Updated 6/12/2024
Check coverage
1. Understand Your Insurance Coverage
Tips for understanding mental health coverage details:
2. Find a List of In-Network Providers
Think about things that might be important to you as you seek care, including:
- Research Potential TherapistsYou should always research a mental health provider before you work with them. Reference online directories, professional association websites, word of mouth, online reviews, or referrals from other doctors as a starting point.Things to consider when you’re looking for the right therapist may include:Credentials— Do they have a master’s degree or doctorate?Specialties— Do they focus on anxiety, depression, substance abuse, or family therapy?Reviews— What others say about their experience with a provider can be very insightful.Availability— Sometimes, providers aren’t taking new patients, so before you decide to work with one provider over another, it’s worth asking if they’re accepting new clients at the moment.Approach to care— A therapist’s style, approach to care, and mental health treatment preferences might be factors in your comfort level and how much you get out of the process — for example, you might ask if they mostly use cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), or another form of therapy.Need help finding the perfect fit? Check out our guide onhow to find the right therapist.“Finding a therapist with a similar background or experiences can help during the engagement process. For example, if a mother is struggling with parenting, she can find a connection with a counselor who is also a parent. If the counselor doesn’t have children, the client may feel they’re not being fully understood.”–Talkspace therapist Dr. Karmen Smith LCSW, DD
3. Research Potential Therapists
You should always research a mental health provider before you work with them. Reference online directories, professional association websites, word of mouth, online reviews, or referrals from other doctors as a starting point.
Things to consider when you’re looking for the right therapist may include:
Need help finding the perfect fit? Check out our guide onhow to find the right therapist.
“Finding a therapist with a similar background or experiences can help during the engagement process. For example, if a mother is struggling with parenting, she can find a connection with a counselor who is also a parent. If the counselor doesn’t have children, the client may feel they’re not being fully understood.”
4. Contact and Verify Therapist Information
Once you have a shortlist of potential therapists you might want to work with, it’s time to reach out to each one.
Prepare a list of questions to inquire about things such as:
If you don’t have insurance: Note, if you don’t have insurance, or if you want to work with a specific therapist but they’re not in-network, ask about a sliding scale fee option, which means your cost for treatment will be based on what you can afford.
What to Do If You Can’t Find an In-Network Therapist
You can also ask your insurance company if they reimburse any portion of sessions with out-of-network providers. If so, you’ll likely need to ask your therapist for detailed receipts to submit to your insurance.
Finally, some therapists offersliding scale therapyfees that adjust their rates based on what a client can afford, making therapy services more accessible and affordable.
In addition to traditional in-person therapy settings,online therapyplatforms like Talkspace provide affordable, convenient, accessible mental health services when insurance isn’t enough. Due to low overhead and technology efficiencies, Talkspace therapy often costs less than in-person treatment, andstudies showit’s just as effective for most people.
Sources:
Our goal at Talkspace is to provide the most up-to-date, valuable, and objective information on mental health-related topics in order to help readers make informed decisions.
Articles contain trusted third-party sources that are either directly linked to in the text or listed at the bottom to take readers directly to the source.
Share0Tweet0Pin it0
Share0
Tweet0
Pin it0
