Payment Options for therapy sessions

Self Pay:

Therapy sessions cost $100 per 45-50 minute session. Sessions can be paid for with cash, check, credit or debit cards.

HSA Cards:

HSA cards are an option to pay for therapy as it can be a medical expense. However, therapy is only a qualified medical expense if it's for the treatment of a diagnosed mental health condition, such as anxiety or depression. HSA cards can not be used for self improvement therapy.

Out-of-Network Insurance Reimbursement:

Although we don’t bill insurance directly, many clients still use their out-of-network benefits. Here’s how:

1. Pay your therapist at the time of service.

2. Request a “superbill” from us — a document detailing services rendered.

3. Submit the superbill to your insurance provider via their claims portal or mail.

4. Wait for reimbursement, if eligible.

We believe that investing in counseling is investing in your long-term well-being. In fact, we frequently see that clients who make a personal financial commitment to therapy tend to engage more deeply and make faster progress toward their goals.

1. Privacy and Confidentiality

When a third party is paying for your services, they may request access to your private information. This means someone who is not treating you personally, or may not even be a mental health professional, may review your documents to determine if they will be financially covering your appointments. By being private pay, we do not share your confidential information with anyone unless you sign off that you would like us to do so. We believe the fewer people who have access to your private information, the better. In addition, by not billing with insurance, there is no chance your information will be compromised if an insurance online breach occurs in their system. 

Speaking of your private information, while in treatment using insurance all clients are given given a diagnosis. But when billing with insurance, they make the decision if your diagnosis is severe enough for them to cover the sessions. Unfortunately, this can cause therapists to feel the need to over diagnose to help clients gain access to treatment. Think of this as when you go to the medical doctor, you need a diagnosis of a pulled muscle to get PT services. In the same way, the insurance company wants to see that you are anxious enough or depressed enough to pay for treatment. Also, you may not want to have a diagnosis label and using insurance requires this.

We take a different approach. We treat clients based on the symptoms and diagnoses that meet specific criteria. We do not feel the pressure to over diagnose or to finish treatment sooner than we think is necessary. We can offer the evidence-based services that we think are best for you in the time frame that is recommended by science, and not a third-party payor.

By avoiding insurance, your personal health information isn’t shared with third parties, making therapy a more private and secure space — especially important if you or a family member needs a background check for careers like aviation or the military. Or, if your child is in therapy and is not sure yet what they want to do with their career. It is best to stay as confidential as possible, giving you control of your treatment and not the insurance company.

2. Tailored, Collaborative Treatment

Along with your diagnosis dictating treatment, insurance plans determine how many sessions you can have, how long they last, and what “type” of therapy is allowed. Insurance wants to save money by only covering as many sessions as they believe are necessary to fix your anxiety or depression, as if it is a one-size-fits-all. 

At Focused Counseling Services, we believe that your treatment plan should be decided by you and your therapist — not a billing department. Through a thorough intake process and ongoing treatment services, we understand you and your personal needs. We treat those symptoms specifically, regardless of what a third party would recommend. Private-pay gives us the freedom to offer the care that truly fits your needs.

3. Greater Flexibility for Specialized Needs

We serve individuals, children, and others — and not all treatment fits into insurance codes. For example, insurance often does not cover couples counseling per se, but does cover family therapy. Unfortunately, insurance often pays a higher rate to providers who see an individual for therapy over a family or couple. Thus, therapists often see one person of the family unit or couple as the “identified client” and the other people in the room as those supporting the identified client by attending the session. Therefore, oftentimes one partner is diagnosed with a mental health disorder severe enough to justify treatment. This forces many therapists to “label” a client unnecessarily, misrepresenting the true purpose of relationship work. This can cause many problems, especially if the couple were to go through a divorce or records were to be requested. This puts one member of the couple in a very different situation from the other. 

By staying out-of-network, we can treat both partners equally and ethically. We believe the couple is the client and not one member of the couple. We are fighting for your relationships as a unit.

By choosing to be private pay, we focus on the client instead of the paperwork behind insurance billing. This allows us to put our resources into caring for you rather than a third party. You will recognize this when you call, as we get back to you quickly. We are surprised how often we call a potential client back who says they are surprised to get a call. Sadly, some practices are so bogged down with insurance paperwork and billing that they cannot get back to clients in a timely manner. 

4. Simplified Billing and Clear Costs

With insurance, you may face co-pays, deductibles, pre-authorizations, and surprise denials. Unfortunately, this might mean ending treatment too early due to insurance refusing further sessions. Our approach is simple: transparent rates, upfront costs, and clear communication.