Fees and Insurance
How much does counseling cost?
When you start looking around, you’ll find a wide range of counseling fees in the area. We try to keep our fees mid-range for average fees for the area (typically around $100-$150 per session for a pre-licensed clinician). Typically, highly specialized and very experienced therapists are going to charge more. Newer clinicians who don’t have as much time under their belt or as extensive advanced training will have lower rates than more seasoned clinicians.
What are Pivotal Counseling’s rates?
Pivotal Counseling is a fee-for-service (“cash-pay” or “self-pay”) clinic. We accept cash, check, or debit/credit cards (including FSA/HSA cards).
Session fees vary from clinician to clinician depending on their level of experience and their credentials.
All of our clinicians offer a free, 20-minute consultation. Consultations are a chance to meet the clinician, ask questions, make sure you feel confident, and ensure that the clinician will be a good fit for you all before having to pay for any services.
Our current rates are as follows:
Pre-Licensed Therapists
Claire Christian, MA, MFTC
90 Minute Assessment and Intake: $230
50 Minute Session: $150Spencer Jensen, MS, MFTC
90 Minute Assessment and Intake: $220
50 Minute Session: $140
Licensed Therapists with Advanced Credentials
Ethan Bratt, MS, LMFT, CST
90 Minute Assessment and Intake: $280
50 Minute Session: $200
A good faith estimate noting these charges will be made available to you upon scheduling a paid service or upon request.
Why don’t you offer free intakes like others do?
In short, because we treat our intake sessions as intakes while many other places treat those more consultation and paperwork time. You might spend 15 minutes of your free 50 minute intake session filling out paperwork which the therapist then takes time to review. You end up with perhaps 20 minutes of talking before scheduling your next session.
Our intakes are different. We’ve already met you in the consult. Our secure client portal means you're able to fill those items out at your convenience rather than rushing because your appointment time is ticking away. It also means your therapist reviews your paperwork ahead of time instead of burning your appointment reading your questionnaire for the first time.
All of this means we can sit down, touch on just the legal and ethical points we’re required to review in person, and then spend the bulk of your 90 minute intake actually getting the process started.
Do you offer Reduced Session Fees?
All of our clinicians offer a limited number of sliding fee slots in their caseload. These are available on a first-come, first-served basis. We also frequently have clinical interns on staff who are able to offer lower fee services than our other clinicians. They are also able to take on more sliding scale clients than our regular clinicians.
To inquire about these sliding scale slots, contact us directly.
Can I use my Insurance?
We are considered “out-of-network” for all insurance panels meaning that we cannot bill them directly. We are able to provide documentation of payment for services which you can submit to your insurance carrier for full or partial reimbursement depending on your plan’s out-of-network benefits. If you are wondering if your insurance will do this type of reimbursement, read our page about how to ask your insurance about out-of-network coverage.
Why are we out-of-network? There are a number of reasons. They range from the requirement to place a diagnosis on your permanent medical record to privacy of records to insurance companies deciding whether you can receive treatment or not or how much treatment. For more information on this, read through our page on Why Pivotal Counseling Isn’t “In-Network”.
WHy is Counseling So Expensive?
Counseling is expensive because you are working with highly trained professionals, the mental health equivalent of a nurse practitioner. We are here to help you to heal from the issues you are experiencing and become the best you that you can be. Don’t let the cost of counseling or therapy services scare you away. This is an investment in your and/or your relationship’s immediate health and long term wellbeing.
How many sessions will I be in counseling for?
This is a really common question and one that doesn’t have an easy answer. Some people come in, dig deep on one specific thing, and wrap up their work in six or 8 sessions. Others come in with a number of challenges that have been going on for years or decades and that takes time to address.
Our goal isn’t to keep you in therapy forever. Our job is to work ourselves out of a job by helping you meet your goals, make the changes you are wanting, and help you move forward in your life.
What if I have other questions?
Most people have more questions before starting this process, especially if it is their first time seeing a counselor. You can check out our Frequently Asked Questions page for many common questions. You can also just give us a call or send us a message. We return all messages and strive to do that within one business day and we’re always happy to answer any questions.