What private pay means here
Private pay is simple at its core: you pay Atlas Minds directly, and the practice does not bill an insurer on your behalf. You know the fee before you schedule, and any conversation with your insurance plan happens separately, on your own terms.
Private pay does not have to mean giving up on your benefits. Depending on your plan, you may be able to seek out-of-network reimbursement using a superbill. Whether that works, and for how much, is decided by the plan rather than by Atlas Minds, which is why the details below are worth a few minutes before your first session.
The fees, stated plainly
The fee for a 50-minute individual therapy session is $175, and the fee for a 50-minute couples or relationship session is $200. The 15-minute consultation is free. Sessions are held by telehealth, so location matters more than distance: you need to be physically in Texas or Florida at the time.
The Rates page lists these fees along with the 24-hour cancellation policy, so the practical details live in one place. If anything is unclear, the consultation is a good time to ask, before you commit to scheduling a full session.
How superbills work
A superbill is an itemized record of the therapy sessions you have paid for, which you can submit to your insurance plan yourself. Atlas Minds provides one on request. The plan then decides whether to reimburse you for out-of-network care under the terms of your benefits.
Whether you are reimbursed, and how much, depends on your plan. Atlas Minds cannot promise reimbursement or tell you what a plan will pay. The plan's answer is the one that counts, so it is worth asking specific questions before you count on any money coming back.
Keeping copies of each superbill you submit, and of any response from your plan, makes it easier to follow up if a claim is delayed or denied.
Questions worth asking your plan
Out-of-network benefits vary from plan to plan, and only your plan can explain its own rules. A call to the member services number on your insurance card, or a careful read of your benefits documents, can clarify a lot.
It helps to write down each answer, along with the date and the name of the person you spoke with. Useful topics include:
- Whether your plan includes out-of-network benefits for outpatient mental health care.
- Whether a deductible applies before reimbursement begins, and how much of it you have already met.
- What share of the session fee the plan reimburses once any deductible is met.
- Whether telehealth sessions are covered on the same terms as in-person sessions.
- Whether couples or relationship sessions are eligible under your plan at all.
- How to submit a superbill, and how long processing can take.
Why couples therapy is a special case
Insurers generally require an individual diagnosis. Relationship therapy focuses on the pattern between partners rather than on one person's diagnosis, and as a result couples therapy often is not covered.
You can still request a superbill for couples and relationship sessions, and your plan will decide what, if anything, it reimburses. It is wise to budget for those sessions without counting on reimbursement unless your plan confirms coverage. That way, the decision to begin rests on what you can sustain rather than on money that may not arrive.
Your written Good Faith Estimate
Under the federal No Surprises Act, people who are uninsured or not using insurance for their care are entitled to a Good Faith Estimate of expected charges. Atlas Minds gives every private-pay client a written estimate, and you are welcome to request one before you schedule.
The estimate reflects the charges that can reasonably be expected from the information available when it is prepared. Receiving one does not sign you up for anything: it is not a contract, and you are not bound to a set number of sessions. Since the length of therapy is up to you, the total cost cannot be known ahead of time, so the estimate can explain the session fee without fixing a total.
The Good Faith Estimate page explains these rights in more detail, including when you may be able to dispute a bill that is higher than your estimate.
Cost is one factor in choosing a format, but it does not have to be the deciding one. Choosing between individual and relationship therapy has its own guide.
Individual or Couples Therapy