Frequently Asked Questions
How long will the process take?
Some clients need only a few counseling sessions to achieve insight and their goals; others may require months or even years of counseling. As the client, you are in complete control and may end our counseling relationship at any time. When you are ready to leave therapy, all you must do is give me advance notice. I may ask that you participate in a termination session for the purpose of reviewing our work together and creating a positive ending.
How much does each counseling session cost?
My current fee for a clinical hour (55 minutes) is $150.00. All session fees are pro-rated based on this pricing. Therefore a 75-minute session is $205 and a 90-minute session is $245. Group counseling is $65.00 per client, per 50-minute group session.
My limited number of reduced rate or sliding scale slots are offered between $115-$145 per session depending on what best fits your circumstances.
Will my health insurance cover therapy?
For clients located in North Carolina, I am an in-network provider for the following insurance companies: Aetna, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Cigna, and United Healthcare.
I am also an authorized out-of-network provider with Humana Tricare East and can see Tricare clients who reside in either North Carolina or Texas. Please reach out to me to learn more about this process.
For Texas clients, I am an out-of-network provider, meaning I am not on any insurance company panels and I do not accept direct payments from insurance. However, I can provide you with paperwork (“Superbills”) that you may submit for insurance reimbursement. I will not file that paperwork for you. If you plan to file for insurance reimbursement of your session fees with me, I encourage you to contact your insurance ahead of time to confirm your out-of-network benefits including your deductible and copayment costs.
You should be aware that, in the process of filing for a third-party payment, your contract with your health insurance company may require that I provide additional clinical information such as treatment plans or summaries, a diagnosis, or copies of your entire clinical record. This information will become part of the insurance company’s files and will probably be stored in a computer. Though all insurance companies claim to keep such information confidential, I have no control over what they do with it once it is in their hands. In such situations, I will make every effort to release only the minimum information about you that is necessary for the purpose requested.
If you prefer to use a provider who is in-network with your insurance plan, I can refer you to other counselors who accept your insurance.
What do I need to know about the use of diagnosis?
If you utilize your "in-network" benefits or file for “out-of-network” benefits with your insurance company, please know that most insurances require a diagnosis of a mental health “illness” before they will reimburse you. Some conditions for which people seek counseling do not qualify for reimbursement. If a qualifying diagnosis is appropriate in your case, I will discuss it with you. Any diagnosis made will become a part of your permanent insurance records.
Diagnoses are technical terms that describe the nature of your problems and something about whether they are short-term or long-term problems. All of the diagnoses come from a book entitled the DSM-5, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, a classification and diagnostic tool by the American Psychiatric Association (APA), or from the ICD-10, the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems 10th Revision, published by the World Health Organization. I have a copy of the DSM-5 in my office and will be happy to review it with you, to help you learn more about your diagnosis. I also can direct you to the online version of the ICD-10. Any diagnosis made will become part of your permanent insurance records.
Diagnosis, treatment planning, and all other documentation become a confidential part of the client’s medical record.
How do I schedule an appointment?
I provide a brief, 15-minute consultation free of charge in order to learn a little about you and why you are seeking counseling. This is also a great time to see if we might be a good fit for therapy. No single therapist is the best for every client or every issue. If you do not feel I am the right fit for you, or if my professional opinion is that I am not the right therapist for you, I will provide you with referrals for other counselors.
In order to book your initial consultation, feel free to email, call, or use my online scheduling system (when activated).
If after our initial consultation we decided it is a good fit, we will discuss our schedules to find a mutually agreeable time to meet for our first intake session.