What About Using My Insurance?

The cost of therapy is understandably a concern for many people and insurance can be one way to help make therapy more affordable. Having said this, I encourage you to think carefully about whether you are comfortable using your insurance for therapy services.

If you work directly with a therapist who accepts your insurance, your therapist may be required to share confidential information about your work together, including notes about your treatment and other documentation that the insurance company may require to confirm that the work you are doing with your therapist is “medically necessary” and that treatment goals are being set and met. Since insurance companies are interested in ensuring that treatments, whether medical or otherwise, are completed as quickly as possible, your insurance company may only pay for a limited number of sessions or may only pay for forms of treatment that may not be right for you. If you are coming to therapy to learn more about yourself or for some other reason that is not an “official” diagnosis, your insurance company will likely determine that therapy is not “medically necessary” for your situation. There is also the risk that a diagnosis may be seen as a preexisting condition and could limit your ability to obtain health insurance in the future, or may have an impact on the cost of your health insurance.

If you opt to work with a therapist who does not accept your insurance and would like to receive reimbursement for out of network services, your insurance company will likely require that your therapist provide what is commonly called a “superbill,” which is essentially a receipt for services provided. Superbills contain a diagnosis which will become a part of your medical history. In addition, please be aware that insurance companies are increasingly asking out of network therapists to turn over confidential documentation before they will issue payment. You and I do not have control over how the insurance company may use that information.

Please do not let the cost of therapy keep you from obtaining services! While I do my best to keep my fees as manageable as possible, there are other options for obtaining affordable therapy. Schools and agencies that train psychotherapists often have their own sliding scale clinics. While the therapist you will be assigned to is likely a pre-licensed professional, the best schools and training centers have rigorous interviewing processes, training, and supervision. Some Bay Area places that offer solid training and excellent supervision for pre-licensed therapists include The Psychotherapy Institute in Berkeley and Access Counseling in San Francisco.

Please check with your plan administrator to make sure that you are able to obtain reimbursement for out-of-network providers.

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