Fees and Services
15 minute consultation provided free of charge
Session Rate
Intake ( 50-60 minutes): $200.00
Individual Psychotherapy Session (53+ minutes): $175.00
Individual Psychotherapy Session shortened (38-52 Minutes); $157.50
Family psychotherapy Session: $175.00
Other costs:
Please remember to cancel or reschedule 24 hours in advance. You will be responsible for the entire fee if cancellation is less than 24 hours. Please give a 72 hour notice for all cancellations.
The standard meeting time for psychotherapy is approximately 50 minutes. It is up to you, however, to determine the length of time of your sessions. Requests to change the session time needs to be discussed with the therapist in order for time to be scheduled in advance.
A $20.00 service charge, or the amount your institution charges (which ever is greater), will be charged for any checks returned for any reason for special handling.
Cancellations and re-scheduled session will be subject to a full charge if NOT RECEIVED AT LEAST 24 HOURS IN ADVANCE. This is necessary because a time commitment is made to you and is held exclusively for you. If you are late for a session, you may lose some of that session time. Please give a 72 hour notice for all cancellations.
Court Action/Legal Fees
Clients are discouraged from having their therapist subpoenaed. Even though you are responsible for the testimony fee, it does not mean that my testimony will be solely in your favor. I can only testify to the facts of the case and to my professional opinion. For those who want my presence in court the following fees are in effect:
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Preparation time (including submission of records): $250/hr
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Phone calls: $250/hr
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Depositions: $300/hour
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Time required in giving testimony: $300/hour
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Mileage: $2.50/mile from my office
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Time away from office due to depositions or testimony: $300/hour
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All attorney fees and costs incurred by the therapist as a result of the legal action.
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Filing a document with the court: $200
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The minimum charge for a court appearance: $3000
A retainer of $4000 is due in advance. If a subpoena or notice to meet attorney(s) is received without a minimum of 72-hour notice there will be an additional $1500 “express” charge. Also, if the case is reset with less than 72 business hours notice, then the client will be charged $3000 (in addition to the retainer of $3000). "if" retainer is depleted, client(s) are responsible for remainder balance.
In-Network Insurance: Silver Star Counseling is in-network with the following insurance companies.
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Kaiser NW
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Pacific Source (Navigator and Voyager)
Insurance
Please note that it is a client’s responsibility to understand the limitations of their mental health insurance benefits. Not all services are covered and clients may have a deductible to reach, prior to receiving coverage for services. Not all diagnoses are covered by every insurance plan. If a client’s insurance provider fails to pay for services rendered, the balance of unpaid session fees becomes the client’s responsibility. We encourage you to check your policy yourself to find out all of the information you need to know about your potential costs. If you have any questions about this, please feel free to ask us!
2022 No Surprises Act: New Billing Disclosures
The No Surprises Act established protections and disclosure requirements against surprise medical billing that takes effect on January 1, 2022. Federal agencies published Part I and Part II final interim rules and a third interim proposed rule. This law requires healthcare providers and facilities to provide Good Faith Estimates to uninsured, out-of-network, or self-paying therapy clients for services offered when scheduling care or when the client requests an estimate. Please feel free to access the following link for more information on this: Standard Notice: “Right to Receive a Good Faith Estimate of Expected Charges” Under the No Surprises Act (For use by health care providers no later than January 1, 2022) https://omb.report/icr/202109-0938-015/doc/original/115257801.pdf
Silver Star Counseling is an Out of Network for all other insurance companies.
As an out-of-network provider, I do not bill insurance companies I am not contracted with directly. If you choose to see me for therapy services as an out-of-network provider, you will pay me directly for therapy services, and I will provide superbills for you if you would like, so you can seek some reimbursement from your insurance company as applicable. Therapy services may be eligible for reimbursement through your out-of-network benefits, medical spending or health care savings accounts. Many Health Insurance Plans reimburse a portion of costs after the deductible is met, though health insurance plans and benefits vary.
You are responsible for paying for services in full when seeing a provider that is not in your plan’s provider network (addressed in the Balance Billing Protection Act; more information can be found here: Consumer Notice of Surprise Billing Rights).
I encourage you to call your insurance provider to inquire about reimbursement for out-of-network counseling services.
Please check your out-of-network coverage carefully; consider asking the following questions:
Do I have out-of-network mental health insurance benefits?
What type of services are covered (individual, family, couples, group)?
Do I have a deductible due before coverage begins? If so, how much is it and how much has been applied to it so far this year?
How many sessions per year does my health insurance cover?
What is the coverage amount per out of network therapy session?
Do I need a referral from my primary care physician to be eligible for mental health coverage?
Is there a restriction on the license category of my mental health provider?
Please note: If you use insurance, I must give your child a diagnosis. Insurance companies require a diagnosis so they can decide if they will pay for therapy or not. In many cases, mental health diagnoses do not have a statute of limitations, meaning they will follow your forever as “pre-existing illnesses.” Many people prefer to pay out-of-pocket for this reason. I believe clients should be aware of this fact to help in their decision making process.