SELF-PAY PRACTICE
Why I choose a private-pay practice.
Richard Forde Counseling is a private-pay practice, sometimes called self-pay. Sessions are $145 for 50 minutes and are not billed to insurance. Here is the reasoning behind that choice.
Free 15-minute call · No referral needed · Private and confidential
──── WHY PRIVATE PAY
What private pay makes possible.
Greater PrivacyInsurance generally requires a mental health diagnosis. With private pay, nothing is submitted to an insurer, so your therapy stays between you and your therapist.
No Diagnosis RequiredNot everyone who seeks counseling has a mental health disorder. Private pay lets us focus on what brings you here and what you hope to accomplish.
Flexible By DesignWe decide together on the type, frequency and length of therapy, from weekly sessions to longer EMDR work.
──── WHAT IT MEANS
Therapy shaped around you, not a plan.
Private pay also means you can choose a therapist based on fit, experience, therapeutic approach, and values, not simply whether that therapist participates with your insurance plan. For clients seeking Christian, trauma-informed therapy incorporating EMDR and IFS-informed work, that freedom of choice can be especially important.
No diagnosis required
No session limits
No authorizations
No records to insurers
Choose a therapist by fit
Weekly or intensive work
Cost known up front
Faith only if you want it
SESSIONS AND FEES
Simple, predictable pricing.
Sessions are $145 for 50 minutes. EMDR Intensives are offered in three-hour blocks at $145 per hour, or $435 per block. Nothing is billed to insurance, so the cost is clear before you begin.
$145 per 50-minute session
EMDR Intensives: $435 per 3-hour block
No insurance billing
Free 15-minute consultation
The bottom line.
There are legitimate reasons someone may choose to use insurance for counseling, particularly when cost is a significant consideration. My decision to offer private-pay therapy is not because insurance is inherently bad. It is because I want the therapeutic relationship, and the needs and goals of the person sitting across from me, to guide the work we do together.
Private pay provides greater privacy, flexibility, and freedom to shape therapy around you rather than around the requirements of an insurance plan.
For a full cost comparison, see What Does EMDR Therapy Cost in Florida?
──── WHY CHOOSE RICHARD
A counselor you can lean on.
Licensed counselor in FL, GA, VA and NC
25+ years of clinical experience
EMDR-trained, trauma-informed
Christian counseling available
Calm, paced, collaborative work
Self-pay: $145 per 50-minute session
──── FREQUENTLY ASKED
Questions about private pay, answered.
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No. Because sessions are not submitted to an insurance company, therapy does not have to be structured around a diagnosis or around what an insurer considers medically necessary. We focus on what brings you to counseling and what you hope to accomplish.
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No. Richard Forde Counseling is a private-pay practice and does not bill insurance. New clients are accepted on a self-pay basis only, at $145 per 50-minute session.
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Availability varies. A free consultation is the best way to discuss current openings and determine whether we are a good fit.
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Your therapy is not submitted to an insurance company for reimbursement, so no diagnosis or treatment information is shared for billing, authorization or review. Your treatment stays more directly between you and your therapist, subject to the usual legal and ethical limits of confidentiality.
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Standard sessions are $145 per 50-minute session, self-pay. EMDR Intensives are offered in three-hour blocks at $145 per hour, or $435 per block. You will know the full cost before you begin.
──── BEGIN WHEN YOU’RE READY
Ready to begin?
A free 15-minute consultation is the easiest place to start.