Can i bill my insurance for couple counseling? My insurance company said i could!!

There are 2 ways to bill for counseling in general.

1) out of pocket. see sliding scale under "Rates & Insurance" elsewhere on this website.

2) The complications of billing a medical insurance for "couple's counseling." medical insurance companies are set up under the medical model. medical insurance companies require me to a) complete a full assessment, b) diagnose you with a mental condition such as anxiety or depression, and c) develop a treatment plan to treat this condition. often couple's are not looking for full assessments with diagnostics. they wish to work on communication and other couple related issues. because of this complication, often couple's pay out of pocket. Another complication arises if a person says "yes, i want to bill my medical insurance." After completing the assessment, we both agree that he/she does NOT have any significant mental health symptoms (anxiety or depression). I then can NOT bill your insurance!

now having said all that... many couple's do NOT bill their insurance for couple focused counseling. The exception tends to be if i am seeing one person for individual work, and at some later time we consult with the partner because we believe this consultation would be helpful to our treatment plan.