Fees
Can you afford psychotherapy? Yes you can! In most cases, your insurance will pay part of the cost of psychotherapy. I also have a discount option for those who pay out of pocket. And after our work is established, it is possible to work on an every other week basis.
If the mental health benefits of your insurance policy give you “out of network” benefits, you are entitled to see any licensed clinical psychologist that you choose. I am not a provider on any managed-care panels except for Medicare. I accept payment up front at the time of the session. At the same time, I will give you a completed claim form that you can send to your insurance company for reimbursement. You will be reimbursed by the insurance company usually within 3 to 4 weeks. You may not use your insurance benefits for wellness coaching.
For those who find it difficult to pay up front before they start being reimbursed by their insurance company, I can arrange a flexible payment plan for you. Give me a call to discuss this option at 703 978-0471.
What will the insurance company pay? When you call to find out your benefits for outpatient psychotherapy, you will be told what your deductible is, how much of your deductible has been met, how many visits you have in a calendar year (find out when the year begins) and what percentage of the “usual and customary receivable” (UCR) or “allowed charges” they will pay. The frustrating part is that the insurance company will not tell you what the UCR is and you will not find out until you receive your first reimbursement. However, I can often be a good source of information on this as many insurance companies have standard policies. Again, give me a call to see if I can be of help here.
Medicare: If you have Medicare, I will submit your claims for you. Medicare usually pays 50% of the allowable which is currently $101.61. If you have a supplemental policy, the other 50% of the allowable will usually be covered and you will not have any out of pocket expenses.
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to make an appointment or call 703-978-0471 or E-Mail Me.
Privacy and Managed Care
A note to the insured about privacy and managed care: The best way to insure the confidentiality and privacy of your psychotherapy is pay out of pocket rather than using your insurance. But when you do use insurance, the best option is to use indemnity insurance or your "out of network benefits." Under these circumstances, the provider needs only to send a diagnosis code on the claim form. The diagnosis for most people is depression or anxiety. This information is not very revealing personally and shouldn't cause much embarrassment should the information become available to a third party.Managed care is another story. The information required by managed care companies is quite extensive. It includes not only the diagnosis, but a description of what brought the "patient" to therapy, prior psychiatric history, a list of symptoms and a list of treatment goals and procedures. In other words, there is nothing that is confidential and neither the therapist nor the patient has any control over where that information may end up. I feel strongly that this is not in the best interests of my clients and I am no longer on any managed care panels with the exception of Medicare as noted previously. For a good discussion of this issue, go to therapynetwork.net and read the "payment options" section of "Therapy Information."
Fees:
I accept payment at the time of the session in cash, check or credit card. Most insurance plans will cover the majority of the costs of psychotherapy. At the time of the session, I will give you a completed claim form to send to your insurance company for reimbursement. Reimbursement is usually within three weeks. My fees are as follows:
| Individual Psychotherapy |
$140.00 | 50 minutes |
| Couple or family counseling: | $155.00 |
50 minutes |
| Initial Intake Session: Individual |
$175.00 | 1 hour 20 minutes |
| Initial Intake session: Couple or Family |
$210.00 |
1 hour 20 minutes |
Springfield/Burke Area
Near the King's Park Shopping Center
703 978-0471
8996 Burke Lake Road, Suite 201
Burke, Virginia 22015
