MCCULLOUGH FAMILY THERAPY
Insurance and Rates
Finding Your Therapist Shouldn't Be This Hard
Finding a therapist who accepts your insurance is harder than it should be. Most in-network panels are full. Wait times stretch for months. And if you finally find someone, there’s something else you might not know about insurance-covered therapy that matters: your notes go into a system you don’t control, accessible to your insurance company. For some people, that’s a dealbreaker.
We understand the frustration. That’s why we structured McCullough Family Therapy differently. We’re mostly private pay, which means we made a choice about how we work that benefits our clients. We know private pay isn’t the answer for everyone, so we’ve built in options. But first, let’s talk about why this approach might actually be better for what you need.
A Practice Built Around What Actually Works
We could have built a practice around maximizing insurance billing and filling panels. Instead, we chose to build a practice around our clients and our clinicians. Being private pay means we control our schedule, our documentation, and what kind of work we prioritize. It means we don’t have to fit you into a diagnosis box to justify your therapy. It means your story doesn’t live in a system designed to extract as much data as possible.
For the kind of work we do, this matters. A lot.
The Values Part
Here’s something most people don’t know about insurance reimbursement: the rates are too low for clinicians to survive on. Family and couples therapy pay 30% less than individual therapy, even though that work requires more training, more skill, and more emotional labor. The trainings we prioritize for our clinicians, the ones that make them exceptional at what they do, cost significantly more than what insurance reimbursement will ever cover.
We chose not to take most insurance because we value our clinicians too much to ask them to make it work on rates that don’t support their families, their student loans, or the ongoing education that keeps them excellent. When we don’t have to manage insurance panels and authorization processes, our clinicians have capacity to actually show up for the work, train continuously, and do better therapy. That’s worth the tradeoff.
For the kind of work we do, this matters. A lot.
The Privacy Part
When you pay out of pocket, what happens in your sessions stays in your sessions. You own your story.
Your therapy notes are not shared with insurance companies by default. Insurance would have to request them specifically or conduct an audit. With private pay, they have no access at all.
- You don’t need a diagnosis to access therapy (no label required)
- Your records are completely private to our practice and not subject to insurance company access or review
- You control what gets documented and how
This is especially important for clients working through divorce, high-conflict family situations, or questions about identity and boundaries. You’re doing vulnerable work, and you deserve privacy.
Transparent Pricing and Real Options
Our therapists charge different rates based on their level of experience. There’s no hidden tier system or surprise fees. Call our office at 303-551-9214 to ask about a specific therapist’s rate, or to discuss whether sliding scale might work for your situation.
Sliding scale options are available on a limited basis, so start the conversation early if cost is a concern.
Out-of-Network Reimbursement:
If you have insurance and want to explore reimbursement, we can help. We provide superbills that you can submit to your insurance company for out-of-network coverage. Many insurance plans do cover out-of-network therapy, though the amount varies depending on your plan.
We’ve also partnered with Mentaya, a service that handles out-of-network claims for you automatically. They charge a 5% fee to manage the paperwork and submission, which many clients find worth it.
Whether you want to handle reimbursement yourself or have Mentaya do it, your insurance company will see a superbill and could still ask for your session notes.
Three Ways to Use Your Coverage (If You Have It)
We know not everyone can or wants to pay out of pocket, and we have options. Here’s what’s available:
Medicaid (Health First Colorado)
Several of our therapists accept Medicaid with Health First Colorado. These are our Marriage and Family Therapist Interns or Associates, and they work with supervision from our clinical team. To see which therapists have availability, visit our booking page.
Kaiser Permanente (Commercial)
Piper Bittman, one of our Marriage and Family Therapist Candidates, is in-network with Kaiser Permanente Commercial plans. Please note: we do not accept Kaiser Medicare. Check our booking page to see if Piper has availability.
Out-of-Network with Your Insurance
If your insurance is not listed above, you can still use it. You’ll pay us at the time of your session, and we’ll provide you with a superbill to submit for reimbursement. Many insurance plans reimburse for out-of-network mental health care.
One More Thing To Know...
Many of our clients don’t actually meet criteria for an insurance diagnosis, and that’s completely normal. Insurance requires a diagnosis to justify payment for therapy, but a lot of the work we do doesn’t require a diagnosis. Couples work, parenting support, identity exploration, and processing life transitions often fall into that category. If that’s your situation, private pay removes the barrier of needing a diagnosis when you don’t have one.
Why This Model Works for the Clients We Serve
If you’re navigating divorce or a high-conflict family situation, privacy is not a luxury. It’s protection. Your therapeutic work won’t show up in court. Your notes won’t be used against you in custody proceedings. Your privacy is genuinely yours.
If you’re a woman reclaiming your identity after years of putting everyone else’s needs first, you don’t need a diagnosis box to validate that work. You need space to explore and figure out who you are. Private pay gives you that space without the infrastructure of insurance getting in the way.
If you’re in couples therapy, you need to know that what you say in the room stays in the room and isn’t being summarized for an insurance company. That level of confidentiality changes the depth of work that’s possible.
This model also means shorter wait times. We’re not managing massive insurance panels or fighting for authorization approvals. We schedule you when we have availability and when you’re ready to start.
Cancellation Policy
We ask for 48 hours notice if you need to cancel or reschedule. If you cancel less than 48 hours before your session, you’ll be charged the full session fee.
Here’s why this matters: we keep our caseloads manageable so that our therapists can actually show up for you. We’re not trying to see as many clients as possible, which means we have to protect the availability we do have. A 48-hour cancellation window means we can offer that slot to another client, who’s been waiting. It also protects our clinicians, because consistent, predictable scheduling is how we all stay sustainable. When cancellations are high or last-minute, it disrupts the schedule for everyone and adds stress to the team. The policy reflects something we care about: being the kind of practice where people can actually show up and do their best work. For clients, regular sessions allow for the fastest change and growth. When sessions are skipped or erratic, progress slows.
We have good insurance, so why would we pay out of pocket?
Great question. Some people have coverage that actually works and reimburses well. If that’s you, finding an in-network therapist you like who has availability is a great option. We’re not the practice for that situation. We’re built for people whose insurance panels are full, whose deductibles or out-of-pocket maximums haven’t been met, or who value the privacy that private pay offers. We’re also built for people navigating situations where they don’t want a diagnosis on record, which is a real benefit for high-conflict divorce and custody cases.
What's a superbill and how does it actually work?
A superbill is a detailed receipt from us that includes the service provided, the date, and a diagnosis code (required by insurance). You take it home and submit it to your insurance company yourself, or you can use a service like Mentaya to do it for you. Your insurance company will review it and send you a reimbursement check if they cover out-of-network services (most do, though the amount varies). Your insurance company sees the superbill and could still require access to your session notes.
Why don't you take more insurance?
Insurance billing requires a lot of operational overhead, and every panel you join comes with specific documentation requirements, authorization processes, and limitations on what you can charge and how you can work. We chose to build our practice around clinical quality and client privacy instead of maximizing billing. For a smaller practice that specializes in complex, high-conflict cases, it’s a better model.
Do you offer sliding scale?
Yes, on a limited basis. If cost is a barrier, call us at 303-551-9214 to discuss whether sliding scale might work for your situation and your therapist. There’s no harm in asking!
What if I can't afford the out-of-pocket cost?
Start with the sliding scale conversation. If that doesn’t work, ask us about superbill reimbursement and what your insurance plan actually covers. Some people are surprised by how much their out-of-network benefits can cover. You can also use your HSA or FSA if you have one. If none of those options work, we can point you toward community mental health resources or other practices in the area that accept different insurance plans.
What's the actual difference between private pay and insurance-covered therapy records?
With insurance-covered therapy, your therapist documents treatment and may share diagnostic information, a treatment plan, and progress summaries with your insurance company for authorization and payment. Those notes go into an insurance database, and insurance can request them or conduct an audit. With private pay, your therapist keeps your notes and insurance has no access to them at all.
Will you share my information with my insurance company?
If you’re paying out of pocket, no. We don’t share session notes, and insurance companies have no access to them. If you’re using a superbill for out-of-network reimbursement, insurance only sees the superbill, and could still require access to your detailed clinical notes. Even for in-network therapy, insurance companies don’t automatically have access to your notes, though they can request them through a formal process or conduct an audit.
Why does it matter that I'm not assigned a diagnosis?
Insurance requires a diagnosis to justify payment for therapy. But diagnosis is a medical framework, and not all therapy needs that. You might need couples therapy without a diagnosis. You might need support around identity and boundaries without a diagnosis. You might need parenting support without a diagnosis. With private pay, you don’t have to fit your experience into a diagnostic box to access therapy. You can just do the work.
If I'm in a high-conflict custody case, how does privacy actually help?
In custody disputes, discovery is broad. If your therapy notes are in an insurance system, they can potentially be requested and used in court. If your therapy records are private, they don’t exist in that discoverable system. This matters. We have multiple clients in custody cases who specifically chose private pay for this reason. It’s not just privacy for privacy’s sake, it’s strategic protection of your therapeutic space during a vulnerable time. If your therapy is court ordered, our therapists can produce treatment summaries that still allow for a lot of privacy in your sessions. While notes and records can be subpoenaed, we try to work with the requesting party to provide a treatment summary instead and will often file a motion to quash so that you can maintain as much privacy as possible.
How do I find out what a specific therapist charges?
Call us at 303-551-9214, or email: connect@mcculloughfamilytherapy.com. We’re happy to tell you upfront what you’ll pay.
Can I use my HSA or FSA to pay you?
Yes. If you have a healthcare savings account or a flexible spending account, most plans allow you to use those funds for therapy. You’ll pay us out of pocket with your HSA or FSA debit card or submit for reimbursement depending on your plan. Check with your plan administrator to confirm they will cover therapy.
What if I want to stop therapy? Is there a commitment?
No. Therapy isn’t a contract. You can stop whenever you need to. We do ask that you give notice if you’re ending, so your therapist can wrap up appropriately and you can have closure on your work together. If you’re leaving because of scheduling or cost, talk to your therapist or call us. We might be able to work something out.
What if I want to stop therapy? Is there a commitment?
No. Therapy isn’t a contract. You can stop whenever you need to. We do ask that you give notice if you’re ending, so your therapist can wrap up appropriately and you can have closure on your work together. If you’re leaving because of scheduling or cost, talk to your therapist or call us. We might be able to work something out.
STILL HAVE QUESTIONS?
How To Get Started
Ready to find out if McCullough Family Therapy is the right fit? Start with a free consultation. You can book online, call us, or fill out this contact form. Let us know what you’re looking for and what questions you have about rates and privacy. We’ll match you with a therapist and get you started.