Why should I choose to pay for therapy myself?
There are both advantages and drawbacks to out-of-pocket private payment and to using insurance and Medicaid. Obviously, the biggest drawback of out-of-pocket private pay is that it is an immediate out-of-pocket expense. However, there are several advantages to paying privately that may make the expense worthwhile.

Confidentiality and Privacy
Clients who pay out of pocket are guaranteed that the only people who know the details of therapy are themselves and their therapist. Aside from normal limits to confidentiality, therapy is completely confidential, without any third party being privy to information exchanged in session.

Service Without Hindrances, Pressure or Stigma
Most insurance providers require a mental health diagnosis in order for therapy to be covered. This means that many issues (such as marital problems, life stress, or personal growth) are often not covered by insurance.

Regarding Insurance…When clients pay out-of-pocket, there is no requirement of a mental health diagnosis for treatment, which means that anyone can seek treatment without concern. Private pay also carries the additional benefit of reducing pressure to diagnose individuals who simply need help coping with some areas of life, but who do not have a specific mental health diagnosis. Finally, treatment without the necessity of a mental health diagnosis means that the stigma of some diagnoses can often be avoided. It is important to understand that once a diagnosis becomes a part of your permanent medical record, it can potentially affect the consideration of future policies, such as: life insurance, short and long term disability or educational and other future life opportunities for young adults.

Freedom in Treatment
Private pay clients have complete control of the duration and style of their treatment. Modalities that are ethically viable, but not covered by insurance are open to private pay clients. Private pay clients are able to choose the focus of their therapy, the duration of therapy, and the frequency of therapy, and even the length of individual sessions.

Treatment Efficacy
Research shows that clients who have to pay something for their treatment have more positive outcomes that those who receive free treatment. Not only do you get what you pay for, but the fact that you are paying out of pocket provides extra motivation and incentive to make the most of therapy.

Therapy, especially when you are paying out-of-pocket, is always an additional expense, in more ways than one. There are travel expenses and the time commitment that it takes to make therapy effective. However, the rewards can greatly outweigh temporary monetary costs. How much is too much to pay for peace of mind, the renewal of a relationship, or finally finding freedom in an area of life that has previously seemed unattainable? $500? $1000? $5000? Some people would pay ten times that to experience the real progress and change that can happen in therapy. What is the change you are seeking worth to you?

Regarding Insurance…If you have further questions, do not hesitate to Contact Us!

Therapeutic assessment is a cost effective way to begin therapy. An assessment provides information that it would take many sessions and hundreds of dollars spent to retrieve and apply to the therapeutic process. The assessment compiles your answers in such a manner that your therapist can utilize the information for immediate impact on your therapeutic journey. Assessments Offered:

• Prepare-Enrich Marriage Assessment
• Symbis Marriage Assessment
• Gottman Relationship Inventory
• SDI-Sexual Dependency Inventory
• PTSI-Post-Traumatic Stress Inventory
• PTSI-R
• MAWASI-Money and Work Adaptive Styles Index
• PSS-Partner Sexuality Survey
• SAST-Sexual Addiction Screening Test
• IPAST
• Sexual Anorexia Inventory
• Spiritual Gifts Inventory
• Sexual Addiction Risk Assessment (SARA)
• Internet Sex Screening Test (ISST)
• The “Betrayal Bond” Index Test (BBI)
• Dissociative Experience Scale (DES)
• Experiences in Close Relationships Scale (ECR)