Benefits and Reasons to go to Individual Therapy

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Individual Therapy

There are a lot of people suffering from a mental health condition who need therapy. And there are a lot of therapists who want to help them. But both sides believe the insurance companies that are supposed to bring them together are actually keeping them apart. Nearly half of therapists in California don’t take insurance as reimbursement rates don’t provide a living wage,

Most insurance companies pay therapists in their networks between $60 and $80 per session. In the San Francisco area and Los Angeles, therapists say the market rate for therapy is more like $150 to $200 a session.

“The second thing is the paperwork. For an hour of psychotherapy you spend a half-hour on paperwork, ^{CA Health Line 7.21.2016}

Find a Therapist

Magellan Assist
Mental Health Provider Finder

All Insurance Companies – Mental Health Provider Finder

Psychology Today - Find a Provider

one estimate suggests 42% of therapists in California don’t accept insurance at all. Without the financial help of insurance, clients pay an average of $130 out of pocket per session. It can be much higher in major cities. Read more: What's stopping therapists from providing affordable Mental Health Care?

Google Search for ONLINE Therapists

Here’s what I googled for online therapists. Check with them and ask what Insurance Plans they take. Then double check on the official Insurance Company provider list.

12 Step Meetings & Therapist Confidentiality

The Twelve Traditions encourage members to practice the spiritual principle of anonymity in the public media and members are also asked to respect each other’s confidentiality.^[42] This is a group norm,^[42] however, and not legally mandated; there are no legal consequences to discourage those attending twelve-step groups from revealing information disclosed during meetings.^[43] Statutes on group therapy do not encompass those associations that lack a professional therapist or clergyman to whom confidentiality and privilege might apply. Professionals and paraprofessionals who refer patients to these groups, to avoid both civil liability and licensure problems, have been advised that they should alert their patients that, at any time, their statements made in meetings may be disclosed.^[43] wikipedia.org

Links & Resources

Shouse Law – Therapist-Patient Privilege Evidence Code 1014

CA Evidence Code Section 1014

CA MFT.org

Legislative Counsel Explanation

Ask us a Question? FAQ's?

Medicare & You - Mental Health

Medicare & Mental Illness # 11358 2 pages

Medicare & Mental Illness # 10184

Our Webpage on Medicare & Mental Health

Main Webpage on Mental Health

Los Angeles Consumer Resources #Directory

Our webpage on EOC Evidence of Coverage - Plain English, even if they are 2 to 300 pages

Guide to Mental Health Benefits (The Mighty)

Compliance Assistance Guide from DOL.Gov Health Benefits under Federal Law

Mental Health Videos

Mental Health Video - updates on Mental Health Parity - Mental Health must be covered the same as physical health
Video Medicare-covered benefits for mental health.
PBS Bedlam VIDEO In an effort to get to the bottom of the current mental health crisis in the U.S., psychiatrist and documentarian Kenneth Paul Rosenberg M.D. chronicles personal, poignant stories of those suffering from mental illness, including his own family, to bring to light this epidemic and possible solutions. Shot over the course of five years, Bedlam takes viewers inside Los Angeles County’s overwhelmed and vastly under-resourced psych ER, a nearby jail warehousing thousands of psychiatric patients, and the homes — and homeless encampments — of people affected by severe mental illness, where silence and shame often worsen the suffering. See Trailer Available till October 30th
Sharp Health Care - Mental Health Videos - Play List
Mental Health Insurance Coverage: Get the Whole Picture