Common Questions About Therapy

Contrary to popular belief, therapy is not laying on a couch recounting your dreams. In therapy sessions, we will address your primary areas of concern or areas in your life in which you are feeling “stuck”. We may discuss your personal history relevant to your issue, and your current relationships or current events in your life.

Therapy can be helpful in a variety of ways. As a non-judgmental, unbiased party, your therapist at The Counseling Collective can offer you new perspectives or possible solutions to your problems. Reserving time to self-reflect can help you overcome roadblocks. Therapy is most helpful if you are an active participant, meaning your therapist may ask you to pay attention to certain behaviors, keep a journal, or try to implement new strategies. If you are ready to make positive changes in your life, therapy can help.

In order to use insurance benefits, we would need to let the insurance company know about your mental health. Sometimes, clients do not want their mental health on their medical record and want to take more control over their treatment. Self paying for sessions allows us more freedom to address what you really want to work on, since services such as business consulting, couples therapy, premarital counseling, and career counseling are typically only offered as self pay services. Not using your insurance increases your privacy by minimizing your exposure of personal health information. You might also have HSA funds from your employer you can use for therapy sessions to offset the cost. If you’d like to better understand your options for self paying, please contact our office.

As of January 1, 2022, self-pay clients are entitled to a Good Faith Estimate (connected to The No Surprises Act – Title 45, section 149.610 of the Code of Federal Regulations). The purpose of this document is to explain expected costs of service and help clients avoid unexpected medical bills.

Notice regarding Good Faith Estimates:

Under the law, health care providers need to give clients who do not have insurance or who are not using insurance and are opting to self pay an estimate of the expected charges for medical services, including psychotherapy services. You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate for the total expected cost of any non-emergency healthcare services, including psychotherapy services. You can ask your provider for a Good Faith Estimate before you schedule a service, or at any time during treatment. If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more than your Good Faith Estimate, you can dispute the bill. Make sure to save a copy or picture of your Good Faith Estimate. For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, or how to dispute a bill, see your Estimate, or visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises.

Read a helpful blog addressing this question here, or watch the video here.

Each client's needs and goals are different and so we leave that up to you and your therapist to discuss at your visit. Most often, weekly sessions are suggested, at least initially. Once you discuss this with your therapist, our secure client portal makes it easy for you to schedule your future appointments.

Yes, your therapist will not disclose any information discussed without your written permission, except in some certain circumstances. Your therapist is a mandated reporter, meaning we must report incidences of suspected child abuse. Additionally, if we have reason to believe that you will harm yourself or others immediately, we must break confidentiality in an effort to maintain everyone’s safety.

The Counseling Collective does accept some insurances and Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs), and we would recommend calling your insurance provider initially to determine if you have mental health coverage. Check your coverage carefully. We can also assist you with this, as insurance can sometimes be tricky to understand.  Some helpful questions you can ask them:

What are my mental health benefits? Do I have a copay or must I reach a deductible?

How many therapy sessions does my plan cover per year?

Is prior approval required from my primary care physician?

Is The Counseling Collective considered in-network?

Does my insurance pay for an out-of-network provider, and if so, what out of network benefits do I have?