A Guide to Paying for Therapy
Insurance or Private Pay: Which Fits You?
Most of our clients use insurance, and some choose to pay privately. Here is how each option works, so you can pick the one that fits your life and your budget.
How Insurance Works for Therapy
If your plan is in network with us, your insurance pays part of each session and you pay your share, often a copay or an amount toward your deductible. Our in-network plans include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare, Optum, Medicare, TRICARE and Curative.
Coverage is set by your plan, not by us, and it can differ by clinician. Before your first session, we can help you check your benefits so the bill is not a surprise. You can also call the number on the back of your card and ask about outpatient mental health benefits for telehealth.
To bill insurance, a clinician has to give a diagnosis. For many people that is no problem at all. For others it matters, and that is one reason some clients choose to pay privately.
Why Some People Choose Private Pay
Paying privately, also called self-pay, means you pay the session fee yourself and insurance is not involved. Some clients choose it because their plan is not one we take, because they want to keep therapy fully separate from their insurance record, or because they want a specific clinician who works outside insurance.
Tara Franklin, LPC, sees private-pay clients only and does not bill insurance. Clients who want her experience with veterans, including combat-related PTSD, and affirming care often decide that fit is worth paying for directly.
- No diagnosis is shared with an insurance company
- No limits from a plan on how many sessions you can have
- You can work with a clinician who does not take insurance
- A superbill is available on request if you want to ask your plan about out-of-network reimbursement
How Our Rates Work
Our session rates differ by the clinician's licensure. A Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), an LPC Associate and a Graduate Counselor Intern each have a different rate. Working with a supervised clinician can be a good way to start therapy at a lower cost.
Self-pay sessions start at $50 with a Graduate Counselor Intern, $100 with an LPC Associate, $150 with an LPC and $215 with an LPC-S. A sliding scale based on income is available, and our Rates and Insurance page lists every session length. If you need to cancel, please give us 24 to 48 hours of notice.
A Simple Way to Decide
If your plan is one we take and a diagnosis on file does not worry you, insurance is usually the lowest cost path. If your plan is not on our list, if privacy from your insurer matters to you, or if the clinician you want works private pay only, self-pay may fit better.
You do not have to figure it out alone. Tell us what plan you have and what matters most to you, and we will walk through your options together.
Sessions are by secure video for clients located in Texas. You need to be in Texas at the time of each session, whether you use insurance or pay privately.
Clinicians for This
Demetria FlowersLPC Associate, MAPractices under the supervision of a Licensed Professional Counselor-Supervisor (LPC-S).
Lyndsay DawsonLPC Associate, MAPractices under the supervision of a Licensed Professional Counselor-Supervisor (LPC-S).
Debbie VidanaGraduate Counselor InternPractices under the supervision of a Licensed Professional Counselor-Supervisor (LPC-S).
Common Questions
- Do you take my insurance?
- Our in-network plans include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare, Optum, Medicare, TRICARE and Curative. Coverage varies by plan and by clinician, so call or email us with your plan name and we will help you check.
- What is a superbill?
- A superbill is a detailed receipt for a session. Some plans reimburse part of the cost of out-of-network care when you send one in. We provide superbills on request, and your plan decides what, if anything, it pays back.
- Where can I see your rates?
- Our Rates and Insurance page lists every rate by licensure. Self-pay sessions start at $50 with a Graduate Counselor Intern, $100 with an LPC Associate, $150 with an LPC and $215 with an LPC-S, and a sliding scale based on income is available.
Ready to Begin?
Not sure which option fits? Call, text or email us with your plan name, and we will help you sort out the cost before you book.