Fees & Insurance

Initial evaluation/assessment (first meeting): lasts a full hour, and the fee is $150.
Individual Sessions: Meetings (after the initial evaluation) are 45 minutes, and the fee per session is $120.
Double Session: The fee for a double session of 90 minutes benefits from a $40 discount, and is $200. (Double the fee of a single session would be, without the discount, $240.) Double sessions are good for those who feel rushed by a 45 minute session, and also for those who are traveling a long distance, and may choose to come less often but to have longer meetings.
Group session: The fee per 75 minute group session is $40 per person.

Payment: Payment is due at the time of service, at your session. Check or cash are preferred, but credit cards can be accommodated, too.

Sliding Scale Fees: We do not offer sliding-scale or income-based fees. Good therapy, like other deeply worthwhile things in life, may not be cheap. But we believe it's worth it. When done right, therapy can transform a client's quality of life. And, when done right, therapy requires an enormous amount of mental and emotional energy from the therapist, before, during, and after each session. In addition to offering experience and expertise, we pour heart and soul into the work--and our clients appreciate the quality and value of our services, and are happy to pay the full, standard fee. And our fees are intentionally set at a moderate level, far from the highest in town, and a good deal less than fees in many other cities across the country.

Insurance: The Anxiety Treatment Center of Tulsa does not accept insurance as payment, nor do we bill insurance companies—and we are considered out-of-network for all insurance purposes. This means we are not part of any insurance company panels, nor are we providers for Medicare or Medicaid or any other government program. The client is responsible to pay for services at each session.

Still, many clients find that their insurance company will reimburse them for part of the cost, depending on their specific insurance policy. If interested, please speak with your insurance company to find out what they will reimburse. Further down on this page, we provide information that you may find helpful in speaking with your insurance company.

Also, some clients report that they pay for our services by using their health savings account (HSA) or flexible savings account (FSA). Upon request, when relevant, we will be happy to provide a receipt/documentation for such purposes. And while we do not provide tax advice, to see financial institutions' web pages that list counseling and therapy as IRS-approved medical expenses for the above purposes, see here:

Why do we not participate with insurance company panels? For several reasons, both philosophical and practical. First, in order for a session to be billed to health insurance, a client must be given a mental health diagnosis, and that diagnosis becomes part of their permanent medical record. But in many cases a client's dignity or confidentiality may not be served by being branded with such a diagnosis—indeed, a diagnosis can sometimes change the way one sees oneself, and the way one is treated by medical professionals or the legal system, once the diagnosis becomes part of one's medical record. This can be especially damaging to children and young people, as it can color their view of themselves for life. But it can harm the self-concept of people at any age. There is even the practical concern, on the part of some, that life insurance rates or availability may be affected for those with a mental health diagnosis in their medical records.

And in many cases a client can benefit from therapy sessions but does not meet the criteria for a diagnosis. Yet health insurance companies insist on a diagnosis. And the notion that all clients must be branded as mentally ill or disordered strikes us as inappropriate and disrespectful, and is not something we're philosophically comfortable with. We prefer to see our clients as human beings, grappling with common conditions, well within the norms of human nature.

Second, without having to conform to insurance companies and their rules and restrictions, treatment can move forward, in frequency and length of sessions, with more flexibility, based on the client's best interests.

Finally, for our own peace of mind, and as part of managing our own stress levels well, we prefer to reserve our energies at The Anxiety Treatment Center of Tulsa to focus on directly helping with the issues the client came to discuss, and to not get entangled with the bureaucratic procedures of billing insurance companies, or being directed in our treatment plans by them.

Also, please bear in mind that for someone with a high deductible on their insurance policy, it may well be that even if one gets services somewhere that “accepts" insurance, it all gets paid out of pocket anyway, if the deductible is not yet met. And because many health insurance policies have deductibles of many thousands of dollars, many people do not meet their deductible all year long. Sometimes, even if you to a place that lets you "use" your insurance, although you will get a mental health diagnosis on your record, and your confidentiality may be somewhat compromised, due to a high deductible on your policy, you may not end up saving any money.

Another option to consider, in case of limited finances, is group therapy, which has a lower cost than individual therapy. (See above.) If interested in that option, please call us at (918) 809-4777 to find out which groups have openings, or to be put on a waiting list for a group being formed.

We do realize that some people will only want to, or only be able to, access services that their insurance company will help pay for. And we respect that. We further realize that some people actually prefer to receive a mental health diagnosis, and are in no way uncomfortable with having this either as part of their self-concept or their permanent medical records. We understand that our approach and our services will not be for all people.

How do I find out whether my insurance company will reimburse me?

Even though, as explained above, the client pays for each session at the time of service, and we do not accept insurance as payment nor do we bill insurance companies, some insurance companies will reimburse the client for part of the cost. Upon request, in cases that qualify for a diagnosis, we can provide you with a receipt/invoice that includes the billing codes and other information your insurance company will need.

If you plan to get reimbursed by your insurance company, the only way to know whether they will in fact reimburse you is to speak with them--before setting an appointment--to determine what your out of network mental health benefits are.

Here are some questions you might want to ask your insurance company:

Does my policy include out of network mental health benefits?
What is the “customary” or “allowable” rate, for an MSW, LCSW provider, for the following CPT codes: 90791 (Psychotherapy Intake), 90834 (Individual psychotherapy, 45 minutes), and 90837 (Individual psychotherapy, 60 minutes)?

3) What percentage of the “customary” or “allowable” rate will you reimburse me?

4) Do I have to meet a deductible before I get reimbursed? If yes, how much is that deductible, and how much if any of it have I already met?

5) How do I submit my claims for reimbursement? What documentation do I need? Where do I send it?

To set an appointment, please call Michael Posner at (918) 809-4777