FAQ
What are some reasons people might want to COME TO NEW WAY COUNSELING?
If you think your life is some degree of unpleasant yet you might need to do some work to change, all while being able to laugh (whether it’s gallows humor or not), then you will love working with me. I provide a lot of space for you to process and get out of your head. I’m really quite good at making people feel heard and validated but also providing useful feedback and insight into your circumstances. Sometimes you’ll be blown away, other times it will just be a good reminder of what you kind of already knew but are working on. Then we work together to figure out how to do your next week/obstacle/fear/event in a way you feel good about.
How long is a therapy session?
Therapy sessions are typically 45-55 minutes in length (depending on client needs and therapy type). Occasionally, and as scheduling permits, clients will book a double session of 90 minutes for EMDR, couples work, or if they are experiencing a crisis or acute stress in their lives that week.
What can I expect from THERAPY?
There are many different types of therapies and many different types of therapists. Typically, our counseling approach is longer term (20-30 sessions), deep diving, and addressing major emotional or traumatic pieces of your story. When you’ve emotionally stabilized, we move to every other week sessions for a month to see if you can maintain your progress and skills. Typically clients have done a lot of work and are able to stop therapy at this point. We encourage re-engagement when you start to notice that stability has significantly lessened and you can’t seem to use your skills to make a big enough impact.
How do i pay for therapy?
Cash, credit card (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover), or personal check. Private/self pay clients will pay between $165-$200 per session depending on length/type of session. All clients who do not utilize insurance for their treatment are entitled to a “Good Faith Estimate” for the length and cost of your treatment. This will be discussed at your first session and is available at any time during treatment. If you’re wanting to use insurance, see the next question for more details.
How Does Insurance work?
Insurance is complicated. We suggest that you verify your insurance mental health benefits prior to our first session to understand exactly what your coverage is. You may have a deductible, a co-pay, or co-insurance you are responsible for paying. Call the number on the back of your insurance card and ask about your “outpatient mental health benefits”.
We accept Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS), Aetna, United/Optum, and TRICARE. We work with other insurance companies as an out-of-network provider. If you would like to use your out-of-network benefits, a receipt will be provided to you to submit to your insurance provider. Please check with your insurance provider to confirm your eligibility for out of network benefits.
Does Insurance Cover Couples Counseling?
Even trickier than insurance in general is couples insurance coverage. The quick answer is not for basic skills/relationship maintenance. Most insurance companies do not see marital/couple issues as medically necessary. Therefore, insurance rarely pays for couples therapy. Insurance reimburses for individual diagnoses that are medically necessary (causing enough impairment in functioning to require treatment for at least one person). I recommend verifying your insurance benefits prior to therapy and we can determine how payment will work from there.