How much does therapy cost?

We have different options for affordable counseling. The cost of counseling will vary depending on the therapist you are seeing and depending on whether you are wanting to do therapy with insurance or therapy without insurance.  Some of our clients have excellent insurance benefits and receive free counseling or low-cost therapy, others have large deductibles to meet or their insurance excludes certain types of therapy.   

Depending on your insurance benefits and the therapist you will be seeing, it can be more cost effective for you to choose to be a self-pay client and not to use your insurance for therapy at all.   We have a provisionally licensed therapist, James Lehnardt, who offers a reduced rate for all clients regardless of income. James also offers an additional sliding scale based on income and family size for those who qualify.  This income-based sliding scale for therapy can be an affordable therapy option.

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Group Therapy can also be an avordable option to receive the help you need.  Currently our groups are closed due to COVID-19, but you can request to be notified when they begin again through the group counseling page.

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Does insurance cover the cost of therapy?

Depending on the type of therapy session you do and your specific plan benefits, your insurance may reduce or cover some or all of the cost.  Most insurance companies have mental health coverage for individual therapy, some plans cover family therapy, and a few plans cover couples counseling.  If you are seeking counseling for a type of therapy that is not covered under your insurance plan, then you will not be able to use your insurance and you would need to be a self-pay client.

Should I use my insurance for mental health therapy?

Some of our clients prefer to keep their medical record more private and opt to self-pay for all sessions, so that their therapy is not on file with their insurance company.  Others choose to use their mental health insurance benefits to possibly help with the cost of therapy and don't mind insurance having access to their medical records if requested. Either way, we are here to help you.

Do you have any therapists that are in-network with insurances?

Most of our therapists are in-network with most insurances.  Not all of our therapists are in-network with the same insurances and there may be some exceptions to specific plans within an insurance company.   If you would like to see a therapist that is not in-network with your specific insurance, we can check your out-of-network benefits or you may choose to be a self-pay client. James Lehnardt does not accept insurances but instead offers a sliding self-pay scale, that may be less expensive than using your insurance benefits.

Below is a list of insurances that many of our therapists are in-network with.

• Aetna

• Beacon

• Blue Cross Blue Shield

• Cerner

• Cigna

• Humana

• Medicare

• United Healthcare/Optum

• Tricare

• ...and more

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We CANNOT take Medicaid plans of any kind, except in the rare event that the client has Medicare as primary and a QMB qualified medicaid plan as secondary to that Medicare. 

Does insurance cover teletherapy?

To be eligible for telehealth, you must be a Missouri resident to see a therapist who is licensed in the state of Missouri.  Not all insurances will cover teletherapy.  However, due to the national state of emergency caused by the corona virus, most insurances are at least temporarily covering telehealth sessions with similar benefits as we would expect to see for in-person sessions. 

How do I know my insurance benefits for counseling?

If we have a therapist available that meets your needs, we will send you paperwork to complete before we can schedule an appointment.  Once we receive the paperwork back we will contact your insurance and get a quote of benefits that will provide you with the anticipated amount of what each counseling session will cost  you at our office. All anticipated costs will be due at the beginning of each session. We work hard to try to give you accurate quotes, but the insurance companies do no guarantee the quotes that they provide us, so your final cost will depend on what your insurance actually pays.  

How is my insurance billed for my counseling sessions?

Our office will file all therapy claims with your insurance on your behalf.  We will also notify you of any insurance problems.  It is your responsibility to contact your insurance company regarding insurance coverage or payments, authorizations, and to update your information with the insurance company, failure to do so may result in reduced benefits or insurance refusal to pay.

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If you ever have any questions regarding your account, please call your insurance company directly or call our office and speak to one of our awesome secretaries who should be able to help you.