An Overview of My Fees & Insurance Outlook and Policy

So you’ve finally taken the right steps to bettering yourself by seeking therapy. Now that you’re in the hunt, you realize that unfortunately, therapy is not cheap. Luckily for you, some therapists do accept insurance, though not many.

As an overall rule, I believe that everyone should have access to high quality and affordable therapy. As such, I do accept insurance if you have a policy that accepts out-of-network benefits. If you fit into this category, I will provide you with all of the necessary documentation you will need for reimbursement. As such, your insurance provider should refund you for whatever your policy dictates. Additionally, if you’re covered by flexible plan benefits through your place of employment, some of those funds may be used to cover your therapy sessions. Please keep in mind that insurance plans can vary significantly; not just regarding the dollar amount covered but also the number of sessions you are eligible for, among many other things. Thus, it’s important to first verify with your insurance company regarding your options prior to finalizing any therapy sessions.

Furthermore, I do accept Aetna insurance to help make therapy accessible to all different people, however I am not an in-network provider for other managed care health insurance companies. There are several explanations and rationales why I only accept insurance from Aetna and they are:

1. I have found that with managed care companies, it is all about volume. Patients in, and patients out. Whatever it takes to get the “customer” in and out as quickly as possible. Does this sound like therapy that will work? It doesn’t to me. Oftentimes, though not every time, therapy is a highly individualized and time intensive process.
2. Managed care is all about creating a system that allows therapists to reduce certain symptoms in a rapid manner. This is very similar to the concept in reason #1, which I am strongly against.
3. As already noted, therapy is a very unique and individual event. It is custom tailored to each person differently. When I consult with my patients, I base my recommendations on the specific nature of the troubles they are facing. Sometimes short-term care is the way to go. Other times it isn’t. My method is based solely off what is right for the individual and/or couple.
4. Managed care companies generally authorize a handful of therapy sessions each time. Even if your policy states that you are eligible for a few dozen sessions, these companies may cut you off without warning. The human mind still largely remains a mystery, and is very complex, specifically when it comes to our thought process. How do you think this type of uncertainty affects some people? In my opinion, it holds them back from opening up during therapy sessions. There is no point in therapy if you’re going to hold back. Speaking of which, sometimes people need (and yearn for) deeper self-exploration in a safe environment. I have found that managed care companies do not provide this type of environment.
5. I believe the therapy itself is adversely affected by the insecurity of managed care procedures. Most managed care companies only authorize about 5 to 10 sessions at a time. Even if the policy says you have 30 or more sessions covered, you can never really know if the next 5 sessions will be approved or if the treatment will be cut off at any minute.
6. These views of managed care companies are my own. I recognize that there are many good clinicians who choose to be ‘in-network’ service providers. Nevertheless, I believe working in such an environment would put my patients and myself at a significant disadvantage.

Fees

I would be happy to discuss my fees with you. Feel free to reach out anytime.

Credit Cards

I accept Visa and Mastercard.