Frequently asked questions

Because the availability of our clinicians is always subject to change, we do not provide that information on our website. To find out which clinicians currently have openings, feel free to reach out to us at clientcare@pspseattle.com, calling (206) 669-4336, or texting us at (206) 208-1892.

Hours vary from clinician to clinician, ranging from 8:00am – 7:00pm Monday through Friday. Some have limited availability weekend appointments. If you have concerns about scheduling, please reach out to us and we will do our best to accommodate your needs as we connect you with a clinician.

Yes, we offer both in-person AND virtual appointments. Some of our clinicians are exclusively virtual, but most offer both in-person and telehealth sessions. You can learn about options on each clinician’s bio on our website or by calling the client care team at (206) 669-4336, or texting us at (206) 208-1892.

Please note that, per DEA regulations, individuals looking to meet with one of our psychiatric prescribers must be seen in-person for their initial appointment, and again once every year for ongoing medical prescriptions.

Private pay rates vary by clinician, typically within the range of $165-300 per session. Contact us to learn more about each provider’s rates.

You can set up an appointment consultation call with our client care team to book your first session with a provider. Depending on your needs and the availability of our clinicians, first appointments scheduled during intake calls are typically within 1-2 weeks.

Click here to request an appointment.

Appointment consultation calls with the care team are to discuss your needs as a client so that we can provide you with the best match possible with one of our available clinicians. Some of the factors we consider before we can match you with a clinician include: reason for seeking services, cost/insurance, virtual/in-person preferences, and anything else you would like to discuss with a team member.

While our appointment consultation calls are set up as video calls using Google Meet, please note you are not required to turn your camera on. If you prefer to chat with our team over the phone, please let us know and we will call you instead.

If a phone call or video meeting is an obstacle to getting scheduled, please just reach out and we can make appropriate accommodations to still get you matched with a clinician.

Yes! We offer a free 15-30 minute phone or video consultation with one of our care team coordinators to help assess which clinician would be the best fit for your needs.

Our care team has a high success rate with their matching suggestions, as we place a high emphasis on aligning your needs with the specialties and temperament of our clinicians.

We keep a waitlist for individuals who fall within the following categories:

1. If you would like to see a specific provider who does not currently have any openings
2. If you would prefer to use an insurance and we do not have any providers with current openings who are in-network with your plan
3. If you would like a specific type of counseling (ie. couples counseling, children under 18, EMDR, etc.) that we do not currently have openings for.

Please note that some of our clinicians are not accepting additional clients to their waitlists at this time.

In Washington State, an ARNP is an advanced registered nurse practitioner and a DNP is a doctorate of nursing practice, both are board-certified medical providers who specialize in psychiatry. A psychiatrist is an MD (medical doctor).

All three medical licenses mean they can diagnose mental illnesses, provide psychiatric care, prescribe psychotropic medication, administer risk assessments, and help to coordinate treatment between primary care providers and other behavioral health providers. ARNP and DNP work exactly as a psychiatric medical doctor (MD).

If you are unsure as to whether your mental health needs fall within the scope of what our psychiatric practitioners can do, please give us a call at (206) 669-4336, text us at (206) 208-1892, or email us at clientcare@pspseattle.com.

Our psychiatric team can assist you with:

• Conducting medical and psychiatric evaluations, including physical exams, ordering lab tests, or assessing medication needs
• Prescribing psychiatric medications deemed appropriate after meeting in-person and collaborating on treatment options with an individual seeking care
• Assessing, diagnosing, and providing medication for conditions such as ADHD, mood disorders (depression, bipolar), trauma, and anxiety disorders.

Our prescribers are unable to assist you with:

• Comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations
• Formal Autism testing
• Evaluations for use in legal proceedings

These services can only be provided by a licensed psychologist. For more information on our psychiatric services, please visit here.

However, we do find that the system is not 100% reliable, so we always ask that clients ensure that they have their appointments recorded in their own calendar system and do not rely on the Valant reminders. We wish the system was more reliable, but we do not want any client to incur a missed appointment fee due to a technology glitch. Please ensure you have appointments accurately recorded in whatever scheduling system you use to track your appointments.

If you have any questions while filling out your initial intake forms, feel free to call or email our office.

We require 24 hour notice of cancellation prior to your appointment, otherwise you will be charged a fee comparable to your clinicians private pay rate. You can see this rate in the intake forms signed prior to your first appointment. Our clinicians may waive the cancellation fee for extenuating circumstances such as emergencies or serious illness. This cancellation fee cannot be billed through insurance. If you have any questions about your specific provider’s policies, please ask them directly.

To contact your therapist, please email them directly.

If you would like to schedule a follow-up appointment with your psychiatric provider, please contact the client care team at clientcare@pspseattle.com or (206) 669-4336.

If you would like to schedule a follow-up appointment with your talk therapist, please contact your provider directly by email.

To request a refill, please contact your provider directly through the patient portal.

We ask that you avoid initiating refill requests through your pharmacy, as they do not sync with our medication refill system.

Please allow the team at least 3-4 business days to process your refill request, as we do not provide 24 hour or weekend care.

If you are in crisis and need a refill on shorter notice, you can try to escalate your refill request by notifying the care team (after sending the original request via patient portal). You can also try to contact your primary care or urgent care for a short-term bridge prescription as we may not be able to refill on short notice.

If you feel that your current medication is ineffective or the cons outweigh the pros, please message your prescriber to speak about it. Stopping medication without a tapering plan in some cases may have significant and alarming adverse effects, which can be avoided by collaborating with your prescriber for a safe change in treatment.

We want to help you get the meds that are right for you – and are happy to work with you to build a plan for phasing out a medication in a healthy, safe manner.

We understand that starting on medication can feel urgent when you’re struggling, and we are here to support you.

In most cases, prescriptions are not given at the first appointment. First visits are typically evaluations, wherein clinicians take time to understand your symptoms, history, and needs. This thorough assessment enables us to make safe and effective treatment recommendations, which may or may not include medication.

If medication is appropriate, your provider will discuss options with you and can prescribe it at a follow-up appointment, or sometimes sooner depending on the situation.

Please know:

• Our goal is to make sure any medication we recommend is safe and well-suited for you
• If you are in urgent need, please let us know – our team will do our best to support you.

For some patients, therapy, lifestyle changes, or other supports may be recommended before or alongside medication.

If you have questions after your initial visit, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re here to help you feel better, one step at a time.

Please note, per DEA regulations, we require that you be seen by your provider in person at least once a year for ongoing medications and long term management.

Our psychiatry services page has a wealth of information about what to expect at a psychiatry appointment. If you are unsure about the differences between counseling and psychiatry, learn here. If you still have questions, please reach out for a free consultation.

There are three ways you can get us your insurance card:

• You are welcome to email our billing team a picture of your insurance card at helpdesk@pspseattle.com
• You can provide your insurance details over the phone by calling (206) 207-7860
• You can upload front and back photos of your insurance card directly into your patient portal by going to the profile tab and clicking on the insurance section

Yes – information about plans is critical information for us! Even if we don’t accept your secondary insurance plan, we still need to know about it. In order for your insurance to cover your services with Puget Sound Psychotherapy, you will need to call your insurance companies and request a coordination of benefits with BOTH plans, explaining which plan you would like to designate as your primary plan to use with Puget Sound Psychotherapy.

This is very important – not listing all plans may result in your claims being denied, leaving you responsible for the session bill.

If you think you might have more than one insurance plan, it is critical you notify us as this is the most common reason that insurance claims are not paid, leaving clients with unexpected bills.

Please reach out to our office if you have any questions about this.

If your insurance changes, please reach out to us at helpdesk@pugetpsychotherapy.com or (206) 207-7860 as soon as possible so that we can coordinate payment moving forward.

Please note that if we do not have up-to-date insurance information, you may be responsible for the out of pocket private pay rate cost of any sessions.

Good Faith Estimates are provided in your intake paperwork; we work hard to provide all the details we are given from your insurance back to you. Please note the information is always provided to us with the caveat that it is only an estimate. Thus, to most accurately verify your specific insurance coverage, please call your membership benefits line directly. As a member, they are required to provide you with accurate coverage quotes. 

Our office can help by coaching you on what to ask, and providing what information and codes will ensure you get the most clear information from your insurance company.

We ask that your card be on file in your patient portal prior to your first appointment because we collect payment automatically at the time of service. PSP’s policy is that all clients are required to have an active card on file to receive services.

As part of your intake paperwork, you will be asked to sign a credit card authorization form acknowledging that you understand and consent to this policy. Without this form signed and a card on file, you cannot receive services at PSP.

We automatically collect the fee estimated by your insurance company or the private pay rate within 48 hours of your appointment. This policy avoids large balances building up week after week while we wait for insurance claims to process.

If your deductible applies to your sessions, we will collect payment automatically based on your insurance plan’s rate for the service(s) you’ve received. Please note that insurance companies set the rates we collect.

To get a statement of your transaction history at Puget Sound Psychotherapy, log into your Valant Patient Portal and click on “billing” to find your statements. You can request a specific statement for a specific date or date range by contacting our billing department at helpdesk@pugetpsychotherapy.com or calling (206) 207-7860.

We have providers who accept the following insurance:

• Premera Blue Cross
• Regence Blue Shield
• Out-of-State Blue Cross Blue Shield Plans (coverage may vary)
• Kaiser PPO and HOM
• Lifewise
• First Choice Health Network
• Aetna
• Cigna
• Tricare

Please note that not all providers accept all of the following insurance plans. Please get in touch with our client care team to confirm plans accepted by your provider.

We do not currently accept Apple Health, Medicaid, Molina, or UnitedHealth at this time. If your insurance plan changes, please make sure that your provider accepts your new insurance plan before scheduling your next appointment.