Our Columbus, Ohio counseling office is a place to experience healing, getting your life or your kid back, and learning how to be you. And we think your mental health is worth the investment.  Here are some specifics on how we handle fees at Blue Boat Counseling:

After careful consideration we’ve decided not to participate with insurance panels and cannot bill them directly on your behalf. We are considered out-of-network providers.

There are many reasons for this, but some are:

• Unfortunately “taking insurance” doesn’t mean what it used to in today’s healthcare environment. Most people have high deductible plans now, where you’re using HSA funds or paying out of pocket most of the year until you reach your deductible anyway, whether you’re seeing in-network or out-of-network providers. And even after you reach your deductible, mental health benefits are often limited.

• For insurance companies to cover any portion of counseling, there must be a diagnosis, whether there is one or not, which remains on your medical record. Forcing a diagnosis and allowing a third party to control your mental health path is unfair at best.

• With insurance companies, the confidentiality and privacy of your highly personal information is not guaranteed.

• Insurance companies control the number, length and frequency of sessions, all of which should be decided by you and your counselor.

• Going back and forth with insurance companies takes time, a lot of time. We would rather spend that time giving you an excellent counseling experience.

All of that being said, with us, you’re in control of your mental health care, and the choice is yours to involve your insurance company or not. The fact that we do not bill insurance directly doesn’t mean you have no coverage. If after contacting your insurance company, you find they will reimburse for out-of-network benefits, and you would like to use this option, we can easily provide you a detailed billing statement for submission. And we accept HSA/FSA cards for payment, some of which would apply to your deductible if you submit.

Payments and Fees

Our therapists’ session fees are between $150 and $180 per clinical hour, depending on their experience, the types of therapy they offer, etc.

Payment of the full fee is due at the time of your therapy appointment, and the credit/HSA/FSA card on file will be charged unless you notify your therapist of another form of payment. Please contact us for more information and specific session fees for the therapist you would like to see.

As part of the No Surprises Act, we provide our clients with a Good Faith Estimate. You can find out more about that here.

Cancellations

Please be advised Blue Boat Counseling has a 24-hour cancellation policy. We prioritize our clients by holding space for each person we see. When clients cancel an appointment, our therapists offer that space to other clients who need an appointment that week. When clients cancel within 24-hours or no show, other clients miss out on an opportunity to be seen. Therefore, we will charge the credit card on file the full session fee for no shows and cancellations within 24-hours of the scheduled session.

If you have any questions about these policies, please contact us, and we would be happy to answer them.

Above all else, the rapport you have with a healthcare provider, especially for mental health, is critical to the treatment. So please factor that, along with the payment options, into your decision-making process when choosing a therapist.