About
Common Questions
Answers about online therapy and insurance.
Online Therapy
Research over the last few years has shown online therapy to be equally effective at treating anxiety, depression, and some trauma concerns as well as other common presenting problems.
Many people find it to be a comfortable way to begin the therapy journey and we have found in experience that the therapy relationship can develop in the same way it does in an office. Online therapy also offers convenience, is accessible to people in rural areas, and can be done from the comfort of your home.
You and your therapist will meet on a secure video platform at the appointed time using a link to the therapist’s waiting room.
Your responsibility will be to ensure you are in a private space by yourself where you won’t be interrupted and that your device notifications are silenced so you can participate fully in your sessions. You will also need to make sure your therapist always knows the address of your current location in case of emergency. Your sessions will be conducted nearly identically to an in-person session.
Psychologists are required by both law and ethics to use HIPAA compliant video platforms to conduct your sessions. You can be assured that the video platform we use is compliant with medical privacy laws and every effort is taken to prevent your privacy from being compromised.
In addition, your therapist’s commitment to you is that they will be in a secure room where there are no other humans who could see or hear your session.
We are always adding new jurisdictions our therapists can work with and keeping up with current laws regarding out of jurisdiction practice. Contact us and we can discuss your particular residency situation.
Yes! It is as easy as clicking on a link and entering your name to access the video platform.
We suggest trying it out prior to your first appointment to make sure your sound and video work. If you need help filling out forms on the patient portal or troubleshooting tech issues, we can take some time to walk through those.
Things happen! There are occasional times where the internet is cut because of construction, a storm, or a device decides it doesn’t want to start that day. In case of poor or no connectivity, your therapist will call you by phone and the two of you can decide whether to proceed by phone or reschedule. If there is an issue with the video platform itself, your therapist will direct you to another secure video call.
Under current practice regulations, the person receiving the services must currently be located in the state or jurisdiction the therapist is licensed in, at the time of service. For example, if you are seeing a therapist who is licensed in California you can do your sessions from anywhere in California but not necessarily outside of the state.
There are some exceptions to this and you can have this discussion with your therapist as needed. Your therapist will always need to know your current location in case of emergency.
Additionally, for safety and confidentiality reasons we ask that you not be actively driving a vehicle or in a public space (store, café, etc.) during your session – though having a therapy session while sitting in your parked car is fine!
Insurance and Billing
We are in network with several insurance plans that currently cover tele-health sessions. Please inquire for a current list of accepted plans. Because the regulations around telehealth are constantly changing, we ask that you contact your specific plan to inquire whether telehealth is an accepted service.
If you are using insurance, you will be responsible for a copay and/or deductible at each session (the same as doctor visits). You can call your insurance company to inquire about costs for outpatient mental health services. Insurance does not cover late cancellations or no shows for sessions, so you will be responsible for the full cost of those appointments in those cases.
If you want to use out of network benefits we will provide you with a superbill to present to your insurance company for any reimbursement you are due. If you will be paying cash and not using insurance, please inquire for current rates.
You will be asked to complete a financial agreement form and provide a credit card number that is kept on file in our secure charting system. Your card will be billed the agreed upon amount per session at the time of service (this may be your copay, deductible amount, or agreed upon cash rate).
If you miss a session your therapist will discuss the circumstances with you prior to billing you for the missed session (emergencies, scheduling miscommunications, and life happen!).
You have the right to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” explaining how much your medical and mental health care will cost. Under the law, health care providers need to give patients who don’t have insurance or who are not using insurance an estimate of the expected charges for medical services, including psychotherapy services. You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate for the total expected cost of any non-emergency healthcare services, including psychotherapy services. You can ask your health care provider, and any other provider you choose, for a Good Faith Estimate before you schedule a service. If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more than your Good Faith Estimate, you can dispute the bill. Make sure to save a copy or picture of your Good Faith Estimate.
For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises.
