How to Pay for Counseling and Therapy

Making the decision to send your son or daughter to counseling and/or therapy can be very overwhelming and emotional. Although these resources can help your child tremendously, they also tend to cost a lot of money. If you are thinking about sending your child or teenager to counseling or therapy but aren’t sure how to pay for it, the following tips can help.

Insurance

Insurance is one way to pay for counseling and therapy. Unfortunately, many private health insurance companies offer very limited coverage for mental health-related visits. Prior to enrolling your son or daughter in counseling or therapy, you should check with your insurance company to see if mental health and psychotherapy appointments are covered. If so, you need to find out how many appointments are covered and which therapists in your area accept the insurance. State-funded insurance may also cover some of the costs associated with mental health care. The best thing to do is check with your insurance company so you know exactly what is covered and what is not. Be sure to keep in mind that even with insurance coverage, you are still probably going to have to pay some out-of-pocket costs for your child’s counseling or therapy.

There is also the possibility that your child does not have health insurance. Should this be the case, you may want to look into purchasing some that includes mental health coverage. If your employer does not offer insurance and your child is ineligible for state-funded insurance, you can look elsewhere. There are many websites that allow you to compare the rates of various health insurance companies. Since health insurance is usually fairly expensive, you are going to want to compare the cost of counseling or therapy to the cost of insurance to make sure it is worth purchasing. You certainly do not want to purchase insurance that ends up costing more than the therapy itself.

Out-of-Pocket

You can also choose to pay for counseling or therapy out of your own pocket. Although this can get expensive, many people choose to go this route because they do not have insurance. Luckily there are some perks to paying out-of-pocket. If you pay for your child’s therapy or counseling on your own, you are free to send them to whatever therapist you want to and set up your own treatment schedules. Because it is usually very expensive, paying out-of-pocket for your child’s treatment may force you to turn to your savings accounts and assets for help. Even though you probably do not want to dip into that savings account you’ve had for 10 years or sell your prized music collection, it may be your only choice if you want to help your child. Most parents would agree that they’d pay any amount of money in the world if it meant their child could get better.

Other Options

There are also some other ways to pay for counseling and therapy. If you do not have money in a savings account or assets to sell, you may want to consider taking out a loan or opening a credit card to pay for your child’s treatment. Some mental health facilities or therapists may also offer reduced rates or a sliding payment scale for low-income individuals. Check with your local community center or health department for information regarding mental health options for low-income families.

Now that you know some ways to pay for counseling and therapy, you should be able to figure out a way to pay for your child’s treatment. Even if you have to make payments for the rest of your life, it will be worth it if your child is happy and healthy.

Guest post from Riley Finnigan.