Frequently Asked Questions and Payment

Individual- $180/hour session

Couples- $185/hour session, $275/ hour and a half session

At Aletheia Counseling, I accept the following insurance:

Aetna

Optum(United Healthcare, Oscar, and others)

If you would like to utilize your insurance, please click on this link to get started with the verification process.

Many insurance plans don’t cover couples or marriage counseling because it’s considered relationship support rather than treatment for an individual mental health condition. While this can feel discouraging, it also allows us to focus fully on you and your partner—your unique challenges, your goals, and your path to rebuilding trust and connection—without being limited by insurance rules. This approach ensures that every session is dedicated entirely to strengthening your relationship.

Both have their pros and cons.

When you do in-person therapy, you get to sit in the same room as the therapist, there’s no risk of losing an internet connection, offices are private and secure, and it’s just a different feel than looking at a computer/phone/tablet screen. In-person therapy does require that you have to travel to the physical office, spend gas money, and any other preparations needed to leave the house.

Online or virtual therapy gives you the freedom and flexibility to schedule sessions at home, on a break at work, or any time you have access to the necessary equipment. Some people, often youth, say they feel more comfortable in the comfort of their own home or private space than in the same room as the counselor. You do run the risk of someone else being able to hear the session if you are not able to find a completely private place. There’s also a different feel looking at a computer/phone/tablet screen than being in the same physical room as someone else. If you do choose to do online therapy, I HIGHLY recommend that you have a solid and reliable internet signal. It becomes difficult when words get lost due to a bad internet signal.

When going through insurance, it often costs less but you need to look at your coverage to see if you might owe towards your deductible. One negative about using insurance is that you have someone else dictating your therapeutic journey and you might not be approved for a certain type or amount of therapy sessions. You are also limited to a much smaller group of therapists available to you so you run the risk of not finding the best fit if they don’t take your insurance.

When paying cash, you are the sole owner of your therapeutic journey and get to dictate who you see, how often you’re seen, and what kind of therapy you receive. You have a much larger pool of therapists to choose from and you don’t have to search a list of approved providers. The main con to private pay is that it usually costs more.

I urge people to look at their finances and resources to choose which venue is best and most doable for them.

I will never force you to talk about something, do an exercise, or complete homework assignments if you don’t want to. Often times in therapy we talk more about how something has affected you rather than the details of a past event. While I might ask difficult questions, I will never force anyone to do anything they don’t want to.

We often have things we’d like to talk about or discuss, but don’t have the appropriate environment to do so in. Therapy offers a private and non-judgmental space where you can finally open up about something that has been hidden or suppressed. Therapy can help someone become more aware of certain thinking styles, belief systems, or behaviors that might be causing harm in someone’s life. We utilize evidence-based modalities that have been proven to be helpful for a lot of people. Therapy can also help with things like coping skills, healthier habits, and learning how to interact in your daily life better.

Here’s the catch, we’re all a little broken and weak. It’s human nature to be imperfect and make mistakes. Making mistakes isn’t the big problem, not getting help is. Often times with clients we come to the realization that they just never learned how to do something and therapy offers a space where they can learn that. It’s time to remove the shame and stigma of therapy and start applauding people for having the courage and insight to ask for help.

I offer and highly encourage, a free 15-minute phone consultation to discuss any questions you have about therapy. I recommend that you read up on a therapist and their specialties. Some people have specific preferences(ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, faith, and others) and I urge you to identify these and discuss them with a potential therapist. If I feel that we would not be a good fit, I’ll do my best to recommend or refer you to a therapist that would work best for you.

A GFE(Good Faith Estimate) is a form that outlines what you will be charged for services. You deserve to know what you are paying and have rights if a therapist ever charges you more than what was agreed upon. If this does happen, you can report the charges and hold the provider accountable.

Good Faith Estimate