• Austin Teen Therapy is a group practice in Austin, Texas offering individual, parent, family, and group therapy.

    We are psychotherapists, not psychiatrists or an in-patient facility.

  • None.

    We operate as a private pay practice to offer our clients the most flexibility as possible in their treatment. However, we believe in accessibility, so every clinician offers sliding scale spots. Please do not hesitate to ask your preferred clinician about their sliding scale availability if finances are a barrier. Also, check with your insurance! They might offer some out-of-network reimbursement, for which we can provide super-bills for you to file.

  • Superbills are kind of what they sound like: a super (power) receipt.

    A superbill will have all of the provider and client info, session and payment info, and diagnostic info needed by insurance companies to consider reimbursement. some insurance plans offer out-of-network reimbursement.

    Heres how that works:

    • Ask your insurance company if your plan has out-of-network coverage

    • If yes, ask what the reimbursement looks like (for example: some plans will reimburse up to 50% of session costs for a rate they deem to be the standard. ask for specific numbers!)

    • Let your therapist know you will need superbills and they will discuss this with you further (including a discussion of diagnosis)

    • The software we use (simplepractice) allows us to set you up with automatic superbills at the end of each month, print these out and any other paperwork needed (often a claim form is needed), mail them in to the address listed, and wait patiently

  • Depends… clinicians have some folks who come for a few months and others who choose to be in therapy for an undetermined amount of time. (i’ll have a therapist for as long as i live - lindsay)

  • Depends… most clinicians suggest a regular cadence of weekly or every other week in the beginning to get the ball rolling. At Austin Teen Therapy, we never want to be over or under scheduling the clients we are working with so we have a practice of regularly checking in.

  • The notion of someone “needing” therapy is stigmatizing. We tend to think therapy can be beneficial for most folks, but we might be biased :) Maybe a better question is: do you want a therapist?

  • All therapists at Austin Teen Therapy offer free consultations to make the process of shopping around a little easier. We believe in goodness-of-fit as one of the most important factors in therapy. If you find someone you’re drawn to you can email them directly. If you’re not sure who might be the best fit our client care coordinator Sammi can help! hello@austinteentherapy.com

  • Friends rock, keep talking to them! And there are limitations to what they can offer you. Therapists are specialists in mental health and differ from talking to friends because of their unbiased stance (or awareness and ownership of bias); trainings; boundaries; etc.

  • Nope. Therapists aren’t (and shouldn’t be) hired spies. Most everything that is said in therapy gets to stay private. Except for safety stuff… your therapist can explain this to you more. We don’t tell your parents what you say without explicit consent from you because an essential element of therapy is trust. That being said, just because therapists are professionals doesn’t mean you have to automatically trust them. Take your time, make us earn it.

 
 

YOUR RIGHTS AND PROTECTIONS AGAINST SURPRISE

 MEDICAL BILLS

(OMB Control Number: 0938-1401)

When you get emergency care or get treated by an out-of-network provider at an in-network hospital or ambulatory surgical center, you are protected from surprise billing or balance billing.

WHAT IS “BALANCE BILLING” (SOMETIMES CALLED “SURPRISE BILLING”)?

When you see a doctor or other health care provider, you may owe certain out-of-pocket costs,     such as a copayment, coinsurance, and/or a deductible. You may have other costs or have to pay the entire bill if you see a provider or visit a health care facility that isn’t in your health plan’s network.

“Out-of-network” describes providers and facilities that haven’t signed a contract with your health plan. Out-of-network providers may be permitted to bill you for the difference between what your plan agreed to pay and the full amount charged for a service. This is called “balance billing.” This amount is likely more than in-network costs for the same service and might not count toward your annual out-of-pocket limit.

“Surprise billing” is an unexpected balance bill. This can happen when you can’t control who is involved in your care - like when you have an emergency or when you schedule a visit at an in-network facility but are unexpectedly treated by an out-of-network provider. 

You are protected from balance billing for:

EMERGENCY SERVICES

If you have an emergency medical condition and get emergency services from an out-of-network provider or facility, the most the provider or facility may bill you is your plan’s in-network cost-sharing amount (such as copayments and coinsurance). You can’t be balance billed for these emergency services. This includes services you may get after you’re in stable  condition, unless you give written consent and give up your protections not to be balanced billed for these post-stabilization services.

Certain services at an in-network hospital or ambulatory surgical center

When you get services from an in-network hospital or ambulatory surgical center, certain providers there may be out-of-network. In these cases, the most those providers may bill you is your plan’s in-network cost-sharing amount. This applies to emergency medicine, anesthesia, pathology, radiology, laboratory, neonatology, assistant surgeon, hospitalist, or intensivist services. These providers can’t balance bill you and may not ask you to give up your protections  not to be balance billed.

If you get other services at these in-network facilities, out-of-network providers can’t balance  bill you unless you give written consent and give up your protections.

You’re never required to give up your protection from balance billing. You also aren’t required to get care out-of-network. You can choose a provider or facility in your plan’s network.

When balance billing isn’t allowed, you also have the following protections:

You are only responsible for paying your share of the cost (like the copayments, coinsurance, and deductibles that you would pay if the provider or facility was in-network). Your health plan will pay out-of-network providers and facilities directly.

Your health plan generally must:

  •  Cover emergency services without requiring you to get approval for services in advance (prior authorization).

  •  Cover emergency services by out-of-network providers.

  •  Base what you owe the provider or facility (cost-sharing) on what it would pay an in-network provider or facility and show that amount in your explanation of benefits.

  •  Count any amount you pay for emergency services or out-of-network services toward your deductible and out-of-pocket limit.

If you believe you’ve been wrongly billed, you may contact: Texas Secretary of State 512.463.5555

Visit https://www.cms.gov/files/document/model-disclosure-notice-patient-protections-against-surprise-billing-providers-facilities-health.pdf for more information about your rights under Federal law.