling is not limited by the diagnosis, treatment plan, or session limits that health insurance companies dictate. Insurance companies often limit the number of sessions and even the type of therapy. Many insurance companies do not cover couples/relational, or family therapy.
To have therapy services covered under insurance, a mental health diagnosis must be made. This then becomes a part of your permanent health care record. This may lead to limitations such as denial for quality life insurance or health insurance later on. Additionally, since a mental health diagnosis must be made to obtain reimbursement, the insurance company has to know a lot of information about you to be covered. The insurance company can review all of your records at their discretion.
By paying privately or out of pocket, I can assure private pay clients of the highest degree of privacy, flexibility, and control of their mental health records allowed by Washington State law, since my records are exempt from insurance reporting and random compliance audits. Our work is off record.
In addition, many insurance companies require a deductible to be met before they start paying, so you may be paying out of pocket anyway.
We will work collaboratively to decide how often to attend therapy, and you decide what you want to focus on. You have the control, not the insurance company.
To summarize, the main benefits of private pay is:
-You get to choose your therapist instead of your insurance company telling you who to see.
-You have the ability to decide what type of therapy you would like, who you would like involved in sessions, and how long to participate in therapy.
-You or your family member won't be labeled with a mental health diagnosis.
-Your records will be confidential and not shared with anyone, no one will know you are in counseling unless you tell them. (except for limits to confidentiality)
-You will not have to worry about your health records creating a problem for you or your family in the future.
-You will be able to stay with your therapist even if your insurance changes.