November 11, 2024

sebastianpremici

always trying new things

Couples Therapy: Is Couples Therapy Covered by Insurance?

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Can you use insurance for couples therapy?

Is couples therapy covered by insurance? It depends on the kind of insurance you have acquired. But in general, couples therapy is not covered under most standard health insurance plans.There are a lot of New York relationship therapists that are available all around you can ask them if insurance can cover this kind of therapy. 

ACA Health Insurance

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) covers mental and behavioral health services since it is an essential benefit for individuals, but sadly, it does not cover couples therapy. It is only applicable when one of the people has mental health problems like adult schizophrenia, affective mood disorders, alcoholism, and drug abuse provided that the proper procedure or medical billing codes apply.

Employer-Sponsored Group Insurance

It may be covered through an employee benefits plan under your employer’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP) but couples therapy typically is not covered by your standard health insurance. It is beneficial for many employers because they feel more focused on the well-being of their employees, including their mental health, and it can contribute to improving their performance and reduce the rates of being absent. 

It is better to contact your benefits manager and what the insurance covers and if it is available for couples therapy since it is vital in your well-being.

Short-term Health Insurance

Although some insurances have “mental health” as coverage, couples therapy does not fall under that category. You are going to have to contact the insurance company to find out.

COBRA

Some plans may include some coverage for couples counseling if your employer’s group insurance is included in the coverage.

Medicare

Medicare covers family counseling if the main purpose of it is to help with your treatment and it is provided by a behavioral health care provider like psychiatrists, physicians, clinical psychologists, clinical social workers, and nurse specialists. It does not provide coverage for family or couple counseling if it is licensed MFT. 

What to do when you can’t afford couples therapy?

  1. Speak to your social worker or doctor if they can give you some recommendations for some couples therapy services.
  2. Be sure and inform yourself about what mental health coverages they provide, if it is not covered, you could get an individual. Not gonna be the same but it could hopefully help in a way.
  3. There is online counseling that has reasonable fees.
  4. When looking for counseling, ask about the discounts and special pricing if you buy multiple sessions. They will assess your situation and they will work with you to come up with a possible payment schedule or plan.

What is the success rate of couples counseling?

Marriage counseling has got to be the hardest type of therapy for therapists to perform. The types of relationships that people bring in counseling have become diverse and this increases the number of couples who seek couples counseling and increases the complexity of relationship issues. 

Average Success Rate: 70%

Private practices that offer couples counseling: 80%

Married couples that have had gone through couples counseling: 50%

What to Expect in Couples Counseling:

First Session

Your counselor may provide some paperwork and have a conversation with you about the policies, legalities, and ethics of your therapist/patient relationship. After that is done, the remainder of the time would be spent talking about the reason why you are in there.

Getting to Know You

After the first session, the earlier sessions of couples counseling, the counselor will be conducting an intake where they will learn further about your reason for seeking counseling and will get to know you individually and as a couple. They will ask questions about your childhood, how you and your partner met, the early years of your relationship, and other important details about your personal lives.

Setting Goals and a Timeline

You will set goals for your time in counseling. This requires honesty and thoughtfulness. You will set specific goals, individually and as a couple that could help you and your partner progress through therapy effectively. Actions speak louder than words.

Individual, couples, and family therapy sessions

Not all your sessions are gonna be spent talking to you and your partner, sometimes your counselor would be calling you in one-by-one, allowing you to share things with your counselor that you might be reluctant to share in the presence of your partner. You may even decide to participate in family therapy or other members of your family who are being affected by your relationship problems.

Statistics show that most couples wait an average of 6 years before they go and seek relationship therapy but it is best that you go and seek it as soon as you recognize the problem so that you could prevent it from growing bigger.