What do you charge?
Services may be paid for by Venmo, cash, or check. The address to use for payment will be provided to you once we have established a schedule for sessions.
50-55 minute session: $130.00
80-90 minute session: $200.00
I reserve a few sliding scale spaces for those who cannot afford my standard fees, who take psychotherapy seriously and are willing to engage in the hard work necessary to benefit from the process. The fee that is established will be mutually agreed upon at the time of our initial consultation. In these instances, I reserve the right to the sliding scale fee overtime, usually do an improvement in the financial improvement in the life of the client.
How do I pay for my sessions with Dr. Smithyman?
At the present time I prefer payment for session via Venmo, personal or cashier’s certified checks or cash. Although many clients find it convenient and preferable to use a debit or credit card for payment, I have not set myself up for this form of payment. To do so would mean that the client would have to allow me to hold on file a credit or debit card number and code to facilitate transactions. Keeping such sensitive financial information secure for so many clients is not a responsibility I want to undertake.
Since all clinical sessions are virtual, what platform do you employ how do I acquire it?
I conduct my virtual sessions using Microsoft Teams (Free) because it is considered to have the best front-end and back-end encryption of all the telehealth communication platforms. It is both easy to acquire and to use on computers and telephones utilizing Microsoft, Apple or Android operating systems.
To download Teams (Free), go to your web browser’s search engine and type in microsoft.com Teams Free. Your search engine will take you to the Microsoft webpage and show you the option for downloading Teams Free to your computer or telephone. Once Teams Free has been downloaded to your computer or telephone, open the Teams Free program, look at the top of the page and you will see the Search function. In the Teams Free Search window type: Samuel Smithyman. By entering my name into the search function, your computer or telephone will send a message to my Teams address, indicating your desire to connect with me. Once I have received this request from you, I will respond back to you indicating acceptance of your request, and we should then be able to communicate virtually via Teams. My name at this point will be stored in your Teams address book and yours in mine. When we are ready to have a session, I will reach out to you via Teams at the appointment time and, if you are online and ready for the session, you will hear the Teams ring tone and click on the accept button on the screen and we will be connected.
For your convenience, a direct link to Microsoft Teams Free is immediately below.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/free?msockid=11f3119bd8826f0e1ce204d5d9546eee
Also for your convenience, a link to a Teams Free tutorial is immediately below. Once you have used Teams Free, using it is fairly straight forward and intuitive.
Tutorial: Invite contacts to Microsoft Teams Free – Microsoft Support
If you have trouble downloading Teams Free, please call me no less than 24 hours before our first appointment and I will assist you in getting set up for our virtual sessions.
Do you accept insurance?
I do not bill insurance companies directly. I do provide clients with a statement I will email to you after approximately every four sessions that includes the information most insurance companies require for reimbursement. Some insurance plans may reimburse you well for mental health services and out-of-network services while others may not. Reimbursement rates from insurance carriers vary greatly and are contingent on a number of factors. To determine your mental health benefits, contact your insurance provider by calling the customer service number listed on the back of your card. Many of my clients are reimbursed by their insurance carrier up to 80% of the fee for service, depending on their insurance plan.
Why do you not bill insurance carriers directly?
I am, by my choice, out of network for every insurance carrier. First, I do this because I work for the client and not for the insurance carrier. Secondly, to bill the insurance carrier directly on behalf of the client, I would need to know and collect and keep track of the co-pay for everyone that I see, keep track of the deductible amount for each of my client’s individual insurance plans, keep track of the individual’s allotted number of authorized sessions, and wait approximately two to four months to get paid by the insurance carrier and have to justify why, in most instances, a given client requires psychotherapy in the first place.
To keep track of all of the above, I would have to hire several administrators to take care of all the individual client’s insurance information and requirements and to do this I would have to raise my rates so high that most people would not be able to afford psychotherapy with me.
I do not accept Medicare.
If you plan to seek third party reimbursement, it is advised that you contact your insurance company prior to the first session and ask the following questions:
- What percentage of my bill will be paid for services obtained from an out-of-network provider?
- How many sessions will be covered per calendar year?
- What is my deductible?
- What is my co-payment?
- May I continue treatment after I have utilized the sessions allowed by my carrier per calendar year?
- May I see an out of network psychologist on my plan?
- Does my insurance plan reimburse for Telehealth Psychotherapy with a licensed psychologist?
Most insurance carriers will suggest, in answering the above questions, that you see a provider in their network, rather than someone not in their network. They do this to control the client’s treatment despite the fact they will likely reimburse about 80% less for your out-of-network provider. After the client satisfies their plan’s deductible, most plans pay approximately 80% of each session’s fee. Insurance carriers usually pay approximately 64% of the fee for out-of-network providers.
There are advantages to not using insurance, mainly with respect to confidentiality and privacy. Although I make every effort to protect your confidentiality, your insurance carrier is entitled to certain information about you and the reasons you are seeking psychotherapy. I believe that I work for you and not for your insurance carrier, but your decision to utilize your insurance means that they are entitled to certain information about you and your treatment.
What type of psychotherapy do you practice?
There are many models of psychotherapy, and I utilize and employ several of the more significant approaches to treatment: cognitive behavioral, depth psychology, family systems and so forth. With respect to psychotherapy, as with the rest of life, one size does not fit all. I do my best to tailor the treatment to the needs of the client rather than try to fit the client to a specific treatment method. Please refer to my Philosophy of Treatment on the Meet Dr. Smithyman page of this website
What about cancellations and rescheduling?
I appreciate that people have complex and hectic lives. Some of my patients travel extensively because of work and some live in other parts of the country. I make every effort to be flexible and to accommodate a client’s schedule. Because of the complexity of my schedule, I might from time to time find it necessary to change an appointment with you. Experience teaches that patients derive the most benefit from psychotherapy when they make their treatment a priority. The full fee is charged for therapy appointments missed or cancelled less than 24 hours in advance. There will be no charge if (1) a sudden illness makes it impossible for you to attend your regularly scheduled session, (2) you have an emergency, (3) driving conditions are genuinely hazardous due to inclement weather, or (4) we are able to reschedule you for a mutually agreeable alternative appointment within the same week.
How long do sessions last?
Standard appointments for individual psychotherapy sessions are approximately 50 minutes. Group sessions and couples/marital/family psychotherapy sessions typically last for from 80 to 90 minutes.
How often do I attend sessions?
The benefits of individual psychotherapy are best achieved with regular appointments, one to two times per week and the benefits of group and marital or family therapy are achieved in sessions held at least once per week. Again, I tailor the treatment to the needs of the client. This means that some individuals may require sessions more frequently in the initial stages and less frequently as their situation improves. Most patients attend sessions once per week. Sometimes when patients are away, they opt for a telephone session, or if they are in town for just a few days or weeks, we have more frequent and longer sessions in the office.
What is your policy with respect to Confidentiality?
As a licensed Clinical Psychologist in South Carolina, I am bound by the code of ethics and confidentiality provided in the statutes of each state and by the ethical code of the American Psychological Association. The information that you provide to me will be held in the strictest confidence unless you provide written permission for me to send or share that information with other parties or if I am required by lawful subpoena to release the information. As a mandatory reporter of abuse, I may at times be required to reveal information regarding such abuse. Being a danger to yourself or others may also require me to break the confidentiality.
When you use your health care plan to pay for medical or mental health services, you give up a certain amount of confidentiality. Your insurance carrier has the legal right to know about any information in your patient record, and in fact they have the right to examine (“audit”) the record itself. All insurance companies will require, at a minimum, a diagnosis and a description of the services received. Many managed care organizations require detailed information about your history and your current condition. They may ask specific questions about such things as prior treatment, alcohol and drug use, motivation and compliance. They may request this information by telephone or in writing.
All health care plans are required by law to protect the confidentiality of patient information, and they all claim to do so. When I provide information to insurance carriers, I must assume that the information will be treated confidentially, but I have no control over what happens to the information after I release it to them.
How do I contact you and what about telephone calls?
I usually conduct sessions with clients in my office during normal business hours, and do not take calls when I am with another client. When I am not available, my telephone is answered by voice mail. I check voice messages frequently throughout the day. I will make every effort to return your call on the same day you make it, or at least within 24 hours, however I make an exception to this on weekends and holidays. Email is not a secure form of communication and confidentiality cannot be guaranteed. I will not initiate email contact with you on clinical matters, but I will respond should you choose to email me regarding non-clinical issues such as appointment scheduling.
I do not charge for routine telephone calls to schedule or alter an appointment. If a telephone call is substantive and lasts for more than more than fifteen minutes, I bill for ½ hour of my time. Telephone calls lasting for more than thirty minutes are billed at my hourly rate.
In case of a genuine psychological emergency, please leave me a message by telephone and then go immediately to the nearest hospital emergency room and ask to speak with the psychiatrist on call. I will contact you as soon as it is possible.
Are there forms I must complete prior to my first session?
I require everyone to complete and email me two complete forms prior to the first Telehealth virtual appointment: 1) The Telehealth Virtual Psychotherapy Consent Form and 2) The Initial Consultation Registration Form. These two forms can be located at the Contact and Inquire Button on the website. There are other forms located there that might be required under certain circumstances. For example, if you want me to release my records to a third party, I will require you to sign a form authorizing me to do so. The form I use for this purpose can be found on the Contact and Inquire button of this website.
How do I know if I could benefit from seeing you?
Experience as well as the research on psychotherapy indicates the benefits of psychotherapy occur when the patient feels comfortable and develops a deep sense of trust in the psychotherapist. If the patient is not comfortable with the therapist, the benefits will not be realized and will result in a waste of precious time and money for the patient. Call (864) 230 – 2579 for a free telephone or brief video consultation to see if my services may be a good match for your needs. If I feel another provider would be a better fit, I will refer you to another competent professional.