Your communications with your counselor become part of the clinical record, which is accessible to you upon request. What you say in session is confidential as part of your counseling relationship, with the following exceptions:  (a) you direct the counselor in writing to disclose information to someone else, (b) it is determined you are a danger to yourself or others (including child or elder abuse), or (c) the counselor is ordered by a court to disclose information. 

Today, we accept most major insurance plans to help you pay for your services. However, if we do not accept your specific insurance provider, we can provide you with a “superbill.” A superbill is like a fancy receipt that the insurance company may need to consider your reimbursement request, which is often dependent upon your insurance plan, the counselor’s specific license type, etc. If you expect reimbursement, we recommend contacting your insurance company to discuss this option before initiating services that may not be reimbursed in the future.

Also, some health insurance companies reimburse clients for counseling services, while others do not.  Most will require a diagnosis of a mental health condition and indicate that you must have an “illness” before they agree to reimburse you.  Some conditions for which people seek counseling do not qualify for reimbursement. If a qualifying diagnosis is appropriate in your case, we will inform you of the diagnosis before you submit the diagnosis to the health insurance company.  Any diagnosis made will become part of your permanent insurance records.

Effective January 2022, Congress implemented the No Surprises Act to protect consumers against surprise medical bills. Specifically, for those who do not have insurance or are not using insurance to pay for their services, you have the right to a “good faith estimate” to ensure you are aware of the expected total out-of-pocket costs for non-emergency counseling (psychotherapy) services. Under this new law, you have the right to request an estimate of expected fees before you are seen by your healthcare provider or services are scheduled. Additionally, if you receive a bill that exceeds your good-faith estimate by $400, you can dispute the charge. As always, therapy at Indigo Path Collective is voluntary, and you are not required to complete the number of sessions documented in your good-faith estimate.

For many, mental and behavioral health journeys happen along a winding path. There is often no direct route to resolve the issues that bring us to therapy. The good news is that counselors can guide you on that journey, but the process may be difficult to estimate under this law. To that end, you can expect to receive a good-faith estimate before services are rendered, and we reserve the right to update that estimate or send a new estimate as needed to inform you of expected out-of-pocket expenses. The good faith estimate process also provides an opportunity for you to talk with your clinician about your progress at certain intervals, which may offer you and your counselor additional information about how you can move forward on your journey toward fulfillment. Often, a new “good faith estimate” will be provided to offer you insight into the cost of additional sessions.

At Indigo Path Collective, your good-faith estimate is sent to you via the client portal and remains in your record. At this time, you do not have to do anything with your good-faith estimate other than review it if you choose to do so. If you would like to see your good faith estimate, you can find it on the client portal in the files shared with you. If you need a copy printed and sent to you by mail, please let us know. If you have questions about your good faith estimate, please speak with your counselor.