Counseling Services FAQ - Feel to Heal Therapy

The costs of sessions at Feel to Heal Therapy is broken down as follows:

Individual Session (50 minutes): $130

Family/Couple’s Session (50 minutes): $145

Payment is charged the day of service. 

These are self-pay/out of pocket rates. I do reserve a few spots on my caseload for sliding scale clients based on circumstance. For clients who are offered a sliding scale spot, sliding scale fees will be re-evaluated every 3 months.

Good Faith Estimate: The No Surprises Act (H.R. 133 – effective January 1,2022), it is required that clients receive an estimate for cost of services when not utilizing insurance benefits to help provide coverage. For the purpose of Feel to Heal services, this would include information on the monetary amount you can expect to pay for a specific number of sessions. This estimate does not include cost of unexpected or unforeseen services. The amount you are charged could change if special circumstances occur. 

Follow this link to learn more about your right to a Good Faith Estimate and how you can file a dispute if you believe you are wrongly charged: https://www.cms.gov/nosurprises. You can also call 800-985-3059 to speak with one of their representatives for more information. 

Yes, I am in network with Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO, United Healthcare PPO, and Aetna PPO.

The cost of your services, even with insurance coverage, will be determined by your specific health plan. The cost can vary due to coverage, deductibles, and coinsurances.

To find out more, you can call the member services line on the back of your card and ask the following questions:

1. Does my health plan cover mental health therapy services (including individual, family, and or couples’ services)?

a. Does that include virtual sessions?

2. How much can I expect to pay per session?

3. Is there a limit to how many sessions I can have?

I will also verify your insurance to ensure I am in network and to quote you your benefits.

It is also recommended to reach out to your plan yourself as they will give you the most accurate information. On the provider side, we can verify benefits and charge per session based off that verification. After a session claim has been submitted to insurance, I will receive an Explanation of Benefits (EOB). The EOB will give the final and most accurate cost of what you owe. This is typically the same information we see in the initial verification. However, there is always the possibility that your EOB reflects a different amount. In that case, you will be refunded if overcharged and will be charged the difference if you were originally undercharged.

If you have an insurance that is not listed above, you can be provided with a superbill to submit for possible reimbursement with your insurance company. You can also ask your insurance if they provide any out-of-network providers.

A superbill can be provided after a session and includes information about the treatment you received. Some of that information includes the service(s) you received, diagnosis codes, and some of your demographic information. Please note that a superbill is not a guarantee that your sessions will be reimbursed fully or partially. We are not able to take part in communication about superbills with your insurance. That negotiation is between you and your insurance provider. 

Your confidentiality is protected by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). These laws give you the right to access your health information, change outdated information you come across, and protect your health information from being misused.

Follow this link to learn more about HIPAA laws: https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-individuals/guidance-materials-for-consumers/index.html. 

*For clients using their insurance benefits – please note that submitting session claims to your insurance provider does give them access to diagnostic information, session notes, etc. This information is still considered protected under HIPAA laws. 

Limits to confidentiality include serious safety concerns. If a client is sharing that they have plans to hurt themselves or someone else or are being hurt by someone else, there is a chance we have to disclose this information to a guardian/emergency contact or law enforcement as safety is our top priority. 

As an LPC, I am also a mandated reporter for Texas Child Protective Services (CPS). This means that if a client under the age of 18 shares about past or current neglect or abuse, I am legally required to file a report with CPS. What CPS does with the report depends on their deemed gravity of the situation.

For sessions that need to be cancelled or rescheduled, we require 24-hour notice from the original session time. If you request to cancel or reschedule a session within 24 hours of your originally scheduled session (a late cancellation), you will be charged $75. If you completely miss a session without prior notification (a no show), you will be charged $90. 

I am licensed in the state of Texas and can provide virtual services for any resident located in the state of Texas. 

There is no set number of sessions that can be expected. Some clients benefit from shorter-term services while others find more therapeutic impact in longer-term services. A therapist can recommend a treatment length, but clients also have the autonomy to decide when they would like to start and stop services. 

*For clients utilizing their insurance benefits – there is a possibility that your insurance provider will deny coverage for sessions or limit how many sessions you are able to have. It is always recommended to call your member services lines to find out more information about this.

For adults (ages 18 and over): The first session, or the intake session, is dedicated to going over practice policies/logistics and gathering your background information. This structured session is crucial as it sets the stage for the rest of our work together. Subsequent sessions can be structured or unstructured – whatever you prefer! I believe that clients know what they need most and encourage my clients to speak about what would be most beneficial to them in our sessions. If a client is unsure what to talk about, I am happy to initiate a conversation to help guide our session. I tend to lean towards talk therapy approaches where our sessions are spent speaking to each other. When helpful, we can also implement other avenues such as coloring, drawing, music, stretching, videos, etc. 

For adolescents (ages 17 and under): It is required that the guardian is present with their child (who is the client) for the intake session. This is to gather additional information from the guardian, to share logistical information, and to establish a relationship with both the client and their guardian. This is the only session where guardian attendance is required. All other sessions will be with just the adolescent. We will work through their mental concerns through talk therapy approaches and implement other avenues when appropriate. These other avenues include coloring, drawing, music, stretching, videos, etc. 

Family sessions throughout the journey are encouraged and always an option. This is based on the discretion of the adolescent. 

Regardless of your age, my goal is to be your cheerleader and support person as you embark of this beautiful journey to treat your mental health. It is completely common to feel awkward in some sessions and to feel emotionally exhausted after some sessions. As our relationship and level of trust grow, the hope is that your comfort in session also grows. You are doing incredibly hard work and simply showing up for our session is a huge accomplishment that I recognize and value. 

Yes! We can set up a free 15-minute phone consultation before you fill out paperwork/get scheduled to determine if we could be a good fit.