fees & insurance
Do you accept insurance?
We are considered an out-of-network (OON) provider. Upon request, we can provide a form that's called a "Superbill". You can submit the Superbill to your insurance provider for potential reimbursement depending on the OON benefits for your plan. Please know that we cannot guarantee any insurance coverage for OON reimbursement.
Your benefits are an agreement between you and your insurance company, and you are responsible for what your insurance does not cover. You are responsible for verifying your benefits. If you have eligibility concerns or questions, contact your insurance provider directly.
Reimbursify can help make it easy for you to submit claims for OON reimbursement.
Here are some questions that you can ask your insurance company when calling the number on the back of your insurance card to verify your coverage for OON benefits:
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"Does my plan include out-of-network benefits for outpatient behavioral and mental services?"
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"What is my annual deductible for out-of-network mental health benefits? How much of this deductible have I met?"
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"When does my deductible reset each year?"
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"Is there a limit on the number of sessions that my plan will cover annually?"
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"Are the following CPT (billing) codes for psychotherapy sessions covered?":
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90791 (Intake Assessment/Diagnostic Evaluation)
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90837 (53 minute Individual Therapy session)
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90834 (45 minute Individual Therapy session)
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90847 (50 minute Couples Therapy session)
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"Is there a limit on out-of-pocket expenses per year? How much?"
(This is the maximum amount you would pay in a plan year; once you exceed this amount, your insurance would pay 100% of all healthcare expenses. This amount resets each year.)
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"What is the coinsurance percentage for mental health services that my plan will cover?"
(This is the percentage that your insurance would cover once you meet your deductible.)
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"Do I need a referral or pre-authorization to receive services?"
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"What is the Usual, Customary, and Reasonable fee (UCR) or the “allowed amount” for psychotherapy?" (
They may tell you that this information is proprietary. This is not true. You are entitled to know what your plan sets as the allowed amount. Explain that you need this rate in order to know how much you can expect to be reimbursed after meeting your deductible. For reference, the UCR rate in NYC for out-of-pocket psychotherapy is typically between $200 – $300).
Please ask us any questions you have during your
free phone consultation
.
Do you offer a Sliding Scale?
Yes! We believe it’s important to keep therapy accessible; therefore, we have a limited number of Sliding Scale appointments. These are given on a first-come, first-served basis and are based on household income. The Sliding Scale rates can "slide" as low as $140 per session, and it cannot be combined with insurance. If you are in need of a Sliding Scale rate, then
send us an email or ask us about it during your
free phone consultation.
What's your cancellation policy?
We value your time AND we value our time. Late cancellations and missed appointments ("No Call, No Show") may result in charges of the agreed upon rate for that appointment type. Our Financial Policy indicates that we require at least 24 hours advance notice to avoid late cancellation fees.
getting started
Do I need a phone consultation to get started?
Spending 15 minutes on the phone up front can help us ask and clarify any questions, check to see if we could be a good fit to work with each other, and figure out the best next steps.
Read these tips before your
free phone consultation.
However, it's not required, and you may
book an appointment online if you prefer.
Why teletherapy? Can't we just see each other in the office?
We live in a digital world. Teletherapy (a.k.a., telehealth, telemental health, telepsychology, online therapy, etc.) has been on the rise for many years.
Research shows that internet-based interventions were equally effective when compared to more traditional face to face interventions even before COVID-19. Teletherapy offers many benefits for clients, therapists, and the greater community in general.
We have a Business Associate Agreement with our preferred teletherapy platform(s) which ensures that the delivery of our teletherapy services are HIPAA compliant/secure.
COVID-19 changed a lot about life as we knew it for many people. Teletherapy keeps us all more safe AND connected at the same time. Our practice is now exclusively online.
Read more about our teletherapy services
here.
View our COVID-19 Statement and Action Plan
here.
I'm curious about therapy with you. What's it like?
Each and every person will have their own experiences from therapy.
Clients who give us feedback tend to let us know that they appreciate having an outlet, a calm & clear sounding board, and "a fellow traveler" on their journey through life.
Clients often tell us that they're able to relate and connect with us, and that this helps them experience a type of therapeutic accountability that they just can't really find anywhere else.
Clients have shared that our approach provided them with useful insight, feedback, and resources. They shared that our support helped them manage acute stress, navigate difficult "bumps in the road", and resolve ongoing issues in their life.
Clients frequently mention how they learn to feel more empowered to be more direct with us during therapy sessions, and how these experiences improve their social relationships.
Clients have commented how therapy with us taught them why it's important to embrace the power of vulnerability and work with emotions instead of avoiding them.
Clients have reflected on how they looked forward to our therapy sessions, and that they were excited to share updates with us because they gained new coping tools for their toolbox.
I can't login to the Client Portal. What do I do?
You can access the help guide here.
therapeutic process
What happens during the initial intake appointment?
We meet each other online using our HIPAA compliant/secure teletherapy platform. We encourage you to ask questions along the way. We discuss some parts of the new client forms that are completed before the first appointment including your reasons for starting therapy, your goals for therapy, and what you need as a return on your investment in therapy.
Most importantly,
we hold space for you to show up and get to know us and how we can help in a safe, therapeutic relationship focused on helping you feel seen, heard, and understood. We will guide you through these initial steps to
empower your verve.
Read some suggestions for how to get the most out of psychotherapy
here.
What about privacy and confidentiality?
Your privacy is very important to us. We ensure that all clients who enter into a therapeutic relationship with us receive informed consent for treatment and a notice of our privacy practices. Long story short, you have confidentiality rights and they are governed by federal and state laws including HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act).
We follow strict legal and ethical guidelines to collect, maintain, and protect your protected health information (PHI). We break confidentiality when any of the following occur: (1) If a client may be an immediate danger to themselves or others, (2) If a client is endangering a population that cannot protect itself, such as the case of child or elder abuse, (3) To share diagnostic information as necessary to obtain payment for services, (4) As required by federal or state laws, and (5) When a client authorizes us in writing to release PHI (e.g., if a client would like us to collaborate with an alternate service provider or someone involved in their care like a psychiatrist, a primary care physician, a family member, a spouse or significant other, a friend, or an emergency contact).
While we are an out-of-network provider, clients may submit "Superbills" to their insurance company for potential reimbursement through out-of-network benefits. Please be advised that using health insurance carries some risk to confidentiality, privacy, or future eligibility to obtain health or life insurance.
Most insurance providers require a mental health diagnosis in order to authorize coverage for the cost of treatment/reimbursement. Therefore, we are required to evaluate you for a mental health diagnosis and disclose PHI about you to your insurance company through the "Superbill" when you utilize health insurance to cover the cost of your therapy and/or claim OON reimbursement even if the challenges you are going through are common, relational issues, everyday stress, or transitions that occur as people move through natural life cycles.
The information your insurance provider may typically request is limited to diagnoses and session dates. However, if we were an in-network provider, then they would have a right to audit your records as a third party payer at any time which may include additional PHI such as progress notes and treatment plans.
When you do not use your insurance, this information remains private and ensures you greater confidentiality.
A quick note on the beginning, the middle, and the end of therapy.
We believe that good therapy starts with a mindful plan for the end of therapy. Many cultural attitudes and social norms tend to avoid "endings" until they actually happen. We will guide you through each step throughout your personalized therapy journey.
The beginning - how we get started - impacts the middle and shapes the future - just as it happens in life. We move forward at your own pace.
"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." - Ferris Bueller.
Some people may only complete one intake appointment. Some people may get started with brief therapy for a few weeks or months. Frequently, many people recognize the value of a stable therapeutic relationship.
Everything depends on you and what you need.
Read more about Individual Therapy
here and Couples Therapy
here.
Do you prescribe medication?
No.
We do not prescribe medication. However, if you would like to consider medication therapy as a part of your treatment plan for symptom management, then we will provide you with appropriate referrals to
trusted psychiatrists who may prescribe medication.
self-care
What are some examples of Self-Care?
There's no universal way to practice Self-Care, and there are many possibilities.
Here are some
tips from Therapist Aid.
Check out these
tips from Very Well Mind.
And, a few more
tips from Tiny Buddha.
Do I need therapy?
We believe that everyone deserves meaningful and effective therapy.
Perhaps people you know have encouraged you to seek therapy.
Consider taking this
quiz to help sort out if you could benefit from therapy.
Trust your gut. Trust your intuition. We believe that you know you best.
Book a free consultation to chat with us and let's see if we're a good fit to get started.
Please note: Verve Psychotherapy LCSW, PLLC is not responsible for the content of or service(s) provided by any of these resources.
How do you take care of your self?
We really do try our best to practice what we preach AND to preach what we practice.
We wear a mask when indicated, wash our hands, and keep our appropriate social distance even though we're fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
We try to manage our time because the clock doesn't stop for anyone.
We value consistent daily AM/PM routines, and we try to eat well & get good sleep.
We try to break those routines responsibly every once in a while in different ways because sometimes life can naturally become a bit too boring if not for some adventure and variety here and there.
We enjoy staying connected with people in our support system.
We love watching and playing soccer. Our favorite club is Manchester United!
We also love learning languages like Spanish, French, Italian, Portugese, German, and Farsi. We wish we had more time to learn more languages.
We try to watch some good TV series and movies here and there AND we also try to read, listen to music, listen to podcasts, unplug and write in our journal, go for walks and be outside. We try to keep some healthy boundaries with screens and technology.
We try to pay attention to things like lighting, temperature, ambiance, and aroma.
We try to be intentional in most of the things that we do. Sometimes, we also try to let go.
We try to always make new mistakes.
We try to feel our feelings and better understand them instead of avoiding them.
We try to let ourselves cry whenever our tears show up.
We try to live with an attitude of gratitude. Sometimes, we might need an attitude adjustment just like the next person.
We try to make life fun and we love to laugh.
We try to save and spend money according to a realistic and goal-oriented budget.
We try to slow down.
We try to always be curious, and never be complacent.
We try to keep our power and privilege top of mind so that we can use it with integrity.
We try to use many of the same coping strategies, problem solving skills, social skills, and self-care activities that we typically discuss with our clients.
We're human too.
We try to keep our
Miracle Morning routines.
Right now, we're reading
The Bullet Journal Method.
resources