If the cost of therapy seems to be out of reach, consider the following:

• Use pre-tax dollars as a part of a Health Saving Account (HSA) or Flexible Spending Account (FSA).
• Check with your employer or your spouse/partner’s employer to see if it has an Employee Assistance Program or EAP. An EAP is usually a part of an employee’s benefit package in which the employer pay for your sessions. It usually allows anywhere from 3-8 sessions.
• Speak with your tax professional about deducing therapy expenses from your taxes as an out-of-pocket expense.
• Sign up for low-cost therapy sessions with Open Path Psychotherapy Collective

Do you accept insurance?

I am an in network provider with Cigna, United Healthcare/Optum, Aetna, and Blue Cross/Blue Shield of North Carolina insurance companies. It is your responsibility to find out what your insurance company covers for mental health services as well as your co-payment amount prior to your first appointment. Fees for all services rendered (co-pays, etc) will need to be paid prior to beginning your session. I will file for payment with all insurance companies that I am an in-network provider.

If you have insurance that I don’t accept you will be required to pay in full for all services rendered. I will be happy to provide you a super bill that you may use to file for reimbursement for my services. Please note that I will be considered an out of network provider.

If you plan to seek reimbursement from your insurance company here are some questions you may want to ask an insurance representative prior to scheduling an appointment:

• Do my insurance benefits include coverage for out-of-network mental health services?
• Does my insurance cover online or telemental health counseling sessions?
• What is the out-of-network coverage amount per therapy session?
• Will I be required to pay a co-payment?
• Do I have a deductible? If so, what is it, and have I met it?
• Is there a limit to the number of sessions per year my plan covers?
• Do I need to get approval from my primary care provider in order for services to be covered?

Here are some points you need to know about if you choose to use your insurance benefits:

• You will be required to give consent for me to submit medical information and/or documentation about you to your insurance company. This may include a diagnosis, your treatment plan, and progress notes. Insurance companies require that I give you a diagnosis, which will be a part of your medical record thus seen by other health professionals.
• Insurance companies can determine the number of sessions (i.e. will only pay for 10 sessions), duration (i.e. will only pay for 30 minutes vs 50 minutes) and frequency (i.e one time a week) you are allowed to have for reimbursement.