Pay What You Can

While the fee structure shown below reflects the fair market value of respective services, Wataru believes that everyone should have equitable access to mental health counseling. If your health plan is not one of the accepted insurance brands listed below and you are experiencing financial hardship, please directly contact the therapist to discuss a sliding scale offered at the therapist’s discretion. While group treatment is generally reserved for established clients, it could be appropriate in some cases as a relatively economical option. A substantial amount of information and resources are also made available on this website for self-starters with or without access to direct services.

  • Preliminary Interview

    To prevent incurring unnecessary costs & time, prospective clients are encouraged to contact the therapist and discuss the compatibility of services before scheduling the Intake Assessment. This 15-minute preliminary interview is free of charge. $0

  • Intake Assessment

    A 90-minute Intake Assessment will be scheduled following a 15-minute Preliminary Interview. The session reviews the client’s bio-psychosocial history and examines present challenges. New clients are also encouraged to start reading the content under Resources. $180

  • Individual Sessions

    After completing the Intake Assessment, the client and the therapist may mutually agree to begin individual psychotherapy sessions based on the client’s strengths and aspirations. The Individual Sessions are 50 minutes. $120

  • Family Sessions

    After gaining some traction with Individual Sessions, a client may occasionally invite a family member or significant other to a 60-minute session to resolve interpersonal barriers and promote deeper understanding. $150

  • Group Sessions

    Periodically, Wataru runs a 12-week psycho-educational course for a small group of clients interested in reducing stress and anxiety. The weekly 90-minute sessions are primarily based on mindfulness-based cognitive behavioral therapy and cover a wide range of topics designed to promote wellness and a resilient lifestyle. $960 ($80 x 12)

Attendance & Cancellation Policy

  • If a client misses an appointment, the client will be charged 50% of the scheduled session fee.

  • If a client is more than 15 minutes late for a scheduled session, it will be regarded as a missed appointment and incur 50% of the session fee.

  • An appointment canceled by a client less than 24 hours prior to the scheduled time may incur 50% of the corresponding session fee and the client will be responsible.

  • Please remember that the therapist is unable to provide psychotherapy to a client physically located or traveling outside of New York State.

  • Payment is due on the day of service provided. Late payment of fees may necessitate discontinuation of services and result in a transfer of accounts payable to a collection agency.

Health Insurance vs. Private Pay

  • Clients with the health insurance plans identified above (in-network) are able to sign up for an online billing service the therapist employs with no additional cost. This is the most streamlined payment method as your health insurance company will be directly billed (except the applicable copay).

  • If your health plan is not one of the insurance brands identified above, you can directly request reimbursement from your health insurance company (out-of-network). A copy of Statement for Insurance Reimbursement (often called “superbill”) as proof of services rendered can be made available upon request. Please contact your health insurance company to find out how much of the paid fee can be reimbursed for psychotherapy. Please note that your health plan may have a high-deductible threshold or require pre-authorization.

  • Please understand that health insurance plans do not provide coverage for conditions that do not meet the medical-necessity criteria (with psychiatric diagnosis) even if you are strongly motivated to address your personal or emotional challenges to improve your health. This is part of the reason why the healthcare industry has been criticized for being “sick care” and for not adequately covering preventative mental health treatment.

  • With or without applicable health insurance coverage, some people prefer private pay to protect their privacy and avoid any involvement of health insurance companies. Once psychiatric diagnoses and associated treatment records are filed with a health insurance company, the information will be part of your medical record. Private pay without the involvement of a health insurance plan also allows clients to engage in therapy without meeting the medical necessity criteria.