Psychotherapy vs. Coaching: What’s the Difference?

I offer both psychotherapy and coaching, and you may choose either option when working with me.  Psychotherapy includes a diagnostic evaluation and a treatment plan, and invoices can be submitted to your insurance company for out-of-network reimbursement. I am licensed to offer psychotherapy only in the state of Maryland. Coaching, in contrast to psychotherapy, does not include a diagnostic evaluation or treatment plan. It’s focused on helping you identify and achieve your goals, without making or treating a diagnosis. Since no license is required in order to coach, I offer coaching to people anywhere in the world. However, insurance companies do not reimburse for coaching.

Medical Insurance:

I do not participate directly in any insurance plans.  Coaching is not eligible for insurance coverage, but psychotherapy is.  Please note that I am licensed only in the state of Maryland, so I can’t legally offer psychotherapy to anyone who is located outside the state of Maryland.  If you are located in Maryland and choose to do psychotherapy with me, you will receive an invoice after each session containing the amount paid and codes required by insurance companies for out-of-network reimbursement.  You may then submit your invoices directly to your insurance company, along with any form that your insurance company requires for reimbursement.  Insurance companies vary in the extent to which they will reimburse teletherapy visits.  They also vary in the extent to which they will reimburse out-of-network services.  If you plan to submit your invoices for reimbursement, I recommend contacting your insurance company prior to scheduling treatment with me to find out how much reimbursement you are likely to receive.  Most insurance companies will not reimburse more than one hour of psychotherapy (billing code 90837) per day.  If you were to work with me for at least 3 hours per day and at least 3 days per week, our work together would qualify as intensive outpatient treatment (per diem billing codes S9480/0905), which might get you better reimbursement.  If your insurance company offers poor out-of-network reimbursement, you could inquire whether they could offer you in-network reimbursement based on the fact that the sort of services I provide (personalized intensive specialty treatment for anxiety) are not available in-network.  I would be happy to complete any forms or write any letters they might require of me to make this case.

Medicare:

I have opted out of Medicare.  If you are doing coaching with me, this decision doesn’t affect you, since coaching is not eligible for insurance reimbursement anyway.  If you are doing psychotherapy with me, you can still see me if you have Medicare insurance; however, I will ask you to sign a private contract with me agreeing that you will not submit your invoices from our sessions to Medicare for reimbursement.  If you have a non-Medi-Gap insurance policy that is secondary to Medicare, you may be eligible to file for reimbursement from this other insurance company as if it were primary.  If you choose to do so, you will need to attach a note when you submit your claims, explaining that I have opted out of Medicare, so that your other insurance should be considered primary for my services.  I would be happy to provide you with a copy of my Medicare Opt-Out Affidavit, if your insurance company requires this.

Payment:

Payment for the initial assessment is due immediately upon scheduling your work with me.  Payment for each subsequent psychotherapy or coaching session is due one full business day prior to the session.  Payment can be made by check, Zelle, credit card, or bank transfer. Please note that there is a 3% fee for use of credit card and 1% fee for bank transfer.  There are no fees associated with Zelle payments.  If you choose to pay by Zelle, you can direct payments to me using my phone number: 443-761-4265.  Checks should be made payable to “Amy Huberman, MD” and mailed to my office address: P.O. Box #15007, Pikesville, MD, 21282.  There will be a processing fee for returned checks.

Cancellations:

If you must cancel a session, I ask that you give me at least one full business day’s notice, or you will be financially responsible for the missed session.  I will make exceptions to this policy at my own discretion.

Fee Schedule:

• 30-Minute Video Screening: Free
• Initial 2-Hour Assessment: $600.00
• Hourly Rate for Sessions Following Initial Assessment: $250.00

 

30-Minute Video Screening:

During this 30-minute screening, you and I will have an opportunity to determine whether the approach that I offer is a good fit for you.  If we do choose to work together, we will also agree on the amount of time it makes sense to reserve for our work together.  You can then reserve specific times to meet with me.  If you are interested in relationship coaching and both people in the relationship are invested in doing the work, I ask that you both be present for the 30-minute screening.

You can request a 30-minute video screening for psychotherapy or coaching here.

Initial Assessment:

The initial assessment is a 2-hour session.  During this session, we will identify and explore the specific problems with which you’d like some help and how these problems are showing up for you now.   We will also pinpoint your specific goals and create a plan to help you reach those goals.  If you are doing psychotherapy with me, a history, diagnostic evaluation, and corresponding treatment plan can also be part of the initial assessment.  If either you or I discover during the initial assessment that my approach is not a good fit for you after all, you will be refunded fully for any payments beyond the cost of the initial assessment.  I would be happy to provide you with referrals to providers whom I believe would be a better fit for you.

Subsequent Sessions:

After the initial assessment, our time will be devoted to addressing the specific problems with which you’d like my help and giving you the tools to achieve your goals.  We will employ a variety of methods in our work together, as a single method is rarely sufficient for meaningful change.  I’m excited to offer a feedback-informed approach, meaning that I will be collecting data from you before and after each of our sessions to let me know whether our work together is on the right track.  This allows me to tailor our work together to you, making it more effective and more rewarding.

Total Duration of the Work Together:

This will vary, depending on the nature of your specific problems and your desired outcomes.  The duration of our work together may be as brief as a few hours for a simple and straightforward problem.  For complex problems, a total of at least 12 to 20 hours, or more, is typically required in order to make a meaningful difference to you.  These hours can be packed into a single week or spread out over a few weeks or months.