My usual fee for individual and couple therapy is $120 per session. I reserve some of my time for people with lower household incomes and charge reduced fees for these clients.
Insurance
In an effort to make therapy affordable for more people, I currently accept the following kinds of health insurance for therapy sessions:
- Blue Cross Blue Shield (PPO and HMO)
- Boston Medical Center Health Net
- Fallon Community Health Plan
- Neighborhood Health Plan
I am also an out-of-network provider for other insurance companies. This means that you would need to find out from your health insurance company whether they will reimburse you for the cost of therapy sessions. I will provide you with the necessary paperwork to submit to your insurance company for reimbursement.
I do advise clients to carefully consider whether they want to use their health insurance to pay for therapy. Involving your health insurance company means that they have access to some of your very personal information, including diagnosis, suicidality, and substance abuse history. Some insurance companies require detailed information about your progress in therapy and about the issues you are currently discussing. Their use of your information will not be fully in your control (or mine) and could result in future difficulty (trouble getting life insurance, for example). I will not be communicating anything to your health insurance company that I have not communicated to you, but it would be wise to think about whether you want your insurance company so intimately involved with your mental health care. You absolutely do have the right to have your health insurance pay for therapy sessions when therapy is considered to be a “medical necessity.” And, of course, many people do use their health insurance for psychotherapy and don’t experience problems. I just want my clients to make an informed choice about what to do.
