How much does therapy cost?

How much does therapy cost?

Cash Pay

Therapy with a licensed clinician generally runs about $100 to $250 a session if paying cash, which if often the only form of payment many providers accept. This range is cash pay therapy cost is generally driven by license level, specialty training, and location. Major metropolitan areas tend to have higher costs of living and thus the cost of therapy will be more expensive. This will often be the case for areas such as New York or LA as compared to smaller cities across the country. One thing you can do to mitigate this is look for therapists that offer online therapy and might have lower costs due to their location. Additionally, this will also allow you to find more therapists who specialize in your area of need.

Doctoral-level psychologists sit toward the upper end while masters level therapists will generally have a wider range in cost. Here is an article on the difference between psychologists and therapists. Subscription apps may advertise lower prices, but you’re often getting messaging in place of some talk therapy sessions or shorter sessions with rotating clinicians rather than consistent care with one person. In my practice, a 60-minute session is $165 and a 90-minute session is $225. If your in Texas I have an article that goes over the cost of seeing a psychologist in Texas. If I’m in network with your plan, you pay your copay or coinsurance instead. If I’m not, I provide a superbill you can submit for out-of-network reimbursement, which often covers a real share of the cost once your deductible is met.

Insurance

If using insurance the copays generally range from $15 to $50 per session and are often the same across Ph.D. level psychologists and Masters’ level therapists. Something to keep in mind is that your deductible might need to be met before insurance will cover anything. Additionally, out of network care is often partially covered through a reimbursement from your insurance after care has been given. Generally in this case the full cash pay rate is paid by you and you submit a superbill provided by the therapist which your insurance uses to reimburse you with, either fully or partially.

There are a few more nuances that you should be aware of if your looking to do online or teletherapy. Here is another article which goes more into the specifics of using insurance for online therapy specifically. Please keep in mind that as with any specific insurance questions, you will need to reach out to your insurance provider, or the particular therapist you wish to see, about your particular coverage and therapy costs.