FAQ

How much do sessions cost?

Individual therapy
An individual therapy session runs 50 minutes. Each person is unique. How long you stay in therapy depends on the scope and complexity of issues addressed and your desire to continue.

The cost for an individual session (if a person has no insurance) is $150. However, the initial session is billed at the rate of $175 per 50 minutes. 

NOTE: This is for in-house sessions only. Online therapy is billed differently and is discussed below. 

Group therapy
Group therapy sessions are $30 per person for a 90 minute session each week or as determined.

Insurance Payment
We are in network with many insurance companies. You can check with your insurance company to see if I am an approved provider for your policy or you can contact my office staff at 706-364-5228 and they will assist you in determining what your benefits are, as well as what your co-pay, if any, will be. You may also have a deductible, which will need to be paid out of pocket before your insurance benefits start covering the partial/full costs of your sessions. 

If you plan to use insurance as payment, you are responsible for understanding how your insurance plan works and for obtaining any referrals or authorizations needed prior to your first meeting. You should contact your insurance company and ask the following questions:

  • What is the co-payment amount for which I am responsible at each session?

  • Do I have a yearly session limit and, if so, what is that limit?

  • Do I need to obtain a referral or a pre-authorization to use my mental health benefits? If so, can you tell me the steps I need to take to obtain such authorization?

  • Do I have mental health coverage and if so, what are my exact benefits? (PLEASE NOTE: Mental health benefits are separate from medical coverage benefits in most cases, so be sure you ask specifically about mental health benefits.)

  • What is my out-of-pocket deductible before insurance starts to help cover the cost of my therapy?

Once you provide your insurance information, we will take care of billing for all attended sessions. You are responsible, however, for keeping track of how many sessions you have attended and how many are covered by your insurance plan. You are also responsible for any missed or cancelled appointments as these cannot be billed to insurance.

If we are not a provider for your insurance plan, you may have out-of-network benefits that would cover all or a percentage of our fees. If you’d like to find out whether your insurance company will reimburse you for the cost of counseling/therapy, you should contact your insurance company. Some of the questions you might ask include:

  • Do I have out of network mental health benefits?

  • If so, what percentage of the session fee do you cover?

  • What is the deductible, and how much of the deductible have I met?

  • How many sessions are covered, and in what time period?

  • How do I access the form(s) needed to submit a request for reimbursement?

Does Dr. Stapleton see patients on the weekends or in the evenings?

Dr. Stapleton does not see individuals or couples in the evenings or on weekends. She does have some groups in the evenings. 

Is there a payment due at the time I schedule an appointment?

Yes. All patients are required to make a $50 payment at the time they schedule their first appointment. This money will go toward the cost of your first session, provided you attend your scheduled appointment. If you do not attend your session or call to cancel within the limits of the cancellation policy, the $50 will not be returned or credited to your account, but will be used to pay for the time that Dr. Stapleton was not able to see a patient. If you wish to schedule an additional session after missing your initial session, you will need to make another $50 payment to hold the space for your appointment. Again, if you attend the session, that $50 will be applied to your bill. If you again miss the appointment, the money will not be returned to you and you will not be allowed to schedule another appointment. 

What forms of payment can be used?

Accepted forms of payment are checks, credit card, cash, or money orders for sessions.

What is your cancellation policy?

There is a 24-hour cancellation policy. You must call to cancel your scheduled appointment a full day prior to your scheduled appointment so that your $50 appointment deposit will be returned to you or applied to a session you schedule. Sorry, but there are no exceptions, including illness, accident, or other reasons, as Dr. Stapleton’s hour will be left vacant if you are unable to attend your appointment for any reason.