In-network with Aetna, Wellfleet, and Stanford SHIP.
What is covered, what a superbill actually does, and the four questions to ask your insurer before you book.
Free 15-min consultation · 50-minute sessions · In-person Palo Alto or telehealth statewide
I am in-network with Aetna, Wellfleet, and Stanford University SHIP. If you have one of those, you pay your plan’s copay rather than the full fee, and I bill your insurer directly. There is nothing for you to submit.
If you have a different PPO, I provide a superbill — an itemised receipt you send to your insurer for out-of-network reimbursement. Many PPO plans pay back a meaningful portion once your deductible is met.
If you have an HMO or EPO, out-of-network benefits usually do not exist. In that case the honest answer is that seeing me means paying privately, and I would rather you know that before the first session than after it.
Stanford students, postdocs and covered dependents on SHIP are in-network here. That matters because the gap between a SHIP copay and a private-pay rate is substantial, and a lot of people on SHIP do not realise how far the plan actually reaches.
Stanford’s own guidance is clear that the plan lets you choose care from an in-network provider off campus, with out-of-network benefits beyond that. If what you want is open-ended work, that is the route, and it is an ordinary one rather than an escalation.
The office is on Lytton Avenue in downtown Palo Alto, about ten minutes from campus, and telehealth is available anywhere in California — which tends to matter over the summer and during internships.
The phrase puts people off. It is simply an itemised receipt.
You pay for the session directly. I give you a document containing everything your insurer needs — dates of service, the procedure code, a diagnosis code, my supervising licence details, and what you paid. You submit it, usually through your insurer’s app or member portal, and they reimburse you at whatever your out-of-network rate is.
Two things worth knowing before you count on it. Reimbursement almost always requires meeting an out-of-network deductible first, which can be substantial. And a superbill requires a diagnosis — insurance reimburses treatment of a condition, not personal growth. Some people would rather not have a mental-health diagnosis in their insurance record, and that is a legitimate reason to pay privately instead.
I will not overstate what you are likely to get back. Call your insurer and ask before you plan around it.
If you are asking about out-of-network instead, add: what percentage of the allowed amount do you reimburse for out-of-network outpatient mental health, and what is my out-of-network deductible?
Write down who you spoke to and when. It is dull advice and it has saved a lot of people a lot of money.
I would rather discuss the fee in the free consultation than post a number that may not apply to your situation. Rates differ depending on whether you are using insurance, which plan, and whether the work is individual or couples.
What I can tell you plainly: sessions are 50 minutes, weekly is the norm, and the consultation that decides all of it is free and carries no obligation. If cost is the deciding factor, say so on that call — it is a completely reasonable thing to lead with, and I would rather point you toward something affordable than have you not start at all.
Yes. I am in-network with Aetna, which means you pay your plan’s copay rather than the full session fee. Coverage details vary by plan, so it is worth calling the number on your card to confirm your specific mental-health benefit before we start.
Yes. I am in-network with Stanford University’s student health insurance plan (SHIP). If you are a Stanford student, postdoc or covered dependent, that usually makes sessions considerably more affordable than paying privately.
Yes, in-network. Wellfleet administers a number of student and scholar plans, so if your coverage came through a university programme it is worth checking whether Wellfleet is the administrator.
Yes. For other PPO plans I provide a superbill — an itemised receipt you submit to your insurer for potential out-of-network reimbursement. Many PPO plans reimburse a meaningful share of out-of-network therapy once the deductible is met. HMO and EPO plans typically do not.
Call the member services number on the back of your card and ask four things: do I have outpatient mental-health benefits, what is my copay or coinsurance for CPT code 90837, do I have a deductible and has it been met, and do I need prior authorisation. Those four answers tell you almost everything.
An itemised receipt containing the information insurers require — dates of service, procedure codes, diagnosis code, provider details, and what you paid. You pay me directly, then submit it to your insurer and they reimburse you according to your out-of-network benefit. Most plans now accept these through an app or member portal.
Often not, or only partly. Most plans cover therapy when there is a diagnosable condition being treated, and relationship difficulty by itself frequently does not qualify. This varies enough between plans that it is worth asking specifically about couples or family therapy when you call.
For most plans in California, yes — video sessions are generally reimbursed at the same rate as in-person. Confirm it when you call, since a small number of plans still treat them differently.