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Two Dried Leaves

Making Counseling Affordable

The value of prioritizing your well-being is priceless and working on you does not have to break the bank.  That is why I price my services to be affordable.  Giving you access to quality care at an affordable cost.

 

The fees listed are the cash rate.  As you can see, these rates are very competitive with others in the field and are set to what most people would pay with insurance copay.  

 

Payments are due the same day of service and are paid by major credit card (Visa/Mastercard/Discover/American Express) or by Health Savings Account (HSA).  If you have insurance, please refer to the section about insurance below to learn more about how you may be able to utilize your benefits.

Service Fees

Individual Therapy

$50 for a 50 minute session

$70 for a 80 minute session

Couples Therapy

$80 for 50 minute session

$100 for 80 minute session

Family Therapy

$80 for 50 minute session

$100 for 80 minute session

Insurance

I am not in-network for insurance but can provide a superbill giving you the necessary information for you to file the claim with your insurance company.  My priority is to provide you with the counseling services you need.  However, I know that sometimes costs are an important factor in that decision to receive services, so I offer the superbill to support you in possibly offsetting the costs.  The amount you are eligible to be reimbursed is set by your insurance policy.  If this is something that interests you, contact your insurance company to find out what they are willing to cover based off of your particular policy.

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Questions To Ask Your Insurance Provider About Out-Of-Network Coverage

  • Do I have "out-of-network" mental health insurance benefits? 

  • What is my deductible and has it been met?

  • What is my "co-insurance"?

  • How many sessions per year does my health insurance cover?

  • What is the coverage amount per session?

  • Is approval required from my primary care doctor?

  • What is the process of filing an insurance claim for an out-of-network service?

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Reimbursement Codes for Your Insurance Provider

Individual Psychotherapy (50 minutes): CPT code 90834

Couples Psychotherapy (50 minutes): CPT code 90847

Extended Services (30-74 minutes): add-on CPT code 99354

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Benefits of Cash Pay Services vs. Insurance

  • Confidentiality - Insurance has the right to audit services they pay for.  That means they can request to see your records (diagnosis, treatment plan, and progress notes).

  • Limitation of Visits - It is not unusual for an insurance company to only allow for a certain number of visits per calendar year.  Putting time constraints on a client who is processing concerns could add undue stress.  Everyone processes at a different pace and in different ways.

  • Limited Options of Available Providers - Using your insurance, you may be limited to a therapist that is only in-network with your insurance company.  

  • Medically Necessary - Insurances require that anyone receiving therapy services be given a diagnosis and therefore they can determine if they believe your therapy is deemed "medically necessary".  Everyone should be entitled to seek a licensed professional in processing those things that prove to be challenging in their lives in a safe healthy environment.

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Cotton Flowers

Court Action
And 
Legal Fees

Clients are strongly discouraged from having their therapist subpoenaed or having their therapist provide records for the purpose of litigation.  Even though you are responsible for the testimony fee, it does not mean that my testimony will be solely in your favor.  A therapist testifying in court can impact client/therapist relationship based on standard of care.  I do not specialize in court appearances and can only testify to the facts of the case and, if qualified to do so by the court, my professional opinion. 

Asking a therapist to provide confidential records or testify can damage the trust built in a counseling relationship with a client especially if I am still seeing that client in therapy.  If I am subpoenaed to testify or provide records in a case where my client is a child, the therapeutic relationship is effectively ended, and it is very likely I will not continue to provide services to that child/family.  Divorce/custody cases please be advised that I will not make a custody recommendation, or a recommendation of where a child should live, nor will I make a determination as to one’s fitness as a parent.

If the therapist, Tammy Nicholes, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Associate (LMFT-A) is to receive a subpoena for a client (regardless of who the subpoena came from), then the attorney or office staff will need to call my office and set up a time for the subpoena to be served during office hours.  I request a minimum of 5 days notice of any Court appearance (adhering to Texas Administrative Code Title 1, Part 7, Chapter 159, Subchapter C, Rule 159.103), so that schedule changes for my clients can be made within a reasonable time frame.

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When it comes to court action, the following fees are in effect:

  • Preparation Time (including submission of records):  $250/hour (billable in 15-minute increments)

  • Phone calls or Consultations with Lawyers or Legal Representatives (Including but not limited to guardian ad litem, probation officer, or social workers):  $250/hour (billable in 15-minute increments)

  • Depositions:  $250/hour

  • Time required in Giving Testimony: $250/hour

  • Time Away from office due to Depositions or Testimony:  $250/hour

  • Presence in Court (even if testimony is not given):  $250/hour

  • Travel Expenses

  • All attorney fees and costs that are incurred by the therapist as a result of the legal action.

  • Filing document with the court:  $100

  • The minimum charge for a court appearance:  $1500 per appearance NON-REFUNDABLE

 

The non-refundable retainer of $1500 is due at least 5 days prior to the scheduled court appearance.  The remainder of the costs will be billed after the court appearance and will be due upon receipt.  If I am subpoenaed and the case is reset with less than 72 business hours notice prior to the beginning of the day of the scheduled subpoena, trial, and/or testimony is not given, then the client will be charged $500 (in addition to the original retainer of $1500 for having to appear in court).  If the court date is cancelled the retainer fee is non-refundable. 

All fees listed above are doubled if the therapist has prior engagements scheduled to be out of town at the time of the court appearance.

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