Self-Pay Services & Investment
individual therapy
50-55 minute Session: $170
80-85 minute Session: $200
couples or polycule therapy
50-55 minute Session:
$200 (couple)
$250 (more than one partner)
80-85 minute Session:
$250 (couple)
$300 (more than one partner)
group work
Customized length & pricing to fit the scope/needs of the group
**Payment is made at the time of service via cash, check, credit card, debit card, Health Savings Accounts (HSA), or Flexible Spending Account (FSA).
Information on Self-Pay vs. Insurance
• I can offer longer and/or more frequent sessions, depending on what is in the best interest of my client(s). Insurance companies often do not allow for more than one session per week, unless need is specifically proven & outlined in client’s chart.
•Some insurance companies have a limit on the amount of sessions a client can have over the course of treatment. By paying out-of-pocket, the client and therapist can collaborate on how long the course of therapy might be.
•Insurance companies require a diagnosis in order to cover an individual’s therapy sessions. While diagnoses can be helpful in conceptualizing one’s experience, they are not always necessary. With self-pay, if you do not meet any diagnosis criteria, you don’t need a diagnosis. However, if you do meet criteria for a diagnosis, we will have a conversation about it, as I believe it is important for you to feel agency over any label.
•Self-pay allows for greater confidentiality (aka more privacy), as any diagnoses, treatment plan, and/or progress notes are for your benefit alone, not for insurance companies.
•Paying out-of-pocket avoids the mess that is deductibles, co-pays, paperwork, and pre-approvals. You know what and who you are paying for, what you owe, and what to monetarily plan for when it comes to your mental health treatment.
•From the perspective of living wages, you are paying an ethical wage to a highly-trained and skilled mental health professional, who has spent several years and many, many more unpaid hours learning and practicing to earn their graduate degree, and thousands of hours more of post-graduate work. Self-paying your therapist ensures they are being paid appropriately for the work they do.
An investment in you…
We humans spend a lot of time and money investing in our physical health & wellness. We go to doctors, join health clubs, see the hairdresser - all good things! But we often neglect our mental health, and until very recently, our society hasn’t valued mental wellness as much as it has valued (and still does) “grind culture”.
Taking the leap by investing in your mental health is huge, and it will change your life if you do it right. That means showing up to sessions consistently, prepping yourself to get a bit uncomfortable, and trusting that I am there in our sessions to offer insights, challenge, and validate so that you can grow. That also means our partnership will get stronger, and you will make quicker progress towards your therapeutic goals.
Policies
•Payment is due at time of service.
•If you must cancel, a 24 hour notification is required or you will be charged half the appointment fee.
•No-shows will be charged the entire cost of the full missed session.
•Late payments will be subject to an additional $25 fee.
•In the event you are late to an appointment, I will wait 15 minutes before closing the appointment.
“No Surprises Act”
The No Surprises Act aims to increase price transparency and reduce the likelihood that clients receive a “surprise” medical bill by requiring that providers inform clients of an expected charge for a service before the service is provided. Starting January 1, 2023, behavioral health care providers have been required by law to give uninsured and self-pay clients a Good Faith Estimate of costs for services when scheduling care or when the client requests an estimate (whichever occurs 1st).
Prior to the implementation of the No Surprises Act, all psychotherapists already had/have an ethical obligation to provide advance notice of costs and fees for every patient. The No Surprises Act builds off of that and asks the private practice practitioner to provide further formal disclosures of anticipated fees.
All Archipelago Counseling, LLC clients will receive a Right to Receive a Good Faith Estimate Information Summary, outlining additional detail when establishing services.