Frequently Asked Questions

Are you accepting new clients?

Our therapists’ caseloads are currently full. As of September 6, 2024 we are not accepting new clients. This section will be updated once we start accepting new clients again.

Do you take insurance?

Yes, we are in-network with the following plans:

Aetna PPO
Aetna HMO
Aetna EPO
Aetna Managed Choice
Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) PPO
Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of NJ PPO (traditional plans only)

We are not in-network with the following plans (not exhaustive list):

Medicare (even if provided by BCBS or Aetna)
Medicaid (even if provided by BCBS or Aetna, such as BCBS NJ FamilyCare)
Horizon BCBS Managed Care plans, including:
-BCBS HMO plans
-BCBS EPO / OMNIA plans
-BCBS NJ DIRECT and Direct Access

Click here for more information about fees, insurance, and payment.

Do you take out-of-state insurance?

Yes, we take out of state insurance as long as we are in-network (i.e., Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO, Aetna PPO, Aetna HMO, Aetna EPO, or Aetna Managed Choice). A specific plan may have a different name depending on the state, such as Horizon Blue Cross PPO of New Jersey or CareFirst Blue Cross PPO in Maryland. We do not take Medicaid, Medicare, or tiered insurance plans.

Do you accept out-of-network insurance benefits?

Yes, we accept out-of-network benefits. View detailed information about out-of-network reimbursement here.

How much does therapy cost?

Insurance: If we are in-network with your health insurance plan, your copayment may range from $0 to $40 per session depending on your specific plan’s coverage. Most people have a copay of $10 to $30 per session. We would be happy to give you an estimate of your BCBS PPO or Aetna health insurance coverage (e.g., copayment, coinsurance, deductible, and more) if you complete this form.

Private Pay: Our private pay rate is $175 for a ~50-minute therapy session, and $225 for the one-time 60-minute diagnostic intake (the first session).

Out-of-Network Reimbursement: If you have other insurance (not BCBS PPO or Aetna) and plan to submit claims for out-of-network reimbursement, our billable out-of-pocket rate is $175 for therapy and $225 for the diagnostic intake. You would be responsible for paying the full fee for services up front and your health insurer reimburses you a percentage of the total cost. Please see here for more information related to out-of-network coverage and costs.

Do you offer free consultations?

Yes, we offer a free 15-minute consultation by phone to see if we may be a good fit for therapeutic work. See here for more information related to a free consult.

Do you offer in-person appointments?

Yes, we offer in-person sessions at our East Brunswick office location only, Monday through Friday. The address for the East Brunswick office is 495 Ryders Lane, East Brunswick, NJ 08816.

Do you offer telehealth and virtual appointments?

Yes, we offer teletherapy across 41 states in the USA and 1 commonwealth. Our licensed psychologists are credentialed through PSYPACT® to practice telepsychology across state lines. We can work with you if you live in or are traveling to:

Alabama (AL)
Arizona (AZ)
Arkansas (AR)
Colorado (CO)
Connecticut (CT)
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI)
Delaware (DE)
District of Columbia (D.C.)
Florida (FL)
Georgia (GA)
Idaho (ID)
Illinois (IL)
Indiana (IN)
Kansas (KS)
Kentucky (KY)
Maine (ME)
Maryland (MD)
Michigan (MI)
Minnesota (MN)
Mississippi (MS)
Missouri (MO)
Nebraska (NE)
Nevada (NV)
New Hampshire (NH)
New Jersey (NJ)
North Carolina (NC)
North Dakota (ND)
Ohio (OH)
Oklahoma (OK)
Pennsylvania (PA)
Rhode Island (RI)
South Carolina (SC)
South Dakota (SD)
Tennessee (TN)
Texas (TX)
Utah (UT)
Vermont (VT)
Virginia (VA)
Washington (WA)
West Virginia (WV)
Wisconsin (WI)
Wyoming (WY)

This means you can keep working with your therapist if you relocate or temporarily travel to one of these states. Click here for the most current list of PSYPACT®-participating states.

How often are therapy sessions?

Most clients see their therapist once a week. Weekly sessions are encouraged especially when starting out in order to build a relationship between the client and therapist and for a better understanding of how we can customize effective treatment for you. Less frequently, some people have an arrangement where they see their therapist once every two weeks. Depending on the progression of treatment and/or client circumstances, some may request sessions even less frequently but this must be clinically-appropriate and mutually agreed upon between the client and therapist.

A minimum of once a month sessions are required to stay on our caseload; this is offered to clients who have been in treatment for at least one year with the same therapist. We cannot be responsible for your care if we are not actively treating you. 

How long are sessions?

Therapy sessions are 53-minutes long. This may sometimes vary by a few minutes depending on the course and natural end of the session. The first appointment, called the diagnostic intake, is 60-minutes long. If a client is late to an appointment, the length of the session will not be extended.

How long do people go to therapy?

It varies from person to person. Therapy might take place over the course of a few sessions to several years. You are invited to continue as long as it has value to you. Former clients are almost always welcome back to resume treatment with their therapist even if they have previously terminated or their last session was a number of months or years ago.

Do you have a cancellation policy?

Yes. Late cancellations within 24-hours of your appointment, no shows, and frequent cancellations are subject to a fee of the full amount of your session (not just your copayment and/or coinsurance). Read our full cancellation policy here. This policy is not a punishment. The nature of therapeutic work requires a high degree of personal attention and involvement. As a result, your therapist has a limited number of clients and time slots available. Because of this, your time with your therapist is reserved for you and you only. Your therapist cannot simply take on a new client to fill in an empty slot because we can only work with a limited number of people at a time. At least a 24 hour cancellation notice is required to so your therapist has enough time to make appropriate arrangements. Note that insurance does not cover fees due to missed sessions.

Can you see clients anywhere in the United States?

No, therapists can only work with clients in the states they are licensed and via online/telehealth if the client is in one of the 41 PSYPACT® participating states or the Northern Mariana Islands. These states include: AL, AZ, AR, CO, CT, DE, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, ME, MD, MI, MN, MS, MO, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NC, ND, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, and WY. A client’s physical body must be located in one of these states at the time of a therapy session.

When are appointments available?

Our hours generally start in the morning and end as late as 8:30PM EST. Evening time slots are less likely to be available due to higher demand. Morning and early afternoon appointments are more likely to have openings, which may work well for clients who have the ability to work from home on one or more day per week. Sessions are by appointment-only and the specific day/time can be adjusted as long as it works out for both the client and therapist.

How can I access my client portal?

You can access your client portal here. On the client portal you can upload your documents, manage your payment methods, view your payment history, view your upcoming appointments, and more.

When are payments due?

When a client registers for services, they are prompted to create a TherapyPortal™ secure client portal account and put a card on file with our billing system. A client’s credit card, debit card, or FSA/HSA card will be charged using the TherapyPortal™ integrated Online Payments feature. Generally, clients will be billed the same day following their appointment. Clients using insurance will typically be charged their copayment or coinsurance on the same day following their appointment, while it may take several weeks for insurance claims to be completely processed. Clients paying privately or out-of-pocket with out-of-network benefits will be charged the full amount of the session on the same day after their appointment. If you need to make different arrangements, please let your therapist know so you can discuss if there are any mutually agreed upon options.

What forms of payment do you accept?

We accepted credit card, debit card, or FSA/HSA cards. Payment is processed through your TherapyPortal™ secure client portal account when you put a card on file with our online billing system.

How does billing work?

As a small practice, we do not have a billing department. We take payment at the time of our sessions and we do our best to be aware of what your insurance will likely cover before our first appointment. As a result, we generally do not send out bills. There are rare occasions when insurance does not cover what we expected and we will keep you informed as soon as possible in such cases. For any billing related questions, please email us at info@newbrunswicktherapy.com

I received a bill from my insurance company. What is this?

This may be an "Explanation of Benefits" document from your insurance company, which explains what they paid us, services rendered, and how much of our fee was not covered by your health insurance. This is often mistaken for a bill because it might state, "You may still owe your provider $20.00." It is not likely that you will receive a bill from us since we typically collect payments and copayments at the time of service. We encourage you to confirm by calling the Member Services number on the back of your insurance card.

Do you see children, adolescents, couples, families, or groups?

No. At this time we are only working with individual adults.

What is a Good Faith Estimate?

Clients who do not have insurance or are not using their insurance have the right to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” explaining how much their medical and mental health care will cost, including psychotherapy services. Click here for more information on the Good Faith Estimate or No Surprises Act.

What is confidentiality?

Confidentiality means that your therapist is not allowed to share any information about your treatment, diagnosis, billing/payments, or even acknowledge that you are a client at New Brunswick Therapy without your explicit and written permission, except in specific cases.* Everything that is discussed in session stays between you and your therapist, subject to certain limitations in the law.* Your therapist also has an obligation and must take reasonable precautions to protect confidential information obtained through or stored in any medium. This privacy is an essential part of psychotherapy. In addition to being a legal and ethical requirement of our profession, it is important to our work as people privileged to have a window into your private life. Therapists guard your confidentiality very closely and are very careful to not betray your trust.

If your therapist must disclose your personal information without your permission, your therapist will only disclose the minimum necessary to satisfy the obligation. However, there are a few exceptions.

*We can use and disclose your protected health information without your authorization for the following reasons:

1.     When disclosure is required by state or federal law, and the use or disclosure complies with and is limited to the relevant requirements of such law.

2. If your therapist believes that you are at imminent risk of harming yourself, they may contact law enforcement or other crisis services. However, before contacting emergency or crisis services, your therapist will work with you to discuss other options to keep you safe.

3. If your therapist believes there is a specific, credible threat of harm to someone else, they may be required by law or may make their own decision about whether to warn the other person and notify law enforcement. The term specific, credible threat is defined by state law. Your therapist can explain more if you have questions.

4.     For public health activities, including reporting suspected child, elder, or dependent adult abuse, or preventing or reducing a serious threat to anyone’s health or safety. If your therapist has reason to believe a minor or elderly individual is a victim of abuse or neglect, they are required by law to contact the appropriate authorities.

5. Your therapist may speak to emergency personnel.

6.     For health oversight activities, including audits and investigations. If you report that another healthcare provider is engaging in inappropriate behavior, your therapist may be required to report this information to the appropriate licensing board. Your therapist will discuss making this report with you first and will only share the minimum information needed while making a report. If your therapist must share your personal information without getting your permission first, they will only share the minimum information needed. There are a few times that your therapist may not keep your personal information confidential.

7.     For judicial and administrative proceedings, including responding to a court or administrative order, although our preference is to obtain an Authorization from you before doing so.

8.     For law enforcement purposes, including reporting crimes occurring on our premises.

9. Your therapist may speak to other healthcare providers involved in your care.   

10. To coroners or medical examiners, when such individuals are performing duties authorized by law.

11.     For research purposes, including studying and comparing the mental health of clients who received one form of therapy versus those who received another form of therapy for the same condition.

12.     Specialized government functions, including, ensuring the proper execution of military missions; protecting the President of the United States; conducting intelligence or counter-intelligence operations; or, helping to ensure the safety of those working within or housed in correctional institutions.

13.     For workers' compensation purposes. Although our preference is to obtain an Authorization from you, we may provide your PHI in order to comply with workers' compensation laws.

14.  Appointment reminders and health related benefits or services. We may use and disclose your PHI to contact you to remind you that you have an appointment with your therapist. We may also use and disclose your PHI to tell you about treatment alternatives, or other health care services or benefits that we offer.