Sometimes, partly, and it depends more on your plan than on the counselor. That's the honest answer. The rest of this page explains it, so that one phone call to your insurer tells you where you stand.
Insurance doesn't care whether your counseling is Christian. It cares whether the counselor is licensed, whether there's a diagnosis, and whether the counselor is in its network.
Most Christian counselors in Pennsylvania, including us, are out-of-network. If your plan has out-of-network benefits, you can usually get part of each session back. If it doesn't, you pay the session fee, and some practices, ours included, offer reduced rates.
Why most Christian counselors are out-of-network
It isn't a stance against insurance. Three practical things push small practices out of the networks.
Insurance panels pay a set rate per session, often well below what a practice needs to keep two counselors and an office going. Getting onto a panel can take the better part of a year. And once a counselor is in-network, the insurer has a say in how many sessions you get and how the work is documented.
Out-of-network means the counselor sets the fee, you pay it at the time of the session, and the arrangement between you and your counselor stays private. You get more freedom in the room in exchange for more paperwork on your side if you want money back.
What "out-of-network benefits" means for your bill
Look at your insurance card. If it says PPO or POS, you very likely have out-of-network benefits. If it says HMO or EPO, you very likely don't, and you can skip ahead to the section on reduced rates.
With out-of-network benefits, three numbers decide what you get back.
The out-of-network deductible. This is what you pay in full before the plan reimburses anything. It's usually separate from your in-network deductible, and larger. If it's $3,000 and you haven't met any of it this year, your first eighteen or so sessions are on you.
The allowed amount. The insurer decides what it thinks a session is worth. If it says $120 and the session cost $165, reimbursement is calculated on $120.
The coinsurance. After the deductible, the plan pays a percentage of the allowed amount. Fifty to seventy percent is common.
Here's how that plays out on a $165 session once the deductible is met. If the plan allows the full $165 and pays 70%, you get $115.50 back and your real cost is $49.50. If it allows $120 and pays 70%, you get $84 back and your real cost is $81. If it allows $120 and pays 50%, you get $60 back and your real cost is $105.
Those are illustrations, not promises. Your plan's numbers are the ones that matter, and the call below is how you get them.
How a superbill works
A superbill is a receipt with the details an insurer needs: the date, the length of the session, a procedure code, the counselor's license and tax numbers, the amount you paid, and a diagnosis code.
You pay the practice. The practice gives you the superbill, usually once a month. You submit it to your insurer through its member website or app, or by mail with a claim form. The insurer processes it against your out-of-network benefits and sends the reimbursement to you. Expect a few weeks, and expect the first claim to take longer than the rest.
Two things about the diagnosis code are worth knowing before you start.
A superbill has to carry a mental health diagnosis, because insurers reimburse treatment for a diagnosed condition. For most people who come to counseling, anxiety, depression, trauma or a hard season of adjustment is a real diagnosis, and the code is simply accurate.
That diagnosis goes into your insurance record. For most people that's a non-issue. If you have a reason to keep a diagnosis off your record, you can skip the superbill and pay privately. That choice is yours, and we won't push you either way.
The one call to make before your first session
Call the member services number on your card and ask these questions in this order. Write the answers down.
Do I have out-of-network benefits for outpatient mental health? If the answer is no, you can stop here.
What is my out-of-network deductible, and how much of it have I met this year?
What is the coinsurance for out-of-network outpatient mental health once the deductible is met?
What is your allowed amount for a 50-minute psychotherapy session with a licensed professional counselor? They may not give you a number. Ask anyway.
Do I need pre-authorization or a referral to see an out-of-network counselor?
Are telehealth sessions covered the same as in-person sessions?
How do I submit a superbill, and how long does reimbursement take?
Ten minutes on that call will tell you more than an hour of searching.
Couples counseling usually isn't covered
If you're coming as a couple to work on your marriage, insurance usually won't reimburse it, in-network or out.
The reason is the diagnosis rule. A struggling marriage isn't a mental health diagnosis. Some plans will cover a couples session when one partner has a diagnosis and the session treats it, but that's the exception and it depends on your insurer. Plan on marriage counseling and premarital counseling being private-pay, and ask your insurer if you want to be sure.
HSA and FSA cards
A health savings account or flexible spending account can pay for counseling whether or not your insurance covers it, because counseling from a licensed provider is a qualified medical expense. Growth Counseling accepts HSA and FSA cards at the time of the session, which is the simplest way to put pre-tax money toward the work.
If none of that helps: reduced rates
Some people have an HMO. Some have a deductible they'll never meet this year. Some are between jobs. A season like that shouldn't put counseling out of reach.
Our standard fee is $165 for a fifty-minute session. Reduced rates are available during afternoon hours, 10am to 3pm, for those who need them. Tell us on the free consultation that cost is a barrier, and we'll talk through what works.
Faith doesn't change any of this
Nothing on an insurance claim says "Christian." A session where you pray with your counselor and a session where you don't are billed the same way, with the same codes, and a licensed Christian counselor is a licensed counselor. What your faith changes is what happens in the room, and that part is between you, your counselor and God.
Common questions
Do you take insurance? We're out-of-network. We provide superbills you can submit to your insurer for possible reimbursement, and your care stays private.
Can you tell me what my plan will reimburse? We can't see your benefits, and insurers don't tell us. The call described above is the only reliable way to know.
Will Medicare or Medicaid pay for your sessions? No. We aren't in any insurance network, and Medicare and Medicaid only pay providers who are. Your plan can give you a list of counselors it covers.
Is online counseling covered the same as in person? Most plans cover telehealth the same way now, but ask your insurer; it's one of the questions on the call above.
What if I start and my benefits turn out to be worse than I thought? Tell us. Moving to a reduced-rate afternoon slot or spacing sessions out is a conversation we have often, and it isn't awkward.
Talk to us
If cost has been the thing standing between you and getting help, bring it to the free consultation; we answer that question every week. Our licensed Christian counselors see people in person in Blue Bell and online anywhere in Pennsylvania, and here's what your first visit looks like.
Book a free 15-minute consultation · Back to the Growth Counseling home page
