FEES AND ATTENDANCE POLICIES
INSURANCE
I’m a licensed professional counselor supervisor and licensed professional counselor in the state of Texas. This means I am fully credentialed as an out-of-nework provider for most insurance plans. I have chosen not to take insurance directly for a number of reasons.
The Insurance Industry has gained so much power and influence that its primary interest is to make money and not in providing the best quality of patient care.
In order to rationalize denial of or limit of care, they have become intrusive into the privacy of the therapy process, often requiring detailed notes on clients be sent to them.
They do not always adequately safeguard client confidentiality.
Using your Out-of-Network benefits can be a better options for you as a consumer both financially and in protecting your confidentiality. You need to contact your insurance company and ask specifically about your Out-of-Network benefits for therapy with an LPC. Then I will be happy to help you devise a plan so that you can maximize your potential benefits while still seeking the quality of care of a professional with over 15 years of experience in psychotherapy work, and 20 years of experience in Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy.
FEES
A free initial telephone or zoom consultation for 15-20 minutes can be arranged. Anything longer than this period of time is in the category of a therapy session and will involve a feee. I would be happy to answer any questions you might have about my training and approach to therapy, as well as give you an opportunity to get a feel about who I am as a person.
My fee for a 45-50 minute therapy session is $275. I also provide a limited sliding scale based on your individual/family income, for a limited number of clients. Clients will need to provide me with a financial statement of yearly income to be eligible for consideration of a sliding scale fee. Fees will be negotiated prior to your attending a first session. At this time my sliding scale spots are full and the waitlist is currently closed. You are welcome to alert me to interest in therapy groups where we can reduce the cost of weekly therapy significantly ($100 per 90 minute therapy group).
ATTENDANCE AND CANCELLATION POLICY
In the field of psychotherapy we used to have big arguments over which treatment theories were the most effective. Over time, what the research concluded was that the majority of theories could be effective, the important factor was the relationship that developed between clients and therapists.
With weekly appointments we still only have 50 minutes to build an effective therapeutic relationship, thus consistent attendance is essential for good outcomes. This may seem obvious, but in the press of daily life, with all the demands on peoples time, the importance of weekly attendance may get lost.
My cancellation policy is designed to strike a balance between the importance of consistent and regular therapy sessions, and the reality that sometimes unavoidable things come up.
You must cancel or reschedule your sessions 48 business hours in advance or I have to charge you for the missed session. This means if your session is at 11am on a Monday, you would need to let me know your cancellation needs by 11am on the Thursday before.
If you have been provided a routine appointment time, you are entitled to one missed appointment every 6 months without being charged a cancellation fee. A routine appointment on my schedule is a weekly or bi-weekly appointment, but not a monthly appointment.
While the occurrence is rare, If in the case of an emergency or a life event, I have to miss an appointment with you, I will give you the options of crediting you a coupon for a future appointment or missed session if you are on the routine schedule.
MISSING SESSIONS FOR SICKNESS, COVID SYMPTOMS OR OTHER ILLNESSES
If you are considering coming to a session in my office and are experiencing Covid symptoms, I ask that you talk with me about this. We will move your session to Zoom, reschedule it, or handle this issue on a case by case basis. I do not want my cancellation policy to put you in the position of interacting with me in my office with symptoms that may be contagious.