How do I pay for therapy?

So often these days when people phone for information about psychotherapy, this is among their first questions.  The good news is that psychological services are usually covered by your medical insurance.  In fact, various State and Federal laws require certain coverages in most policies.  Typically your cost for a visit is similar to your cost of seeing your primary care physician.  Note that psychological services can be scaled to meet your specific needs and concerns, and when financial needs warrant, “sliding fee scales” often are available.

Psychologists do not try to sell you "endless therapy," as some might think.  They focus on specific concerns with focused interventions to help you and your family begin a positive cycle of change.  That said, it is useful to discuss any questions about payment for services prior to beginning therapy to avoid any misunderstandings.  Incidentally, when it comes to medical insurance coverage of psychological services, your out-of-pocket payment (your “copay” or sometimes “deductible”) is generally the same for seeing a doctoral level psychologist as it would be for seeing a lesser trained social worker, mental health counselor, or other non-doctoral counselor.