Welcome—we're glad you're here.

Finding care can be tough, and as a student, you have plenty of other priorities demanding your time and energy. Your university partners with ThrivingCampus to help make it easier for you to know your options for care in the broader community around campus.

Feel free to navigate step by step or skip around to the sections that speak to you first.

Emergencies

If you or someone you know needs help now:

• Call 911
• Go to the emergency room at the nearest hospital
• Call campus security
• Call The National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 988

Finding a clinician

What types of clinicians are out there?

Social workers, counselors, marriage and family therapists, and psychologists offer psychotherapy, also called talk therapy, and do not prescribe medication. All of these clinicians can be described as therapists, but only doctoral level clinicians are referred to as psychologists. The specific training these different types of clinicians receive is unique to their degree, but they share in common that they have studied and been licensed to be able to help others.

Psychiatrists and psychiatric nurses prescribe medication. Some psychiatrists and psychiatric nurses also offer talk therapy.

Choosing a clinician

The goal of the process is for you to end up working with someone you feel comfortable with who is well-equipped to support you. Just like with any relationship, some clinicians are a good fit for some clients, and some aren't. Some people speak with multiple clinicians on the phone before deciding, and others meet with a few in person. Feel free to share that you are speaking with multiple clinicians to find a good fit—Clinicians are accustomed to this. They also use the first interaction, whether it's a phone consultation or a first visit, to figure out if they are a good fit for you. Every clinician has a different set of experiences and abilities, and they are ethically bound to only work with clients they can support effectively. If a clinician tells you they aren't a good fit for your needs, it just means that they think that someone else is going to be better-suited to support you.

Leaving voicemails for clinicians

When you call a clinician, you will likely need to leave a voicemail. Here are some things that are helpful to include:

• Your name
• That you are an undergraduate or graduate student and at what school
• Your insurance
• Your phone number (say it twice, slowly enough for them to write down)
• Give them some convenient times to call you back and let them know if you are ok with them leaving you a voicemail
• Some therapists are willing to arrange appointments by email. If you are comfortable with them emailing you, you can leave your email address.

Sample Voicemail "Hi my name is *First Name*. I’m an *undergraduate* student at *university name* with *health insurance plan*. I'm looking for a *therapist* and am interested in learning more about your practice. You can reach me by phone at *phone number* on *day* around *time* or *day* at *time*. Again, my name is *name* and you can reach me at *number*. Feel free to leave a voicemail if I don't pick up. Also, feel free to email me at *email*. That email again is *email*. Thanks for your time, and I look forward to hearing back."

What to expect when you first speak with a clinician

The clinician will likely want to learn a little bit about you and share a little bit about their practice so both of you can decide whether you might be a good fit for each other. They will likely want to know:

• What insurance do you have, and what benefits do you plan on using? (In-network vs. out-of network benefits)
• Why are you interested in therapy? What challenges are you facing? What are you hoping to get out of therapy?

You, in turn might ask them or confirm:

• Are they in-network for your insurance? If not, what is their rate? Would they submit for reimbursement to the insurance company, or would you?
• Do they offer sliding scale rates? (Do they lower their rate based on financial need?)
• What might their approach be for working with someone facing the goals or challenges you've described to them?
• Is there a type of client they are particularly well-suited to support?
• Is there a type of client they are not well-suited to support?
• Are they accepting new clients?
• What days and times are they available?

Licensing: Do I need to work with a provider licensed in my state?

For care via video sessions, find a provider licensed in the state where you'll be located when receiving care. Providers are typically allowed to work with clients who are located in states where they are licensed. For example, if you are currently located in California and that’s where you’ll be receiving care via video sessions, you should look for a provider who is licensed in California. Some providers are licensed in multiple states and can typically work with clients in any state where they are licensed.

For care in person, find a provider licensed in the state where you'll be meeting with them. If you'll be meeting in person with a provider in your state, they should be licensed in your state. If you live near a state border, you can travel across the border to meet with a provider licensed in that state. For example, if you live in New Jersey, you can see a provider in New Jersey who is licensed in New Jersey or travel across the state border to New York and meet with a provider who is licensed in the state of New York.

Paying for therapy

How does paying for therapy work?

We'll explain the terms you need to know to understand your specific health plan's benefits.

Let's start with the basics:

• Health insurance companies offer health insurance plans to members, who use their plans' benefits to access care from providers, including mental health services like therapy and psychiatry
• Your specific plan's benefits determine how much of the cost of a given service you pay for yourself and how much is covered by your health insurance company
• Therapists and psychiatrists are often called providers or clinicians
• Providers who choose to enter into an agreement with your health insurance company to offer care to members of your plan are in-network for you, and if you see them for care, what you pay is determined by your plan’s in-network benefits. Before you go for a first visit, you should confirm that a given provider is in-network by calling and asking your insurance company.
• Providers who do not have an agreement with your health insurance company to offer care to members of your plan are out-of-network for you, and if you see them for care, how much you pay is determined by your plan’s out-of-network benefits. Some plans don't have out of network benefits, which means that you would need to pay out of pocket.

What you pay to see a clinician depends on your insurance plan's mental health benefits, including:

• In-network vs. out-of-network benefits
• Your deductible and if it applies to mental health services
• Your copay and/or coinsurance
• Any limits on the number of sessions that insurance will cover
• Your annual out of pocket maximum
• The date that the calendar year begins for insurance purposes

Research your plan's mental health benefits:

Call the member's services phone # on your insurance card to ask these questions to confirm your benefits:

You: Hello, I'm a member and I'm interested in understanding my mental health benefits for outpatient care.

• What is my deductible? How much have I currently paid toward my deductible?
• Does my deductible apply to in-network mental health services?
• Does my deductible apply to out-of-network mental health services?
• What are my in-network mental health benefits?
• Do I need to pay a copay for each visit? If so, how much is the copay?
• Is there a limitation on the number of visits I am allowed? Does the copay change after a certain number of visits?
• What are my out-of-network mental health benefits?
• Do I need to pay coinsurance for each visit? If so, how much is coinsurance?
• How can I find the "allowed rate" or "usual, customary, reasonable" (UCR) rate to know how much I will be paying in coinsurance?

Your health insurance plan likely links to a document on their website called the "benefits summary" which describes all the benefits of your plan, including mental health benefits.

Note:

When navigating your insurance plan's benefits documents, you may notice that they differentiate between inpatient and outpatient care, and that you potentially have different benefits for each. Outpatient care means going to see a clinician in their office for a visit. Inpatient care most often means being admitted to a hospital and staying overnight.

Talk about billing and insurance with prospective clinicians:

When you speak with a provider, tell them how you intend to pay—whether you intend to use your in-network, out-of-network benefits, or pay out of pocket. They are often willing to help you navigate the process.

Confirm everything with your insurance company before your first visit:

To avoid surprises with paying for care, before your first visit with a provider, call your insurance company and tell them who you are going to see and how you intend to use your insurance benefits. They can confirm that you are on the right track or alert you of any issues.

Glossary

Annual Deductible: The amount you are responsible to pay each plan year before the insurance company starts paying. Depending on your plan, your annual deductible may not apply to mental health services at all, it may apply only to out-of-network mental health services, or it could apply to all mental health services.

In-network: A provider is in-network for you if they have an agreement with your insurance company to provide care to members with your plan. When seeing an in-network provider, your in-network benefits apply.

Out-of-network: A provider is out-of-network for you if they do not have an agreement with your insurance company to provide care to members with your plan. When seeing an out-of-network provider, your out-of-network benefits apply. Some plans do not have out of network benefits.

Copay: A fixed amount you pay when you receive care that is subject to a copay. Copays often range from $0-30 and are most often required by plans when using in-network benefits.

Coinsurance: An amount you pay that is a percentage of the "UCR" (Usual, customary, reasonable) or "allowed" rate for the care you receive. For example, your health plan might decide that the "UCR" for a 60-minute psychotherapy session is $100. If your out-of-network mental health benefit is 20% coinsurance and the provider's fee is $100, then you pay $20 per visit and your insurance company pays the remaining $80. If the provider's fee is $200, the insurance company still only covers 80% of the UCR (80% of $100), so they would cover $80 and you would be required to cover the 20% coinsurance (20% of $100 = $20) in addition to the difference to meet the providers fee ($100). So in total, in this example, you would pay $20 + $90 = $110 per visit.

Sliding Scale: A sliding scale fee "slides" to try to meet the needs of clients who are unable to pay the full fee. Details can be discussed upon consultation with a provider.