Fees & Insurance
*Only Self-Pay at this time. Limited sliding scale fees are available on a case-by-case basis and ideally is a temporary agreement as the hope is that clients can get to full pay. Discuss this with RACHEL SHOULD YOU HAVE FINANCIAL ISSUES.
*Clients with insurance can use a service called “thrizer” (see below) or can request a “superbill” from rachel which can be used to access any out-of-network (OON) benefits that may or may not be included in your insurance plan. to make your life way easier, rachel can check into your OON benefits in just a few short minutes! you can also contact your insurance provider to inquire about OON Benefits.
*Please keep reading below so you can click on the thrizer link and learn more!
Out-of-Network Benefits and Thrizer
I am currently a private-pay, out-of-network provider. While I don't accept insurance directly, your insurance plan may have out-of-network benefits (OON), which means that they will reimburse you for a portion of our session cost, most often after paying a deductible off as determined by your insurance company; the amount you would pay then is what’s known as “coinsurance” and is basically like a copay.
I have partnered with Thrizer to handle the out-of-network process automatically for you. With Thrizer, should you have out-of-network benefits, you will only have to pay a the coinsurance (copay) for our sessions, instead of paying my full fee and waiting for reimbursements. This typically allows clients to save on average 70% upfront on our sessions.
During our intake process, I can help you verify if you have out-of-network benefits and how much your coinsurance/copay would be, which often saves hours of attempting to contact your insurance company and even getting different answers depending on who you talk to there. Most often, in a few minutes, I can verify whether or not you have OON benefits, how much your copay is, as well as the amount of any remaining deductible you may have to pay before reimbursements get going, if any. All I need is a copy of your insurance card to do that! I try and make this as easy and stress-free as possible. Of course insurance, and navigating the insurance world, is never stress-free! But, I try!
Download Fees and Payment Form
Fees for services
Unless otherwise agreed to, sessions are billed as follows:
Individual Therapy:
Initial Assessment & Diagnosis (60 minutes) $180.00
Individual Therapy Session (50 minutes) $130.00
Individual Therapy Session (1 hour & 15 minutes) $180.00
Individual Therapy Session (1 hour & 40 minutes) $240.00
Brief “Check-In” or “Tune-Up” (20-30 minutes) $60.00 *also used for additional session time
Brief “Check-In” or “Tune-Up” (10-15 minutes) $30.00 *also used for additional session time
Couples or Family Therapy:
Couples/ Family Initial Assessment & Diagnosis (60 minutes) $200.00
Couples/ Family Therapy (50 minutes) $150.00
Couples/ Family Therapy (1 hour & 15 minutes) $220.00
Couples/ Family Therapy (1 hour & 40 minutes) $280.00
Group Therapy:
Group Therapy Session (1.5 hours) $50.00
Other Services:
Deposition or Appearance in Court $500 + $100/hour
Written Correspondence (depending on type) $50.00/page
Records and Document Review ($30 minimum) $95.00/hour (*if you are requesting records, this cost does not include the cost of postage, copying and/or printing records. This cost also does not include the time often spent discussing and corresponding about the records' request itself. If you are requesting records, please let Rachel Weiss know and she will give you another form with much more extensive information on this procedure, her policies, as well as the legal and ethical guidelines she follows. Much of this is in the other intake paperwork on this website, however more detail is often needed. (This additional detailed document will be on this website in the "Forms" page in the very near future.)
If your session goes 15 minutes+ longer than the scheduled time, you will be charged for the extra time.
Except for brief phone contacts & text message exchanges (1-9 minutes), you will be charged for phone consultations, phone therapy, text communications, “check-ins,” and "teletherapy" at the same rates as in-person sessions.
Emails or other professional services (including letters to outside professionals, and extended coordination of care with other professionals) will be billed at the rate of $100 per hour. *This may not include the cost of writing and sending a letter or summary of care, etc. That cost is stated above in "Written Correspondence." Postage, copying and/or printing may not be included. You will be informed of any services requiring additional payments before the services are rendered.
Payment methods and policies
Payments of session fees are due at the time of service. Acceptable methods of payment are cash, check, and major credit, debit and HSA cards. With teletherapy being used now payment methods have changed, most people use Zelle for payments as there is no additional card processing fees as there is when using Square. Zelle is linked with most banks now, however if your bank doesn’t use Zelle, you can use the free Zellepay App and enter a Debit Card (Mastercard or Visa), and this will then be set up to automatically transfer your payments to Rachel, just like an automatic bank transfer.
Debit and credit cards are charged through Square using the card on file you provide in your intake paperwork. There is a card processing fee which changes from time to time- but this is infrequent. It is a percentage of the amount paid which Square charges. Ask Rachel how much the card processing fee is if you do want to use your card on file for payments; however other methods are being used as well, just make arrangements with Rachel. Rachel Weiss asks that all payments be completed prior to the start of the scheduled session. *Rachel also asks that payments for the intake/initial session be made 24 hours prior to the scheduled appointment’s start time.
*However, if you are seeing Rachel through the very limited spots Rachel offers through Open Path Psychotherapy Collective, this looks a bit different (please see below).
Account balances must be paid prior to, or at the beginning, of the next session. Payment Plans are available on a case by case basis; ask Rachel if you want to discuss this option due to any financial hardship. Continuation of services may be dependent on having your account in good standing.
To allow for compliance with these policies, please provide a credit or debit card to be kept on file.
Download Credit Card on File Authorization Form
Any fees incurred by Rachel Weiss from credit card companies, collection agencies or banks due to insufficient funds, payment disputes, or non-payment of fees will be passed along to the client. A $30.00 fee will be charged for any late payments, declined card or returned check. Clients do not need to be notified when Rachel is using the Card on File for No Shows, Late Cancels, Late Payments, etc.
Insurance Reimbursement
Rachel Weiss is happy to bill any “out of network” insurance you have. If you have out of network benefits and want to use them, most likely you will be paying a deductible off. In this case you will be charged her full self-pay rate, not your insurance company’s rate. After the deductible is met, your insurance may or may not cover a portion of your services. Please check with your insurance company prior to meeting with Rachel Weiss for your first appointment. Account balances must be paid prior to, or at the beginning, of the next session. Payment Plans are available on a case by case basis; ask Rachel if you want to discuss this option.
Continuation of services may be dependent on having your account in good standing. As stated above, please contact your insurance company to determine your benefits and authorization requirements. If your insurance company requires a pre-authorization, please have the required information with you at the first session. (*Please note: "Alison Rachel Weiss, LCSW" is the full legal name that you will need to ask questions to your insurance company.)
Missed Appointments and Cancellation Policies
Please give at least 24 hours' notice if you need to cancel your appointment, 48+ hours is much preferable. (The notice needs to be given 24 hours prior to the time your appointment is scheduled to begin.) Your card on file will be automatically charged for any Late Cancellation or Missed Appointment Fees. Fees must be paid prior to subsequent appointments. On occasion Payment Plans are available; discuss this with Rachel if needed.
Late cancellations are appointments you cancelled with less than 24 hours’ notice given. *If your appointment is on a Monday, you will need to cancel prior to 5pm on the Friday before, otherwise this is considered a Late Cancellation as well.
Missed Appointments (“No-Shows”) are appointments you miss without cancelling prior to your scheduled appointment time. If you No-Show an appointment, and do not call Rachel Weiss within 24 hours of missing it, any standing appointments you have scheduled will be cancelled immediately. You can still call and schedule a new appointment, but your standing slot may be gone. Depending on the situation, and whether or not this is a pattern for you, Rachel may start scheduling your appointments one at a time. This would be in the hopes that things can get back on track, without more missed appointments or late-cancellations, except in extreme emergencies. This will be re-evaluated, at the right time, to determine whether or not scheduling a new standing appointment would work out or not.
Late Cancellation Fees (less than 24 hours’ notice): $50.00 first time only. $100.00 all other times.
Missed Appointment / “No-Show” Fee: $130.00
(above fees are for 50-60 minute Individual Therapy Sessions. For other services, expect to pay the full fee for your missed session, as listed in the beginning of this document. If you are paying a lower rate on a sliding scale, you can expect to pay the full fee as agreed to with Rachel for missed appointments.)
After 3 late cancellations/ missed appointments within a year, Rachel Weiss may discontinue services with you indefinitely.
Should you late cancel and/ or no-show 2 consecutive weeks in a row, your standing appointment will most likely be removed immediately.
Rachel Weiss reserves the right to discontinue services with you at any time- as reiterated in the “Client Rights and Responsibilities Document.”
On occasion, Individualized Attendance Contracts will be created, however this is only done on a case-by-case basis. Please feel free to inquire about these.
For Open Path Clients: The authorization form for your card on file will be required on the day of scheduling your intake session along with a copy or photo of your Photo ID in order to keep the session, this is so the session can be charged if you do not show or you late cancel it (this form is linked below). These differences have to do with Open Path Policies, and what Rachel needs in order to be able to offer this low-fee service. Rachel will provide the specific information about these policies to any client coming to therapy through Open Path on the same day an intake appointment is scheduled. The only real difference are the receipt of the card on file form the day of scheduling the initial appointment. The receipt of that form, along with a photo ID, on the day the intake session is booked, will assure that scheduled intake appointment will stay booked. Otherwise, the appointment will be removed (clients may be able to schedule a new one once these things are received).
Additionally, for Open Path clients, Rachel charges $70 for a late cancellation (1st time $50), and $100 for a “no show’’/missed appointment. Overall, there are just a few slight differences for Open Path clients- and you will be informed of these differences prior to your initial session. All else in the paperwork and policies listed on this site, are the same.
Please be aware that psychotherapy requires a commitment to attending regularly. Rachel Weiss can only see one client per hour, so please be considerate to other clients in need of another appointment time, an extra appointment that week, as well as towards other individuals on Rachel Weiss’s waiting list of clients wanting to start therapy with her.
Healing, Self-Care and True Transformation occur, in part, when we place our Therapy/ Our Selves/ Our Deepest Core Needs, above all else. This will lead to your life becoming what you want it to be. I do not believe in short fixes that tend to begin by people attempting to control their external worlds- prioritizing work, family, friends, travel, etc. in order to heal, you must prioritize your recovery. If you do not, in my professional experience and expertise, you will perpetually return to the same types of issues you entered therapy to work on in the first place; often the issues even worsen or manifest in different ways. Our world opens up to us when we place recovery/ therapy/ healing FIRST. If you are not ready for this type of commitment. That's OK! We can discuss it, take a break and return later, when the full motivation is there.
