How fees work

Spirit Counseling is out of network with insurance plans, so you pay for each session yourself. I do not take Medicare or Medicaid. If you want someone who bills your plan, I will gladly give you the names of colleagues.

You pay at the end of each session by card, including HSA and FSA cards. I give you the fee in writing before we start. A limited number of reduced-fee spots are held; ask how to request one. I ask for 24 hours' notice to change an appointment.

Each month I give you an itemized receipt (a superbill) with the dates and kind of session, to send to your plan, which may reimburse part of out-of-network care. It carries a diagnosis code your insurer can see. Your plan decides whether it pays anything; ask it before you start.

If you pay without insurance, you have the right to receive a written estimate of what your care will cost before you start. I give you one before the first session. If the final bill is $400 or more above the estimate, you can dispute it. The estimate is not a contract.

I do not check benefits, because I do not bill your plan. If you want to know whether your plan reimburses, call it before the first session and ask about out-of-network mental health services.

The first session lasts 60 minutes. I explain how I work, the limits of confidentiality and the possible risks and benefits of counseling, and I listen. You pay for it at the same rate as any other session, as stated in your written estimate.