You may already know that insurance companies need some work. There are many issues that come up for a therapist to take insurance such as low repayment rates, taking months to send payment for services, long wait times, refusal to pay, high requirements for diagnosis and access to protected mental health records. At our practice, we practice the belief that not everyone needs the same things and have pride in providing an individualized service. This allows us to flourish in our specialties without fear of or catering to an outside entity such as an insurance company. If you prefer to go through insurance, there are a couple options.

Ask your insurance company for a list of approved providers and send it to me. I would be happy to look it over and help you narrow down the search for a quality provider that may meet your needs.

Ask your therapist for a Superbill and let your provider know at the beginging of service you will be needing this. You can submit this document for possible reimbursement from your insurance company. Keep in mind, this means you will need a diagnosis.

My fee for each 50 minute session is $200. There is so much that goes into a fee being set. Of course, the current economy, inflation and personal financial needs of the therapist, and caseload size are included. In addition, therapists go through a decade of schooling, training and internships that take a lof of time and money. Therapists are also expected to stay up to date with required trainings, laws and regulations for providing treatment in California. For me, setting my fee at $200 allows me to keep my caseload at 12-15 clients, staying fresh and happy thus preventing burnout and being available for training and research that helps provide excellent care.

Parent involvement is invaluable to the treatment process of a child. This may look different depending on the age of the child and the current status of the parent/child relationship. Typically, parents attend the first meeting as I am gathering background and history information to make a quality assessment of the child or family’s needs. After that, I will spend a few sessions with the youth to build rapport develop trust. From there, I typically invite parents into a session or schedule a serperate session to review progress, discuss goals and share strategies for supporting them at home. Parent sessions without the child are also valuable to get support for your parenting needs and get more directed support. Confidentiality is also important and that will be discussed in that first session.

As stated above, insurance companies often require a diagnosis, so if you plan to seek reimbursement make sure your provider is aware so they can make an appropriate diagnosis if there is one. It is not always medically necessary or appropriate to assign a diagnosis. For example, a teen may be experiencing a period of sadness or “feeling depressed”, but may not qualify for Major Depressive Disorder. There may be other times where having a specific diagnosis helps lead the therapist to a specific framework for treatment that is vital to the client’s success. Any thoughts of diagnosis or prognosis of treatment will be discussed with both parent and child.