I thought social workers were only for welfare clients?
Just as there are different kinds of doctors, there are also different kinds of social workers. Some social workers work with clients on public assistance, and I have worked within the welfare system in the past. At present, I have a private practice providing counseling (psychotherapy) for a diverse clientele.
How can I pay for therapy?
My practice is a fee-for-service arrangement. I accept cash or checks as payment. I bill clients directly, either at the end of each session or at the end of each month. In some cases, I provide a monthly bill to clients who wish to submit their bills for reimbursement by their tax-free health expense accounts at their place of employment. In some cases, you may be able to submit your monthly bill to your insurance company for reimbursement for services from an out-of-network provider.
How often will I come to therapy?
My clients usually come to therapy once a week. Some come twice a week when the client and I deem it important to have more frequent sessions.
I am thinking of using my insurance benefits to pay for therapy.
What are the PROS and CONS of this?
THE PROS
- Cost. If you see a therapist that is in your network, you only have to pay your copay.
- Monitoring. Your insurance company will closely monitor your progress to insure that you are making progress and getting the appropriate treatment.
- Ease of referral. Your insurance company will provide you with a list of their approved therapists in your area.
THE CONS
- Limited sessions. Your insurance company will authorize a limited number of therapy sessions and then based on your progress, will either authorize continued treatment or not. If you decide to continue past this point, you will be responsible for the full cost of continued sessions.
- Diagnosis. In order to access your insurance benefit, your assigned therapist is required to diagnose you with a mental health condition. The record of this diagnosis can follow you into the future and may make it more difficult to obtain insurance in the future.
- Loss of confidentiality. If you are using your insurance to pay for therapy, you should be aware that they have the right to know why you are going to therapy and what progress you are making. They have the right to audit your therapist’s files and notes and ask questions of him/her regarding your issues.
- Lack of availability. Due to several of the above issues, many therapists limit the number of their clients who are using managed care benefits and usually reserve their most convenient time slots for private pay clients.
- Limited specialties. Many of the more experienced and more established therapists have removed themselves from managed care panels. This may make it difficult for someone using their insurance benefits to find a particular specialty or a certain level of experience.
