Scheduling & Costs
How to Schedule
Scheduling is done by prior arrangement, after an initial consult call with clinician. The first step is to reach out by using the form at the bottom of this page to schedule the consult call, where we’ll briefly discuss (~15mins) your concerns and any questions you may have, as well as what to expect at first meeting, and how you might like to arrange payment.
Scheduled sessions are typically 45 – 60 minutes, and will generally be held in-person at the Main Ave office location*. Telehealth option available as needed.
*Please note this office location may be physically difficult to access for some with mobility limitations, as there is a flight of stairs up to the office. If you need accommodations, please reach out and ask! Other arrangements can be made and if it’s possible to help make therapy more accessible, UPC will do so in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Costs for Services
UPC does not offer any insurance-billed services, and cannot offer sliding scale rates to those with Medicaid. If interested in using Medicaid, an EAP, or other insurance to work with Michael, please reach out by email, and you can be referred to a practice location where some insurances may be utilized, or to another clinic where you may receive sliding scale services while enrolled in Medicaid. The world has many paths!
UPC’s Approach to Payments
As a counselor who has used medical insurance, paid out of pocket, negotiated rates directly with therapists, and applied for 3rd party needs-based grants for my own therapeutic care at various times, I understand and integrate that experience into how I conduct work with clients. I recognize the value of you showing up and committing resources to your growth, and strive to make the time in session therapeutically useful to you. I cannot give my time away, but I will work with you if your financial situation creates difficulty in accessing care you need. Keep reading for options.
If you do not have medical insurance, there are still options besides going without due to costs, or struggling to pay market rates for therapy, or seeing a student provider.
If you have private medical insurance, you can explore options prior to deciding. There is no requirement for customers of private medical insurance plans (including employer-sponsored and marketplace individual / family plans) to utilize them for coverage of all care – you can make your own arrangements without engaging insurance billing processes, and in some cases, this may be to your benefit. This depends on your insurance plan specifics, your priorities and preferences for treatment and privacy, and your financial situation.
If you have private medical insurance but it has high costs to use, for example if a high deductible must be met prior to coverage, or if there is a high copay or cost-share per session, it may be to your benefit to seek care with a provider who can offer discount rates or a sliding scale.
If you have private medical insurance but you prefer more privacy or flexibility than it allows, it may be to your benefit to make your own arrangements to pay directly for therapy. For example, if a plan does not offer reimbursements for the kinds of concerns you might like to address in counseling, or you prefer that no one besides you and your therapist have access to information about your therapy process, you may choose to not use insurance for this care. Insurance-reimbursed therapy services also require a formal diagnosis, which you may not prefer to receive as part of your care.
UPC offers two pathways toward more affordable counseling:
1. Self-pay at a significantly discounted rate, with a sliding scale:
- This option provides a session rate between $40-84, as determined between client and clinician, in consideration of client’s situation and needs.
- If interested, please visit the Open Path Collective website below to find out more and apply if eligible. Once approved, we can schedule sessions:
- https://openpathcollective.org/
- The Client FAQs page is particularly helpful as you consider this option.
- https://openpathcollective.org/
- If interested, please visit the Open Path Collective website below to find out more and apply if eligible. Once approved, we can schedule sessions:
2. Apply for foundation support to cover a share of costs:
- A local non-profit fundraises and offers relief funding to support access to needed mental healthcare services. The foundation can cover a portion and the client covers a portion, similar to a copay. Costs for clients can range between $10-50 per session, depending on client need and application specifics, subject to funding availability and approval.
- If interested, please review their information, and reach out to UPC with questions. The application must be submitted by client and clinician both, so it’s easiest if we meet briefly to discuss your needs and plan an application together (we can do this initial in-office or telehealth consult at no cost to you).
- More information on the Foundation for Lighting Up the Dark’s (FLUD) website:
- If interested, please review their information, and reach out to UPC with questions. The application must be submitted by client and clinician both, so it’s easiest if we meet briefly to discuss your needs and plan an application together (we can do this initial in-office or telehealth consult at no cost to you).
Please note: Open Path is a non-profit working to make access to therapy services more affordable, and simply establishes initial eligibility. The Foundation for Lighting Up the Dark (FLUD) is solely a non-profit relief fund to help cover therapy costs for those with financial need, not an insurance program. Neither have access to the specific details of your treatment without your specific consent, and neither is involved in making decisions about your care beyond the initial financial access applications you make. They are separate entities from UPC, and though UPC maintains an affiliation with both of them, all counseling services are provided directly by, and client costs paid directly to, Untold Paths Counseling.
Questions remain? No problem.
If in doubt about options, arrangements, or further information that would help you decide what may be best for you, please reach out and we can discuss your concerns. What works well for one may not for another, and ultimately the goal of UPC is to connect you to the path you need to be on, even if it’s somewhere else right now!
Untold Paths Counseling 