{"id":18977,"date":"2023-02-16T17:37:25","date_gmt":"2023-02-16T22:37:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thepapergown.zocdoc.com\/?p=18977"},"modified":"2023-03-06T15:22:27","modified_gmt":"2023-03-06T20:22:27","slug":"your-guide-to-paying-for-therapy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/your-guide-to-paying-for-therapy\/","title":{"rendered":"Your Guide to Paying for Therapy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In an ideal world, paying for healthcare would be a straightforward process. In real life, it can be pretty confusing. This can be especially true for <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">therapy, because going out-of-network for mental healthcare is very common. Patients are much more likely to see therapists who don&#8217;t take their insurance (or any insurance) than primary care physicians or ob-gyns who don&#8217;t. If you&#8217;re not sure when, or whether, seeing an out-of-network therapist makes sense, we&#8217;ve got you covered.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This guide to paying for <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">therapy<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">tells you what you need to know to find a provider who fits your budget and treatment needs, whether you plan to use insurance or pay out of pocket (or you haven\u2019t gotten that far yet).<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #333399;\">What are your options for paying for therapy?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Depending on who you see and what your insurance situation is, there are several ways to pay:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Insurance for in-network care:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Your insurance pays for at least part of your therapy if you see an in-network provider. Depending on the type insurance you have, your plan might cover the full cost of care or require you to chip in. Check your plan\u2019s summary of benefits, which should explain your cost-sharing <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/the-health-insurance-terms-you-need-to-know\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">responsibilities<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Insurance for out-of-network care:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Your insurance covers an agreed-upon amount (usually a percentage of the therapist\u2019s fee) when you see an out-of-network provider. Usually, you pay the bill up front and then insurance reimburses you after your visit.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Out of pocket<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: If you see a therapist who\u2019s out-of-network, and your insurance plan doesn\u2019t offer out-of-network coverage, you\u2019ll pay for care out of pocket. (You\u2019ll also have to pay out of pocket if a therapist doesn\u2019t take insurance.) A therapist might charge you their full rate, or they might offer you an adjusted,\u00a0 sliding scale rate. You can pay with funds from your bank account or, if you have\u00a0 one, a pre-tax healthcare account, such as an <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nerdwallet.com\/blog\/health\/employer-offers-hsa-fsa-whats-difference\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">FSA or HSA<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Employee assistance programs: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your employer agrees to pay for a certain number of therapy sessions, usually for <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a short-term issue, s<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">uch as work-related anxiety, rather than a pre-existing condition requiring long-term treatment, such as generalized anxiety disorder or clinical depression.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #333399;\">Do most insurance plans cover therapy?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The short answer: Yes, most private and government-funded insurance plans include some coverage for therapy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That\u2019s partially thanks to the 2008 <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nami.org\/Your-Journey\/Individuals-with-Mental-Illness\/Understanding-Health-Insurance\/What-is-Mental-Health-Parity\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mental Health Parity and Addiction Act<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which requires insurance providers to cover mental health and physical health equally. In general, mental parity laws make it illegal for insurers to offer better coverage for, say, allergy shots or surgery than for psychotherapy sessions or a substance use disorder program. Subsequent federal laws have expanded and strengthened the original 2008 Act, and many states have additional laws pertaining to mental health coverage. (Remember, outpatient therapy is just one type of mental health service.)\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>If you have private (commercial) insurance:<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Most private plans, including employer-based plans and individual plans purchased through the insurance exchange (aka Obamacare), are subject to mental health parity rules. The main exception are non-qualified short-term plans. Some people purchase these skimpy plans instead of Obamacare plans because they tend to be cheaper, but they aren\u2019t required to cover mental health services. Some do, some don\u2019t \u2014 don\u2019t sign up for a non-qualified plan without checking its coverage offerings first.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you don\u2019t have a non-qualified plan, you can expect to have mental health coverage. The amount you and your insurer each pay depends on the plan design, according to D\u2019Ann Whitehead, Leader of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mercer.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mercer<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2019s Total Health Management Specialty Practice in the West market and a former clinical psychologist. In general, HMO plans have lower monthly premiums and out-of-pocket costs for both physical and mental healthcare. PPOs, on the other hand, usually have higher monthly premiums but allow patients to see both in- and out-of-network providers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If your plan has a deductible (most do), you may have to pay for therapy out-of-pocket until you reach your deductible. At that point, your coverage kicks in and you\u2019d only be responsible for your copay and\/or coinsurance, depending on how cost-sharing works for your plan.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>If you don\u2019t have private insurance<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mentalhealth.gov\/get-help\/health-insurance\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All state Medicaid programs<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> provide some coverage for mental health services including outpatient therapy, but precise coverage policies <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncsl.org\/research\/health\/mental-health-benefits-state-mandates.aspx\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">vary by state<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and plan. The rules can get confusing here, because not all Medicaid plans are subject to the mental health parity laws mentioned earlier.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Medicare covers an array of mental health services. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.medicare.gov\/coverage\/mental-health-care-outpatient\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Part B specifically<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> covers outpatient therapy.<\/span><\/li>\n<li>CHIP (Children&#8217;s Health Insurance Program), Tricare and VA Health Care <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nami.org\/Your-Journey\/Individuals-with-Mental-Illness\/Understanding-Health-Insurance\/Types-of-Health-Insurance\">all cover outpatient therapy<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #333399;\">When does it make sense to see an out-of-network therapist?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you have insurance, it usually makes more sense to choose an in-network clinician if you have the option. Although, if you have a high-deductible health plan and don&#8217;t anticipate having significant healthcare expenses aside from therapy for the remainder of the year, staying in-network might not matter that much, financially speaking. To figure out if staying in-network will save you money, ask for a therapist\u2019s rate and calculate the number of sessions you\u2019d have to pay for out of pocket before meeting your deductible. If you\u2019d meet it fairly early in the year, an in-network provider might still make more sense.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But seeing an out-of-network therapist is relatively common for people with (and without) insurance. \u201cMore people are willing to pay out of pocket for mental health services, but we\u2019d never think of paying a surgeon or even a primary care provider out of pocket,\u201d says Whitehead.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are a few reasons:<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In-network therapists aren\u2019t always available.<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In some areas, typically rural parts of the country, mental healthcare providers are in very short supply. Even in areas where mental healthcare providers are more abundant, like New York City, <\/span>therapists are much more likely than providers in other specialties not to accept insurance<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/aegwellness.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Abby Gagerman<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, LCSW, a therapist in Chicago, says many experienced or highly specialized clinicians opt not to take insurance, or not to accept plans from certain carriers, because they can usually earn more money that way.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">People may also go out-of-network to see therapists with niche expertise in specific conditions, populations or therapeutic techniques, says Randee Silberfeld, president of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/psychiatricbilling.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Psychiatric Billing Associates<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And, sometimes, Gageermeen says, out-of-network providers can offer more individualized care because they\u2019re not accountable to insurance carriers. For example, Gagerman says one clinic in her area treats clients in <\/span>unconventional <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ways, such as with a quick phone call during a panic attack or by meeting at a shopping center to help manage agoraphobia. \u201cIt\u2019s hard to code these types of things properly, because most insurers want you to file for a 50-minute session,\u201d Gagerman says. \u201cSo not accepting insurance might allow providers to be more flexible to do what\u2019s best for the client.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gracedowdlcsw.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Grace Dowd<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a licensed social worker based in Austin, Texas, says some patients also opt for private pay (also called self-pay) because billing insurance requires a formal diagnosis. If you don\u2019t want a diagnostic code on your medical record, you could tell a therapist you\u2019d rather not use your health insurance for payment.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What does that mean for you? Well, you need to consider your financial situation and therapeutic needs and weigh the options available to you.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Does the issue you\u2019re seeking therapy for typically require a long- or short-term course of treatment? Is your issue considered especially difficult to treat? If so, have any evidence-based treatments shown to be effective, and do they require specialized or extensive training?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIf you have a really difficult mental health problem [and an] in-network therapist isn\u2019t helping, and you can afford to see someone with a stellar reputation for treating that problem, then it makes sense to pay out of pocket,\u201d Gagerman says. In some cases, a few sessions with a high-priced, super-specialized therapist might be cost-effective in the long run if your condition improves faster.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #333399;\">What\u2019s the difference between an out-of-network therapist and one who doesn\u2019t take insurance at all?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An out-of-network therapist is one who isn\u2019t in-network with your insurance plan. A therapist who doesn\u2019t accept insurance isn\u2019t in-network with <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">any<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> insurance plan. For your purposes, they\u2019re the same thing. If you have out-of-network coverage, you can seek reimbursement from your insurer to see a therapist who isn\u2019t in-network, regardless of whether or not they\u2019re in-network for other plans.<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you don\u2019t have out-of-network coverage, your insurer won\u2019t help pay for therapy unless you see an in-network provider.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #333399;\">How do you get reimbursed for out-of-network therapy?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you want to see an out-of-network provider, check to see what sort of out-of-network coverage (if any) your insurance plan offers. You can find this information by reading your plan\u2019s summary of benefits or calling the number on the back of your insurance card.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you do have out-of-network coverage, Silberfeld says the next step is to look at your deductible and cost-sharing requirements. A $1,500 out-of-network deductible, for example, means you have to pay for $1,500 of healthcare before coverage kicks in. A 30 percent coinsurance requirement means that, once you reach your deductible, your plan still requires you to pay 30 percent of the bill.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Keep in mind: Out-of-network coverage is usually a percentage of the insurance company\u2019s \u201callowed amount,\u201d <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">not the clinician\u2019s actual charges.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Let\u2019s say your therapist charges $200 a session. If your coinsurance is 40 percent\u00a0 and your plan\u2019s allowed amount per session is $175, then your plan would cover 60 percent of $175, not the full $200 rate.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unlike with in-network care, you\u2019re responsible to pay bills up front for out-of-network care. Then, you submit reimbursement claims to your insurance plan to recoup payment. Getting reimbursed can take patience, not to mention work, on your end.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To approve your claim for reimbursement, insurance companies require records from your visits, usually on itemized receipts called \u201csuperbills.\u201d Sometimes, therapists will submit the superbill to your insurance on your behalf; in other cases, providers ask patients to submit. If that\u2019s the case, contact your insurance company to request a claim form, which you\u2019ll need to fill out and submit with your superbill. Depending on your insurance, you can do this either online or by mail.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At some point \u2014 it could be weeks or months \u2014 you\u2019ll get either a check in the mail or an electronic payment from your insurance provider. The good news is that if you have out-of-network benefits, Silberfeld says you can usually apply those costs to your out-of-network deductible. Sometimes, according to Silberfeld, out-of-network benefits only cover certain types of therapy and mental health procedures, so make sure to check with your provider to avoid surprises.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you don\u2019t have enough money in your bank account to pay your therapist up front, you have a few options.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you have a high-deductible health plan, the best option is to use your HSA account, according to Silberfeld. Your care will ultimately cost less if you pay for it with pre-tax income.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can also inquire about a sliding scale, or if your therapist allows it, use a credit card and pay off the bill once you receive your reimbursement.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #333399;\">Can you see an out-of-network provider <i>without<\/i> out-of-network coverage?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yes, but your insurance plan won\u2019t help foot the bill. There are a few ways to pay.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The first, and most obvious option, is to pay the provider\u2019s full rate out of pocket (meaning straight from your bank account or by credit card, if they accept it).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another possible option is to <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">c<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">heck with your employer about additional out-of-network benefits. Whitehead says some employers offer EAPs, or employee assistance programs, which cove the full cost of therapy for employees. The caveat is there\u2019s a cap on how many therapy sessions the employer will pay for \u2014 usually, Whitehead says, between three and 12 \u2014 so EAPs are more helpful if you&#8217;re being\u00a0 treated for situational stress, like grief, rather than an issue that requires ongoing treatment, such as chronic depression.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you have a high-deductible health plan: If you don\u2019t have an HSA already, and you\u2019re going to spend a lot on therapy without being reimbursed, Silberfeld suggests setting up a health savings account (HSA) for tax advantages. When you sign up for insurance, you choose how much of your paycheck to put into an HSA. You can add more after the fact. Those funds won\u2019t be <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">pre-tax<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, but they will be tax-deductible when you file your return. \u201cAn HSA will help you to deduct the therapist bills with pre-tax income, which brings down the cost,\u201d Silberfeld says.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Finally, if you really want to see an out-of-network therapist but just can\u2019t afford it, ask about a sliding scale.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #333399;\">How do sliding scales work, and are they common?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whether you don\u2019t have insurance, or you want to see a provider who doesn\u2019t take insurance, or you want to see one who\u2019s out-of-network and your plan doesn\u2019t cover it. Aside from paying a therapist\u2019s full rate out of pocket, what are your options?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s relatively common for providers, especially those who don\u2019t take insurance or are trying to build their client base, to accept a certain number of clients on a sliding scale basis, Gagerman says.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ask your current or potential therapist if they\u2019re open to a pay-what-you-can patient. Usually, according to Gagerman, a therapist won\u2019t verify your income, and there\u2019s no formula to pinpoint exactly how much you can or should pay. Just be honest about what you can afford.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In some cases, what you can reasonably pay might not work for your provider. If they can\u2019t accept another sliding scale patient \u2014 currently, Gagerman has three, and she says she doesn\u2019t have space for another one \u2014 they might refer you to someone who does. \u201cEvery therapist has their rules about how many they take and how low they are willing to go,\u201d she says. \u201cBut it\u2019s definitely worth asking.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #333399;\">Are there any other ways to pay for therapy?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">No sliding scale? Don\u2019t give up yet. Whitehead suggests looking into direct-to-consumer therapy options, like TalkSpace, which may be cheaper than a therapist in private practice. And Gagerman says if you have Medicaid or Medicare, or you\u2019re uninsured, community mental health centers (as opposed to private practice clinicians or private clinics) are the most cost-effective option. Google your county\u2019s mental health community clinic and inquire about therapy openings.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Organizations like <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/openpathcollective.org\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Open Path Collective<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.inclusivetherapists.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Inclusive Therapists<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> also aggregate therapists who are willing to charge less for their services. If you\u2019re a person of color or part of a marginalized community, there are a number of resources for mental healthcare. For example, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/thelovelandfoundation.org\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Loveland Foundation<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> has a therapy fund that provides financial assistance to Black women, and the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/borislhensonfoundation.org\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> has been providing up to five sessions of free teletherapy to BIPOC during the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #333399;\">Does insurance cap the number of allowed sessions?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For the most part, no, thanks to mental health parity laws. According to Silberfeld, your insurance provider might reach out to your therapist if they question insurance claims. After 20 sessions, for instance, your insurer would review your records to evaluate the necessity of further care. But if your therapist thinks you need support, you should be able to keep going.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The only exception to the rule is if you\u2019re using your employer\u2019s employee assistance program, in which case it\u2019s a good idea to check beforehand how many sessions you\u2019re allowed so you\u2019re not surprised \u2014 unless you\u2019re willing to pick up the bill after your allotted number of sessions are up.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #333399;\">Are telehealth sessions covered the same way as in-person sessions?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>It really depends on your insurance. Policies have been influx since the start of the pandemic, so check with your plan for further details.<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #333399;\">How does coverage for couples\u2019 therapy work?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As for in-network and out-of-network rules, all the same principles apply for seeing a couples therapist. There\u2019s one difference: In order to bill insurance, a therapist has to diagnose a patient, then submit the claims with a corresponding diagnosis code. But there aren\u2019t medical diagnoses for couples. So Silberfeld says a couples therapist technically needs to diagnose one person \u2014 usually the primary insurance holder. If you\u2019re uncomfortable with a formal diagnosis, you can still see the therapist; you\u2019ll just need to pay their couples rate out of pocket.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #333399;\">Where do psychiatrists fit in?\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are numerous types of mental health professionals. Several of them, including psychologists and licensed clinical social workers, commonly furnish therapy. Psychiatrists are medical doctors, and their primary expertise is in diagnosing and prescribing medication for mental health conditions. Psychiatrists do receive training in psychotherapy and some administer it themselves. But they\u2019re much more likely to see patients for consultations and medication management visits, and then refer them to other types of providers for therapy. (For a more detailed explanation of different types of therapists, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/how-to-find-the-right-mental-health-professional-for-you\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">read this primer<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A psychiatrist appointment is considered outpatient mental health treatment, and mental health parity rules apply. But as with therapists, it\u2019s common for psychiatrists not to accept insurance (often because they find in-network reimbursement rates too low). In fact, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Silberfeld says, it\u2019s now generally easier to find in-network therapists than psychiatrists \u2014 and<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0psychiatrists who do take insurance typically don\u2019t offer therapy. Paying to see psychiatrists who are out-of-network or don&#8217;t take insurance works the same way as it does for therapists.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s common to see a psychiatrist for medication management and a therapist for behavioral therapy. If you\u2019re looking for a provider who does both, and is more likely to accept insurance, Silberfeld suggests considering a psychiatric NP (nurse practitioner).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h1 class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"s1\">Ready to book a therapist&#8217;s appointment? Visit <span class=\"s2\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/psychologists\">Zocdoc.<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here&#8217;s everything you need to know to find a therapist who fits your budget, even if you can&#8217;t find one who&#8217;s in-network.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":20271,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[227],"tags":[78,41,71],"class_list":["post-18977","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-guides","tag-health-insurance","tag-mental-health","tag-therapy","reviewer-dr-nassim-assefi","specialist_by_city-therapists"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Your Guide to Paying for Therapy - Guides<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Here&#039;s everything you need to know to find a therapist who fits your budget, even if you can&#039;t find one who&#039;s in-network.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/your-guide-to-paying-for-therapy\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Your Guide to Paying for Therapy - 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