Counselling and Benefits Coverage
Do you have a health insurance plan that includes counselling coverage? If you do, you can get reimbursed financially for your counselling sessions.
Locate Your Coverage
Health insurance coverage is different for every insurance company. Contact your insurance plan administrator to find out what coverage your plan includes. You can also contact your insurance company directly.
Some insurance providers will pay for counselling services from a registered counsellor. This can include RCC (Registered Clinical Counsellor) and CCC (Canadian Certified Counsellor). Other companies will only cover counselling from a Psychologist or Social Worker.
Many workplaces will offer counselling through an EFAP program. Employee and Family Assistance Programs (EFAP) typically offer short-term counselling only.
How to Get Reimbursed
The process to get reimbursed by an insurance company should be simple. For example, you can submit your receipt through an online portal. Similarly, some companies will have a mobile app so you can submit receipts quickly. Some counsellors provide direct billing to insurance companies. (However, this is less common.) If your counsellor can bill your insurance directly, you only have to pay the co-pay fee. The co-pay fee is the difference between your coverage and the counsellor’s fee.
When your claim is processed, the insurance company will mail a cheque to you. You can also arrange a direct deposit into your account. Similarly, your counselling sessions can be deducted from your health spending account.
Privacy and Confidentiality
No one has access to your counselling file and notes without your consent. Submitting a receipt to insurance doesn’t give your insurance company access to your private information. In short, your personal details are very protected in counselling.
If You Don't Have Coverage
Not everyone has mental health coverage. If you don’t have counselling coverage, ask your insurer to include it. You might have to upgrade your plan to include counselling.
You can also ask your work to add counselling to your health plan. This is usually an easy upgrade. Keep in mind that your monthly dues might increase if your benefits cost is shared.
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I offer direct billing to most insurance companies.
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