Frequently asked questions

All our therapists are vetted and go through a thorough interview process before working at The Healing Effect. You can be sure that no matter who you choose, you'll get the quality mental health care you deserve. The Healing Effect has a wide variety of license types, specialties, and modalities, including talk therapy, brain spotting, EMDR and partnering with Estrella Cognitive Care for medication management, ensuring you'll find what you're looking for.

Yes! We accept Aetna, United Healthcare (Optum), Blue Cross Blue Shield from all states, Cigna and Medicare (out of network benefits). When verifying whether or not we are in network, please use TAX ID 834659694 under Stefanny Balestracci.

You can learn about the mental health services your insurance covers by checking out your plan’s benefits, or the Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC). Your insurance provider may have mailed you a copy of your SBC when you first enrolled, but if you’ve lost it, you can find a digital version on their website.  The SBC will outline the information you need to know about how much you have to pay for your plan and the cost of any services.  When contacting your insurance, please use TAX ID 834659694 under Stefanny Balestracci for questions about rates.

Some important health insurance terms related to your benefits that you should know are:

• Premium: Your premium is the amount you pay every month to keep your insurance. If your insurance is through your employer, they may cover some of the cost. If you have an individual private plan, you’re required to pay the whole premium. In some cases, depending on your income, you may qualify for tax credits to make your premium cost lower.
• Deductible: The deductible refers to how much money you have to pay before insurance kicks in. Once you meet the deductible, your insurance starts paying for services covered by your policy — including mental health services. Note: your deductible resets at the beginning of each plan year which often but not always coincides with January 1st. 
• Copayments: Copayments, or copays, refer to set prices you have to pay for different types of services. These will be your costs after you meet your deductible. You’ll likely have different copay amounts for primary care, specialists, and mental health services.
• Coinsurance: Coinsurance is when your insurance covers a percentage of the cost of a service. Rather than a set copay across the board, your insurance might cover 80% of the cost of the visit, for example. Like copays, this will typically only be the case after you’ve met your deductible.
• Out-of-pocket costs: The out-of-pocket limit is the maximum amount of money you can spend within your coverage period. For example, if your limit is $8,000 and you spend this much on services throughout the year, your insurance will cover 100% of the costs after that.
• In-Network vs. Out-of-Network: In-network refers to healthcare providers that have contractually agreed to work with an insurance company to offer patients discounted rates. Whereas out-of-network healthcare facilities don’t have a contract with an insurance provider and therefore won’t offer you a discounted rate, so you’ll have to pay the full costs for any services you require.

Once you’re familiar with these terms, take a look at your benefits and find where it mentions mental health benefits. Here, your plan information will tell you how much your copayment or coinsurance is for mental health services.  Don’t forget to take note of your deductible first if your mental health benefits are subject to it and work out how much you’ve already spent. Then you’ll know whether you will just pay your copay amount right off the bat, or more. You may also want to call up your insurance company to make sure that you’re clear on exactly what your plan covers and how much you’ll need to pay out of pocket. Checking with an insurance customer service agent will ensure that the policy information you have is accurate and up to date. Plus, they can answer any questions you have about the information printed on your health insurance card.   

Some clarifying questions you can ask your customer service agent are:

• What specific mental health services are covered by my plan?
• What is the copay or coinsurance for therapy? 
• What’s my deductible, and how much of it have I already spent?
• Is reimbursement possible for healthcare providers outside the network?

While there are a few factors that affect cost, insurance provider, and mental health coverage, some people pay as little as $0 per session. Clients using insurance pay as little as $0-$20 per session. If you have a deductible to meet, the session cost will be higher. Check your specific benefits to get a better idea of your coverage. Please contact your insurance provider to learn about your copay or deductible. We do not charge until claims process.

For your convenience, The Healing Effect offers optional reminder texts to notify you of your appointments. If you do not arrive for your scheduled therapy appointment, and you have not notified your therapist or our office at least 24 hours in advance to cancel or reschedule your appointment, you will be required to pay the full fee of either $100 or $150 depending on your therapist's private pay rates. Insurance does not cover late cancellations or no show appointments.

Feeling nervous about therapy is totally normal. Being prepared and knowing what to expect can help ease some of your nerves. Please ask us if you'd like a complimentary brief consult before scheduling. A therapist’s role is not to solve your problems or judge the people in your life. Instead, their aim is to help you focus on what you can change or control, such as your responses and choices. Most therapists encourage their clients to look inward, which may involve exploring past trauma, overcoming phobias, or improving interpersonal relationships. Your first therapy appointment will likely involve the therapist asking you questions about yourself, your symptoms, coping mechanisms, and therapy goals. This is also your chance to ask them questions, as well. Over time, therapy will get easier and you'll start to see the many benefits.

While there's no one-size-fits-all approach to finding the right fit for your needs, whoever you choose should make you feel safe and supported. During your initial appointment, be sure to ask questions about your therapist's specialties and preferred methods. Also let them know your mental health goals or what you hope to achieve in therapy. Finding a therapist who works for you can be a process, so if you don't think someone is right for you, there's no shame in that. Sometimes it takes a few tries to get it right.