To find out if seeing Dr. Schmidt will be covered by your health insurance, you will need to call the number on the back of your insurance card. (There may be a separate number for “mental health benefits”.) Tell them:
“I have been advised to seek psychotherapy for some personal problems I am having.” (They may ask you what these problems are, whether you’re on medication, have had counseling before for this, how you’re sleeping, eating, energy, etc.) “I want to see Dr. Paul Schmidt, a state licensed Ph.D. psychologist, because” (why you picked me). “Dr. Schmidt is an out-of-network provider, who requires his fee of $140 per hour be paid at the time of service. I want to know what reimbursement I could receive from you to help me recover the fees I pay to him.”
“Can you pre-certify me (us) for five sessions?” (You may ask for ten if you prefer.)
They may want to know some of the following information about me:
My KY license is # 252 (“Health Service Provider” by the Board of Psychology).
My NPI (National Provider ID #) is 153 839 6395.
I will remain out of network.
(I do not belong to any panels of discounted providers for reasons I have explained in a hand-out entitled Why Beware of Managed Care?, available upon request.)
Most policies have a $500 deductible which you pay per person per year for counseling. Spend that with me for four sessions and you’ll have not only a workable game plan for turning your life around, but you’ll have discovered the desire and motivation to carry it out. In four sessions, you’ll receive from me a lot of healing, encouragement, and practical guidance in the form of homework.
Clients who do their homework faithfully soon learn that their problems are quickly resolved. I get to the bottom of things quickly, and give much more feedback than the average counselor. My goal is to graduate you from my office, and turn you over to the healthy, healing forces I will have helped you find in new habits, in your own community of family, friends, church, support groups, books and tapes, and if you wish, in a revitalized relationship with your Maker. That’s a bargain at twice the price. And it’s way more than your managed care counselor will give you, which is explained in Why Beware of Managed Care?
Finally, my recent price increase to $140 reflects an increase of 1% a year over my last price increase to $130 eight years ago. During the last couple of years, I have moved to a bigger, nicer office, and I have invested $7000 for postdoctoral training that has given me an international certification for treating addictions and trauma, especially sexual addiction. I know that I am doing the best work of my life at this point, so I am confident my clients are getting much more than ever for their money.