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Does insurance pay for marriage counseling? Yes, some insurance does pay for marriage counseling.

At Guy Stuff, we don't take insurance as payment or bill insurance companies in order to protect your privacy and prevent other risks to you. If you'd like to use your insurance to pay for counseling, you'll need to check your insurance plan and find out if it will reimburse you for out-of-network mental health counseling. Many insurance plans have reimbursed Guy Stuff patients, so it's possible yours may too.

You can call your insurance company or check their website. Ask them, "Can I use my insurance to pay for out-of-network counseling?" Find out what benefits your plan provides, such as the dollar amount they'll reimburse for each meeting and if there are any limitations (like number of meetings) or provider qualifications. Insurance plans have counselors they contract with that they'll want to refer you to. Keep in mind that therapists referred by insurance plans are not always the most experienced and won't be able to give you Guy Stuff's unique expertise in working with men and specific issues.

If your plan will reimburse you, we'll provide you with a monthly statement for you to use to get reimbursement. We require payment from you, however, at the time of service.

If you're asking yourself can I use my insurance to pay for counseling, you should know that there are some risks to using insurance to pay for counseling. The reason we do not take insurance as payment or bill insurance companies is to prevent these risks and protect your privacy. By having you submit the claim, rather than us, we avoid most of these issues.

Here are a couple of things to consider as you decide whether or not to use your insurance:

  • We have to give you a mental disorder diagnosis in order for you to use your insurance. This goes in your medical record and can negatively affect you in the future by potentially increasing the cost of your medical and life insurance, as well as your ability to qualify for coverage.
  • We have to disclose our treatment records and write reports to your insurance company about what we work on together. We value your privacy and the clients we work with want their counseling treatment kept private, so we will not do this.
  • Your insurance company can dictate treatment, both in what we can work with you on and for how long. We believe that this should be your choice, not theirs.
  • If you were ever involved in any kind of court case and our records were subpoenaed, your having a mental disorder diagnosis could negatively affect you.
  • Insurance companies have provider lists of therapists they have contracted with which they want you to see. We believe you should choose who you work with, not your insurance company. By using their list of counselors you may not find the best counselor for you, one with the expertise and experience you need, or get the best results.

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