Frequently Asked Questions

Are you accepting new clients?

Yes. We are currently accepting new clients and we’d love to hear from you. Please reach out to us directly for availability or book online.

I’m nervous. I’ve never had counseling before.

Here’s the truth: therapy can be tough sometimes. It can take you to places of pain and discomfort. However, it’s in these places where some of the most tremendous healing can take place.

While the best thing to do in counseling is to be honest and open, it’s also important to listen to where you’re at and go at your own pace. Again, from our perspective it takes a lot of bravery to head toward the stuff that scares you most. So, your decision to seek help is the first indication that there is, in fact, great power within you!

What can I expect out of therapy?

What you get out of therapy largely depends on you. That is, while it is important to have a competent, experienced therapist helping to guide you, the best counselor or therapist in the world can’t help you if you are not willing to put in the work yourself—to be honest about where you’re at, where you’ve been, and where you want to go.

How often should I come?

This depends on what you are going through when you first meet with your counselor. However, as a basic rule of thumb we recommend that people who are beginning counseling to come on a weekly basis. This gives you a chance to build momentum and really start making progress on your goals.

What does therapy cost?

Our therapy and counseling fees are comparable to other therapists with specialized training and experience.

Our standard therapy hour rate ranges from $130 to $250 per 45-50 min. counseling session.

All “New Client Intake” appointments (excluding couples, relationship or family sessions) are 50-minute sessions and incur a one-time $25 administrative fee.

Your therapy investment depends on the type of service you receive (i.e., individual counseling or couples/relationship counseling) and the therapist you are seeing (i.e., their role, level of specialized training, and experience).

A limited number of sliding-scale spots are available for those who cannot comfortably afford the full fee. Please reach out to us directly for more information.

Why do different therapists charge different rates?

Advancing clinical excellence is costly—it demands time, money, attention, and other valuable resources. Just as therapy is a considerable investment on your part—i.e., your time, money, attention, future, etc.—the people who undertake this calling also make a substantial and life-long investment into their chosen career path. For example, many of our therapists have devoted decades of their life to their educational pursuits alone.

In addition to their therapy compensation, most WWT therapists receive health and wellness benefits, a continuing education stipend, paid-for trainings, and a host of other benefits to encourage self-care and stress less.

Why is this important? And more importantly, why are we telling you?

Sadly, in many mental health settings, productivity is often the only piece of relevant data that matters. For therapists, this boils down to how many people they see in a given day. Not only does this result in the insurance companies and/or the medical/agency setting dictating your treatment, it often leaves wonderful therapists feeling overworked, overwhelmed, and unduly burdened.

One of our core values is balance. We don’t want our therapists to do a job, but instead, to follow their passion and life’s work.

We think it’s a bad idea for the person you are trusting with some of the most intimate parts of yourself or relationship to be overworked and under-compensated.

Instead, we want them to be fully present with you—at all times.

We feel strongly that this is only possible when it is intentionally created and encouraged, and we aim to do just that.

What if I need to cancel my appointment?

A cancellation fee will occur if notice has not been given within 48 hours before your appointment, except in cases of emergencies.

What payment methods do you accept?

We accept cash, check, and other secure forms of electronic payment, including debit, credit, and HSA debit cards.

Do you take my insurance?

We are currently not an in-network provider. However, we can provide a billing statement at the end of each month to be submitted for reimbursement for clients with PPO, HSA or other flexible benefits.

To insurance companies, our therapists are considered “out of network” providers. This means that while we don’t directly accept insurance, we can provide you with a billing statement called a “Super Bill” which you can then submit directly to your insurance company for reimbursement.

For most of our clients using this option, this seems to work well. However, it is important that you check with your insurance provider first, as it is beyond our control as to whether or not you will be reimbursed.

How it Works:

The fee for service is due at the time therapy is provided. Once you request a Super Bill, we will prepare one to give to you at your next session. The Super Bill will include the dates you attended therapy, your diagnosis, employment information, and information about where you live. In addition, most insurance companies require your social security number to be listed on your Superbill (we strongly recommend you make copies of your Superbills).

You will then submit your Super Bill to your insurance company to seek reimbursement. Depending on your insurer, plan, whether or not you have met your deductible, etc. you may receive full or partial reimbursement.

For this reason, it is best to check with your insurer ahead of time. You can do this by either going online to your insurer’s website or by calling member services (the number is usually located on the back of your insurance card). You will want to ask your insurer specifics regarding your mental health benefits, i.e. what they are, and what your “out of network” coverage is.

Good questions to ask your insurance company are: What is my deductible, and has it been met? How many sessions does my plan cover per calendar year? Does my plan require a referral from my physician? How much does my plan cover for each session?

There are a few key reasons we don’t take insurance.

1. It’s all about a diagnosis.

Insurance companies require that we give you a diagnosis. It then becomes a game of justifying the “why”—why you need treatment, how many sessions you get, what modalities we use, etc. In essence, it places your insurance company in the driver’s seat of your care, instead of you. Why is this important? Because your insurance company profits not when you are receiving services, but in the absence of them. Thus, their goal is to stop paying as soon as they can.

2. It can compromise your confidentiality.

Once your insurance gets billed, they will begin the process of evaluating your treatment. They will want to know your diagnosis, whether you’ve improved or not, and what type of care you are receiving. In order to make this determination, your insurance company can request access to your records (something they can do at any time). As your claim is being processed, any person or persons handling your claim will have access to your treatment record, including your diagnosis, progress notes, and any and all information that was not included in your initial claim.

3. It’s a lot of hassle.

Rather than going back and forth with insurance companies all day, we want to focus on providing the absolute highest level of service to our clients.

Other Ways to Pay

If you have a Health Savings Account (HSA) or a Flexible Savins Account (FSA) you may be able to those funds to cover the cost of your sessions. Again, it is best to contact your insurance provider to get clarity on what your plan does and does not cover.

What are my rights and protections against suprise medical bills?

YOUR RIGHTS AND PROTECTIONS AGAINST SURPRISE MEDICAL BILLS

(OMB Control Number: 0938-1401)

When you get emergency care or get treated by an out-of-network provider at an in-network hospital or ambulatory surgical center, you are protected from surprise billing or balance billing.

What is “balance billing” (sometimes called “surprise billing”)?
When you see a doctor or other health care provider, you may owe certain out-of-pocket costs, such as a copayment, coinsurance, and/or a deductible. You may have other costs or have to pay the entire bill if you see a provider or visit a healthcare facility that isn’t in your health plan’s network.

“Out-of-network” describes providers and facilities that haven’t signed a contract with your health plan. Out-of-network providers may be permitted to bill you for the difference between what your plan agreed to pay and the full amount charged for a service. This is called “balance billing.” This amount is likely more than in-network costs for the same service and might not count toward your annual out-of-pocket limit.

“Surprise billing” is an unexpected balance bill. This can happen when you can’t control who is involved in your care – like when you have an emergency or when you schedule a visit at an in-network facility but are unexpectedly treated by an out-of-network provider.

You are protected from balance billing for:

Emergency services
If you have an emergency medical condition and get emergency services from an out-of-network provider or facility, the most the provider or facility may bill you is your plan’s in-network cost-sharing amount (such as copayments and coinsurance). You can’t be balance billed for these emergency services. This includes services you may get after you’re in stable condition, unless you give written consent and give up your protections not to be balanced billed for these post-stabilization services.

Certain services at an in-network hospital or ambulatory surgical center

When you get services from an in-network hospital or ambulatory surgical center, certain providers there may be out-of-network. In these cases, the most those providers may bill you is your plan’s in-network cost-sharing amount. This applies to emergency medicine, anesthesia, pathology, radiology, laboratory, neonatology, assistant surgeon, hospitalist, or intensivist services. These providers can’t balance bill you and may not ask you to give up your protections not to be balance billed.

If you get other services at these in-network facilities, out-of-network providers can’t balance bill you unless you give written consent and give up your protections.

You’re never required to give up your protection from balance billing. You also aren’t required to get care out-of-network. You can choose a provider or facility in your plan’s network.

When balance billing isn’t allowed, you also have the following protections:

You are only responsible for paying your share of the cost (like the copayments, coinsurance, and deductibles that you would pay if the provider or facility was in-network). Your health plan will pay out-of-network providers and facilities directly.

Your health plan generally must:

Cover emergency services without requiring you to get approval for services in advance (prior authorization).

Cover emergency services by out-of-network providers.

Base what you owe the provider or facility (cost-sharing) on what it would pay an in-network provider or facility and show that amount in your explanation of benefits.

Count any amount you pay for emergency services or out-of-network services toward your deductible and out-of-pocket limit.

If you believe you’ve been wrongly billed, you may contact: California Department of Consumer Affairs at (800) 952-5210.

Visit cms.gov/nosurprises for more information about your rights under Federal law.

Visit dmhc.ca.gov/ for more information about your rights under California law.

What are your hours?

Our therapists offer both morning, mid-day and evening appointments.

Some of our therapists may also be able to provide weekend appointments by request.

If you need help with scheduling, feel free to reach out to our Client Care Coordinator, Kae, at 916-619-7744.