At Brentwood Counseling Associates, our per-session fee ranges from $125-$160. We want to make therapy accessible, however, so should the cost be prohibitive, a reduced fee is sometimes available. You may discuss this with your therapist individually during the initial session.
Many clients ask whether they can use insurance to cover the cost of therapy. Some of our therapists accept some insurance, and others do not. Our office manager can provide you with this information. Keep in mind that if you have out of network mental health benefits, we are happy to provide you with the documents needed to file on your own for reimbursement of some of the cost of therapy. To learn more about this, please ask your insurance provider about coverage for therapy sessions with an out of network provider. If needed, our office manager will be happy to give you some guidance on obtaining this information.
The decision about whether you should use insurance to pay for therapy can be a bit more complicated. Certainly, therapy is a financial commitment, with the benefits of not paying out of pocket being obvious. However, some people still choose to forego their insurance coverage when working with a therapist because insurance companies do not provide coverage for “counseling.” Insurance claims must be filed as “psychotherapy,” and require a mental health diagnosis, which becomes part of the permanent record. Insurance companies then have the right to request and receive those records, and the diagnosis becomes a “pre-existing condition” on any future insurance applications. And where our younger clients are concerned, parents of children and adolescents often prefer that a mental health diagnosis not go on their child’s permanent record, and therefore choose to pay out of pocket.