About Insurance & Fees
San Francisco Queer Intimacy, Couples & Sex Therapy Center
is a boutique style private therapy center, rather than a managed-care driven mental health clinic.
About San Francisco Queer Intimacy, Couples & Sex Therapy Center’s Fee Policies:
Why Should I come to Therapy and Spend Money?
It's helpful to see LGBTQ therapy or coaching as an investment in yourself that will take resources, money and time, for you to see results.
CAN I USE MY INSURANCE TO PAY FOR SEX THERAPY & COUPLES COUNSELING SERVICES?
YES, in most cases if you decide to…
Rather than operate as a managed-care driven mental health clinic, San Francisco Queer Intimacy, Couples & Sex Therapy Center is a boutique style private therapy center. This means we work for and with you, as opposed to the demands and limitations of the insurance companies, which require a mental health diagnosis.
If you choose to use insurance for therapy reimbursement, your clinician may be able to work with you as an out of network provider. Usually PPO or POS plans are in this category. Please be advised that only licensed clinical psychotherapists and clinical psychologists can provide Superbills.
Many of our clients who use their OON (out of network) benefits get reimbursed 65-80% of the counseling fee. Others use their Health or Flex Account, which may cover all of it and allows tax advantages.
You’ll need to check your plan first to determine your benefits for licensed counselors as OON providers, if there’s a deductible and if its been met, and what percentage they cover for individual or family counseling.
We can provide you with a receipt, called a Superbill, with the necessary info to obtain counseling fee reimbursement based on your plan.
Psychologists & psychotherapists who choose to directly contract with insurance companies have to make concessions, as do their clients. Rather than focus on a potentially pathologizing diagnosis, we believe in treating you as a whole person whose issues are rooted in the context of your life, rather than in disorder or illness. It’s important to us to preserve the integrity of the therapeutic process and avoid issues with a managed care company at times requiring personal therapy data and details about your treatment.
We strive to offer a premium LGBTQ/ Queer individual psychotherapy or coaching, couples counseling and sex therapy experience without involvement from insurance companies or the various entities they now employ or outsource to for managing their electronic data.
However, we also understand that without insurance reimbursement, the therapeutic support you need may not be financially accessible. Therefore, we are happy to provide you with a superbill (please note it will be required by the insurance company to contain a clinical diagnosis code.
Fees
Fees vary based on the service provided, the length of the session and the experience of the practitioner. A clinical psychologist typically charges higher rates than and MFT intern for example. Please schedule a free intake call and we can match you with the best fitting therapist, psychologist, sexologist or coach for your needs. You can discuss rates at that time and ask any questions you may have.
We understand the importance of safe, QUEER SPACE and our LGBTQ relationship therapists & individual psychotherapists welcome monogamous, poly or open partnership configurations, kink, BDSM, and unique LGBTQ individual needs.
We are trauma and diversity informed, social impact/social justice aware and highly trained in the nuances and complexities of underserved and under-represented populations. You will be in the best care available with our practitioners. We Can Help. You Are Not Alone.
INSURANCE REIMBURSEMENT
Please note that San Francisco Queer Intimacy, Couples & Sex Therapy Center does not work with insurance panels, but does in appropriate cases provide therapy invoices directly to the client to submit to their insurance for out-of-network reimbursement after full payments to the Center. Services may be covered by your health insurance or employee benefit plan if they offer out of network services. Please keep in mind that all insurance companies require a diagnosis to approve your claim, which will go into your permanent medical record. If you do have out of network coverage, and you are working with a licensed clinician, we are happy to give you an invoice (called a superbill) to submit to your provider.
SUPERBILLS
Payment for therapy is made at the time of your visit. Your clinician will provide you with an invoice of services on a monthly basis. You must submit this invoice to your insurance company to receive reimbursement. We are considered an "out of network" provider. If you are considering using health insurance to cover the costs of therapy, it is important to know that insurance companies and plans vary according to their coverage of mental health benefits. It is important, therefore, to research your coverage prior to commencing therapy. You would pay us and then get reimbursed if that is the arrangement you have with your insurance provider. We cannot guarantee reimbursement but are happy to walk you through a list of questions to ask your insurance provider.
INSURANCE QUESTIONS CHECK LIST
Please check your coverage carefully by asking the following questions:
Do I have “Out-of-Network” insurance benefits for “Outpatient Mental Health Services”?
Is individual, couples counseling, sex therapy or family therapy covered?
What is my deductible and has it been met?
How many sessions per year does my health insurance cover?
What is the coverage amount per therapy session (percentage and monetary amount)?
Is approval required from my primary care physician?