Appointment scheduling
Fee payment
Insurance billing & reimbursement
Cancellations & No shows
Appointment scheduling
Most providers charge you for no-shows, late cancellations and regularly scheduled appointments. They have a commitment to be there, ready and willing to help you. You have a commitment to be there, ready and willing to work.
Individual sessions are 45 to 60 minutes. Often couples & family sessions are 90 to 120 minutes.
Fee payment
They will expect you to pay your share of the fee at the beginning or end of each session. A few therapists will ask you to pay monthly, usually in advance, sometimes in arrears.
Fees vary from about $90 to $150 per session based on location, provider expertise, type of provider and experience. As with anything else, you generally get what you pay for.
While therapists are concerned about your well-being and care about you, it is unrealistic to expect them not to charge you or to charge you less because you are a sister or brother. In order to be available to you and provide a safe and pleasant office, therapists must be "business conscious".
Let your therapist know if you are truly having financial difficulty. Don't just stop going, out of embarrassment or frustration. Your therapist knows that your problems may affect your financial habits. She or he may have ideas on other ways that you can handle payment.
Some providers will charge reduced fees in certain situations. If you are on a limited income, you might ask if you qualify, if your provider has such a plan.
If you find yourself frittering away the money you put aside for your session fee, confront the part of yourself that is sabotaging your progress. Find the part of you that is determined to live better and put her or him in charge of bringing you to your session with the right money.
Insurance billing & reimbursement
Be aware that what your insurance company tells you a therapist should charge and what the therapist charges are two different matters. The therapist is usually an independent provider who sets fees based on their experience, expenses and judgment.
Insurance companies are businesses that pay fees based on
their enrollees' needs, their own financial goals, and their estimation of what the
insured parties will allow. They do not employ therapists. They are financial
businesses. We are care providers.
In some situations, therapists may have signed a contract to provide the insurance
companies' enrollees with reduced cost services. Your agreement with the provider
determines your fee.
Some providers are willing and able to bill your insurance for part of the fee and collect from you for the balance. Others don't get involved at all in insurance reimbursement, but will give you a statement that you can bill your insurance company with.
Insurance companies don't guarantee providers the amount they will actually pay. Often we don't find out until the claim is actually paid.
Billing insurance companies for client sessions is fraught with surprises, delays, inaccuracies and loss. If a provider does not accept insurance, it may mean that they are not willing or able to provide the clerical work and telephone persistence required to get paid fairly.
For simple problems, many employers have employee assistance plans that provide telephone or in-person counseling to help you resolve a crisis.
Cancellations & No shows
Therapists cannot schedule like doctors and dentists. We know exactly how long we can spend with you. We set aside that entire time just for you. If you cancel or don't come in, we cannot use that time for another person and you are therefore held responsible for it. We know that people get scared about coming in, but we have to work on an appointment basis.
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