Therapy Fees
What Therapy Costs in Los Angeles
Therapy fees in Los Angeles are hard to compare because the mechanics are rarely explained: what one session fee covers, why two licensed therapists charge different amounts, and what happens to the money when a practice is out of network with your insurance.
This page walks through it in order: how therapy is priced, what moves the number, how out-of-network reimbursement works step by step, and what Life Threads Therapy® charges, which is one flat fee of $200 for every session, with the insurance claims filed for you.
Book a free consultationHow Therapy Is Priced
Therapy is priced per session. The fee buys a set block of time with a licensed clinician, and you pay it each time you meet. There is no enrollment fee or package: the number a practice quotes is the number for one appointment, and the total for a course of therapy is that number multiplied by how many sessions you have.
How that fee gets paid falls into one of three models. In-network, the therapist has a contract with your insurer: you pay a copay at each session and the insurer pays the rest at a rate it negotiated. Out-of-network, the therapist has no contract with your insurer: you pay the full fee at the session, and if your plan includes out-of-network benefits it reimburses part of that fee afterward. Self-pay, you pay the full fee and insurance is not involved at all, which some people choose because no diagnosis or treatment record goes to an insurer.
You will also see the phrase sliding scale. That is a reduced fee set according to your income, offered by some practices to a limited number of clients. Life Threads does not use a sliding scale: every session here is one flat rate, explained further down this page.
What Changes the Price
License and experience move the fee more than anything else. A pre-licensed associate working under supervision usually charges less than a fully licensed therapist, and a licensed therapist with years of training in a specific method charges more again. Both therapists at Life Threads are fully licensed in California; you can read about them on the team page, and you can confirm any California license through the Department of Consumer Affairs license search at search.dca.ca.gov, where LMFTs and LPCCs are listed under the Board of Behavioral Sciences.
Session length is the second factor: a longer session costs more than a standard one, and couples and family sessions are sometimes booked longer. Specialty is the third: a therapist trained in a specific method has paid for that training and ongoing consultation, and the fee reflects it. The fourth factor is the one people miss. Some practices handle your insurance claims for you; others hand you a superbill and leave the filing to you. That is unpaid work on your side, every session, so it belongs in the comparison when two fees look the same on paper.
How Out-of-Network Reimbursement Works
If your plan has out-of-network benefits, reimbursement runs in the same order every time. First, the deductible. Your plan sets an amount you pay in full before it reimburses anything, and the out-of-network deductible is often tracked separately from the in-network one. Every session you pay for counts toward it, so those early sessions are not lost money; they are working the deductible down.
Second, the claim. Either the practice gives you a superbill, an itemized receipt with the codes the insurer needs, and you submit it yourself, or the practice files the claim for you. Third, the percentage. Once the deductible is met, the plan reimburses a set share of the session cost according to its own rules. Fourth, the check. You already paid the therapist, so the reimbursement comes to you, not to the practice, once the claim is processed.
Here is an example, with the numbers kept simple. Say a session is $200, your plan reimburses 70 percent of out-of-network costs, and your deductible is already met. You pay $200 at the session. The claim goes in. Your plan sends you $140. Your actual cost for that session is $60. Before the deductible is met, that same session costs you the full $200, and the $200 counts toward the deductible. Your own plan's numbers will differ, which is what the reimbursement estimator is for: it runs this calculation with your plan's deductible and rate, and nothing you type into it is stored.
What Life Threads Charges, and Why It Is One Number
Every session at Life Threads Therapy® is $200. That is the fee for every service we offer, for EMDR, DBT, IFS and every other approach we use, and for both therapists. There is no sliding scale, and no higher rate for a specialized method.
We keep it to one number on purpose. When the fee is the same for every service, you do not have to weigh whether a session that uses EMDR should cost more than one that does not, our two therapists are not priced against each other, and the cost does not change when the work changes direction. You know the number before you book, and it stays the number.
The first conversation is a free 20-minute consultation, before you pay anything. Before your first paid session, we check your out-of-network benefits so you know your deductible and your plan's reimbursement rate going in. After each session we file the claim for you, and the reimbursement check comes to you. HSA and FSA funds can usually be used for therapy; confirm with your plan administrator. The full fee details are on our pricing page, and the private pay page explains how out-of-network works here.
Getting Started
Every new client starts with a free 20-minute consultation, in person at our West Los Angeles office or by secure video anywhere in California. We check your out-of-network benefits before your first session, so you will know what your plan pays before you commit to anything. Book online, or send a question through the contact page first if that feels easier. Our FAQ page covers the other practical questions.
Questions About Cost
The questions people ask about fees and insurance before their first session.
Know the Cost Before You Book
Book a free 20-minute consultation, and we will check your out-of-network benefits before your first session. No commitment required.
Book a free consultationIf you are experiencing a mental health emergency, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988, or go to your nearest emergency room. The information on this page is for educational purposes and does not constitute clinical advice or a therapeutic relationship.