An Investment in Your Most Authentic Self
Quality, Specialized Care Without the Constraints of Insurance.
Why I choose to protect your care by staying out-of-network.
1. The Privacy & Records Problem
The Insurance Reality: To use insurance, a therapist must provide a clinical diagnosis. This diagnosis becomes part of your permanent medical record. This "paper trail" can be accessed during background checks for certain high-security jobs, the military, or when applying for private life/disability insurance (where it can lead to higher premiums or denials).
The Private Pay Benefit: Total Confidentiality. Your records stay in a locked cabinet or secure server within my office. No one—not your employer, the government, or a claims adjuster—knows you are in therapy unless you explicitly authorize them to know.
2. The "Medical Necessity" Trap
The Insurance Reality: Insurance only pays for what they deem "medically necessary." This means you must have a "disorder" that is severe enough to impair your daily functioning.
The Private Pay Benefit: Therapy for Human Experiences. You deserve support for grief, life transitions, personal growth, relationship stress, or self-discovery—even if you don't meet the "medical" criteria for a mental illness. Private pay allows us to focus on your wellness, not just a "sickness."
3. The Clawback Risk (The "Hidden Debt")
The Insurance Reality: Insurance companies can perform "retroactive audits" months or even years after a session. If they decide your notes weren't "detailed enough" or that you "didn't need" therapy that month, they can "claw back" the money they already paid the therapist.
The Consumer Impact: Most insurance contracts allow the therapist to then bill the client for that clawed-back amount. This can result in a surprise bill for thousands of dollars for sessions you thought were settled years ago.
The Private Pay Benefit: Financial Finality. Once you pay for your session, that transaction is closed. There are no surprise bills or "look-back" audits three years down the road.
4. Loss of Clinical Autonomy (The "Ghost" in the Room)
The Insurance Reality: An insurance company employee (who has never met you) often decides how many sessions you "need" and what kind of therapy I am "allowed" to use. If they decide you should be "better" in 8 sessions, they simply stop paying.
The Private Pay Benefit: You are the Boss. We decide the frequency, the duration, and the style of therapy together. Your treatment is dictated by your progress and your goals, not by a corporate profit margin.
5. The "Diagnosis" Dilemma
The Insurance Reality: If a therapist can't find a diagnosis that "fits," they are often forced to choose a "placeholder" diagnosis just to get the session covered. This can lead to "over-diagnosing" or labeling someone with a condition they don't truly have just to satisfy the system.
The Private Pay Benefit: Labels are Optional. We focus on your narrative and your soul, not a code from a billing manual. This is especially vital for neurodivergent (ADHD/Autism) clients who may be seeking support for navigation of a neurotypical world rather than "treatment" for a "disorder."
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How to Use Out-of-Network Insurance Benefits for Therapy
A "Superbill" is the key to making out-of-network therapy more affordable. It effectively acts as a bridge between my private practice and your insurance provider, allowing you to advocate for your own reimbursement.
Here is a breakdown of how it works and exactly how to navigate the process.
What is a Superbill?
A superbill is more than just a receipt. It is a specialized, itemized document that contains specific "medical language" (codes) that insurance companies require to process a claim. Even though I am not in-network, your insurance may still cover a significant portion of our work—often 50% to 80%—once you provide them with this document.
Every superbill I provide includes:
ICD-10 Diagnosis Code: A standard code representing the focus of our clinical work.
CPT Procedure Code: A code describing the type and length of our session (e.g., 90837 for a 53-minute session)
Provider Information: My NPI number, Tax ID, and professional license.
Proof of Payment: Confirmation that you have paid the fee in full.
Your Step-by-Step Guide to Reimbursement
1. Verify Your "Out-of-Network" Benefits
Before our first session, call the member services number on the back of your insurance card. Ask these specific questions:
"Does my plan provide Out-of-Network (OON) benefits for outpatient mental health?"
"What is my Out-of-Network deductible, and have I met it yet?"
"What is the 'Allowed Amount' for CPT code 90834 and 90837? (Insurance companies often cap what they think a session should cost, and they reimburse a percentage of that number, not my full fee)."
2. Pay for the Session
In a private-pay model, you pay for the session at the time of service. This ensures that I can focus entirely on your care rather than fighting with insurance claims departments.
3. Receive Your Superbill
I typically provide superbills on a monthly basis. You can download these directly from your secure client portal. They are provided as PDFs to ensure they meet insurance security standards.
4. Submit the Claim
Most insurance companies now make this very easy. You can usually submit your superbill in one of three ways:
Member Portal: Log in to your insurance website and look for "Submit a Claim." You simply upload the PDF.
Mobile App: Many modern insurers (like Premera, Regence, or Aetna) allow you to take a photo of the superbill and submit it via their app.
Third-Party Apps: Services like Reimbursify or Mentaya are designed specifically to handle this paperwork for you for a small fee.
5. Receive Your Reimbursement
If your claim is approved, the insurance company will mail a check directly to you (or deposit it into your account). This process usually takes 2–4 weeks.
Note on the "Deductible": If you have a $1,000 out-of-network deductible, you must pay $1,000 toward OON providers before they start sending you reimbursement checks. However, you should still submit your superbills immediately, as they count toward meeting that deductible for the year.
Clear Pricing to Help You Plan for Your Journey to Healing
Simple Transparent Fee Structure
Individual Psychotherapy Sessions
45-Minute Session: $235 (first 2 intake sessions $255)
53-Minute Session: $255 (first 2 intake sessions $280)
Individual Supervision Sessions or Case Consultations for Licensed and Associate Therapists
53-Minute Session: $180
Assessments
ADHD: $1,200
Personality Disorders: $1,200
PTSD/c-PTSD: $1,200
Mood/Anxiety Disorders: $1,200
ASD: $2,200
