WAYS WE CAN WORK TOGETHER
Trauma-Informed Psychotherapy Options for Women in Minnesota
Therapy Options and Payment in Minnesota Offering in-person or telehealth
Starting therapy can bring up a lot of questions. This page outlines how we can work together and what to expect with insurance or private pay, so you can decide at your own pace.
If you’re not sure which option fits best, that’s okay. You can reach out and I’ll help you understand what applies to your situation.
Quick Comparison of Payment Options
Insurance-Based Therapy
Often lower cost per session (depending on plan)
Requires a diagnosis for claims
Insurance may request documentation
Session length is typically set by insurance
Private Pay Therapy
Pay out of pocket (HSA/FSA may apply)
More privacy (no insurance involvement)
More flexibility in session length and focus
1:1 SESSIONS BILLING YOUR INSURANCE
Smaller Financial Investment, Less Privacy
Insurance-based therapy can be a more affordable option depending on your plan. It also comes with requirements set by insurance companies, including diagnosis and documentation.
Insurances I can bill and out-of-pocket expenses
One option for working together is to do so billing your insurance. I am in-network with Blue Cross Blue Shield and most United Healthcare and Medica plans.
This option will require you to pay your deductible (if you have one) and a copay or coinsurance out-of-pocket. Therefore, this may be a less expensive per-session option depending on your insurance coverage.
DEDUCTIBLE
Note that if you have a deductible you will be required to pay all sessions out of pocket until you meet your deductible which may not be a more cost-effective option if you have a high deductible.
What insurance requires (diagnosis + medical necessity)
It is important to understand that this option requires that we work inside the medical model – a model based on illness. As such, your sessions need to be identified as medically necessary.
Thus, you are only eligible to utilize your insurance if your therapy services are medically necessary – a requirement by insurance companies.
Medical Necessity
To justify medical necessity you have to have a diagnosable mental health disorder, something that is required for billing insurance (i.e., it has to be on every claim I submit for them to pay it so your insurance company will have a record of it).
This is true for all mental health therapy covered by insurance (with me and with all other providers addressing mental health).
What sessions look like when using insurance
FIRST SESSION
Our first session must be a diagnostic assessment that involves me inquiring about your bio-psycho-social history from birth. This is required so that I can justify the medically necessary diagnosis that I give you and thus justify treatment.
SECOND SESSION
Our second session must be focused on creating a clear treatment plan with measurable goals focused primarily on the diagnosed mental health disorder. This treatment plan can be updated throughout treatment (it is a living document).
SUBSEQUENT SESSIONS
Subsequent sessions need to be primarily focused on that diagnosed mental health disorder (which may be PTSD if you have complex trauma) and evidence-based treatments (i.e., treatments that have been researched and proven to be effective).
Session length (45/53 minutes)
Sessions billed by insurance are either 45 or 53 minutes (per insurance company) based on medical necessity and the course of treatment.
Record access and insurance audits
INSURANCE COMPANY AUDITS – ACCESS TO YOUR PRIVATE RECORDS
On occasion insurance companies audit providers to ensure services were medically necessary, comply with the treatment plan, and evidence-based.
ACCESS OF YOUR RECORDS
To do so they require access to all of your progress notes from your private sessions with me. Sometimes they require an interview with me to explain my clinical reasoning for continued treatment. This is part of the agreement you sign when you agree to use your insurance.
AFTER AUDIT IS COMPLETE
Upon completing the audit they can indicate that they will continue covering your therapy, indicate that they will no longer cover your therapy, and/or they may take back money already paid to your provider (some of which you may be responsible for) if they deem our work was not medically necessary. This is true for all providers who bill insurance.
Choosing insurance (why I offer it)
I am happy to bill your insurance for our therapy if it is medically necessary; I know doing so can make therapy more accessible.
AND, I share the above information for transparency so that you understand what billing your insurance entails and what it can look like for you as the client. I want to help you be an informed consumer.
PRIVATE PAY - 1:1 SESSIONS
Freedom of Choice plus Complete Privacy
Private pay offers more privacy and flexibility because insurance is not involved. Sessions are paid out of pocket at the end of each session (HSA/FSA may apply if you choose).
What private pay means
One option for working together is to do so via private pay. This means you will pay out of pocket for our work together at the end of each session. You may be able to use flexible spending (e.g., HSA) towards your sessions if you so choose.
More Flexible Structure
Because we are not working with an insurance company that makes decisions about your therapy, private pay sessions can be structured a bit differently than those billing your insurance.
Privacy and records
The only person who can access your records is you, unless I am subpoenaed to share records as part of a court case or issue of child protection or where I am otherwise required by law (rare).
First session and what to expect
FIRST SESSION
Our first session will focus on what brings you in now, what intentions you have for our work together, what has worked for you in the past, and what hasn’t been working.
You are welcome to share as much or as little history as you like. By the end of this session, we will both be clear on what you are hoping to gain through our work together.
SUBSEQUENT SESSIONS
While I will tie each session to your intentions for working together, you are welcome to indicate what you need at the beginning of each session.
If we had decided to focus on something for a session and you come in asking to focus on something else, I will check in with you to see if you want to table that other item; you have a choice.
Intentions for Our Work
Together we will help you work towards your intentions for therapy, honoring that they may shift over our time together.
Session options (60 vs 90 minutes)
You can choose between 60 minute sessions or 90 minute sessions – the latter of which is recommended for trauma healing, though not required. You have a choice.
Type of Healing Available
You will have access to all of the evidence-based treatment those using insurance have – things like IFS, EMDR, and Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga as well as nervous system regulation.
Additionally, you will have access to more holistic interventions that have worked for many over the years (and even centuries) – things like Reiki, EFT (tapping), manifesting, yogic techniques, and more.
NOT available if you have Medicaid
Note that it is federally illegal for a provider to collect payment out of pocket from someone who has Medical Assistance (also known as Medicaid). Thus, if you have Medical Assistance, private pay is not an option. Currently, I do not take Medical Assistance.
If you have private insurance and opt for private pay
If private pay is your desire choice and I am in-network with your insurer, you will need to sign a form indicating that you are opting out of using your insurance.
“The couple of times I had tried therapy were very disappointing. Those approaches felt academic and impersonal. When I started seeing Jen more than seven years ago, I found a therapist who actually listens to me and adapts her approach to meet my needs and personality. Jen is exceptionally compassionate but she also helps me own my issues so that healing and growth can occur. I can feel progress being made each time we meet. Jen is a vital part of my overall healthcare team and I’m so glad to have her in my corner.”
What to Expect When You Reach Out
After completing the form below (or on my Contact page), I will receive an email.
I will respond to you via email with next steps and any questions needed to schedule.
If you intend to use insurance and have not yet provided that information, prior to scheduling I will ask what insurance you have to make sure I am in-network (i.e., can bill your insurance).
- If you intend to pay out of pocket, I will confirm that you do not have Medicaid (private pay not legal with Medicaid) and share my rate.
- Next I will share some appointments I have available in the coming week or two for our first session (unless you specify a different window to being our work together).
In our messages, there is no need to share your full story right away — we will connect more on that when we meet.
- Our first session format depends on if you are using insurance or paying privately (see above for details)
STEP INTO YOUR HEALING JOURNEY
Message me to Set Up Your First Appointment
ALL ARE WELCOME HERE
I value and serve women+ of all ages and sizes, races, cultures, and ethnicities, faiths and beliefs (including none), gender identity, sexual orientations, abilities, neuro-diversities, and socio-economic statuses.
+ women identified female at birth, women identified male or some other gender at birth, gender non-conforming, non-binary
Pathways to Wellness Minnesota, Ltd.
1409 Willow Street Suite 109
Minneapolis, MN 55403
Text only: 612-474-1700
©️ 2024-2026 Pathways to Wellness Minnesota Ltd and Jen Barnes