Frequently Asked Questions

• Individual therapy - $185 per 50 minute session.

• Coaching - $185 per 50 minute session

• EMDR intensives - Inquire for more information.

We have a limited number of sliding scale spots available to accommodate clients who cannot pay the full fee. If this applies to you, please reach out to us to inquire. If we're unable to offer you a sliding scale spot, we'd be happy to refer you to another trusted clinician in the area. If you're looking for an in-network provider, Psychology Today has a great search tool. Open Path Collective offers low cost therapy sessions as well.

We're licensed for online therapy in South Carolina, Iowa, Idaho, Florida, and Indiana.

We accept all major credit/debit cards, Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs).

For the majority of clients, we do not – we're an out-of-network provider which means we don't accept insurance (more on why and how that works below). The only exception to this is that we're currently getting credentialed with BCBS of Iowa.

We can provide superbills for clients who want to request out-of-network reimbursement from their insurance company. Read the next question below for more info about superbills and reimbursement options.

Yes! Although we are a private-pay, out-of-network provider and do not accept insurance directly, your insurance plan might have out-of-network benefits. This means that they might reimburse you for a portion of your session cost (this is usually between 60 to 80 percent of the fees). We are also partnered with Thrizer to handle the out-of-network process automatically for you. That's a lot of insurance talk – so if it's confusing, we can help you verify whether or not you're eligible for this.

When therapists get paid through insurance companies, we're required to submit a mental health diagnosis listing your "disorder". We do believe there's a time and a place for diagnoses and treatment planning, but we don't believe in putting people in categories solely for the sake of insurance. Private payments allow us to focus on providing confidential services that meet your needs without forced treatment plans or goals that come from the insurance companies. 

As well, insurance companies narrow down the number of approved clinicians you're able to work with, which limits your ability to find a truly aligned client-therapist relationship. The therapeutic relationship is one of the primary predictors of a positive therapy outcome, so we take the freedom to choose your provider seriously.

NOTE: We provide superbills by request. These forms are completed by us and submitted by you to your insurance company for possible reimbursement of counseling services. Please check with your insurance company before starting therapy to ensure coverage and learn what reimbursement, if any, they will provide to you.

First things first, schedule a free 15-minute consultation with us so we can get to know each other and feel out if we're a match. If everything feels right, we'll set a time for your first therapy session on the calendar. You can schedule the initial consultation through our online portal here.

NOTE: All new clients are required to complete intake paperwork at least 24 hours in advance of the first session. If you don’t receive portal access to intake forms upon scheduling, please check your spam folder. Sessions without completed paperwork at least 24 hours in advance will be automatically cancelled. Don't worry, we'll remind you upon booking!

Your first 50-minute session is called the Intake Session. Basically, we'll be covering a bunch of initial paperwork items: informed consent, privacy, practice policies, relevant history, a discussion of your goals, any diagnoses, past treatments, and a little bit of family history (just for starters… the deep dives come later). Your first session gives us an important foundation about who you are and where you want to go with your therapy journey. With your goals identified, we'll be ready to make them happen as a team.

We'd love to be able to give a clear answer on this one, but the reality is simply that it depends on you. Healing from past wounds and achieving big goals is anything but a linear process – full of ups, downs, and plenty of twists and turns. We suggest committing to 4 sessions at a time and checking in with yourself after each period, asking questions like "Is this helping? Do I feel like I'm making progress?" If you answer yes, great! That's a good sign to keep working together. If not, we'd love to have a discussion about that and identify a better plan for you moving forward, whether with us or another provider we can refer you to.

• Frequency: We often prefer to meet more frequently when we first get started (weekly or bi-weekly). This allows us to get to know each other and start moving on your goals. Frequency may lessen as we progress.

• Length of care: Unfortunately, we have no idea in advance how many sessions a person may need. We're all about being open with clients regarding our timeline and plans – so we'll keep you in the loop every step of the way. We can say based on experience, however, most of our clients experience significant progress towards goals after 3 months of consistent therapy. Ultimately, it’s your choice to be here!

Our hours are Monday through Friday, 8 am - 4 pm CST by appointment only. For the early birds, we also have a limited number of early morning appointments (5 or 6 am CST).

We like to think of online therapy as "all the same good stuff but from the comfort of your own couch". All of our sessions at Ampersand Therapy Co. take place online with residents of Florida, Indiana, South Carolina, Iowa, and Idaho. Online therapy occurs face-to-face over a confidential and secure telehealth platform, making sessions more accessible to fit with your busy life. All you'll need is some wifi, a web camera, and a comfy space to chat. Here's to having one less thing to commute to!