Couples therapist

October 27, 2016 7:02 PM

Does anyone have recommendations for a good couples therapist/marriage counselor in the Ithaca NY area? Is this the sort of thing that insurance covers?
posted by danep to Human Relations (4 answers total)

Best answer: I can help with the insurance part of the question. A few insurance policies will cover treatment for "partner relational problem" (the diagnosis code is z63.0). Otherwise, if one partner has enough distress that they can their own diagnosis and the therapist can make the case the best way to treat that person's problem is by working with the couple (the procedure code is 90847), then you can often (but not always) get insurance coverage. This makes treatment more difficult since theoretically everything the therapist does is supposed to be for the purpose of "curing" the identified patient. Some therapists do this happily, others completely refuse. The other question is whether the therapist that you want to work with is in your health insurance network. If not, you can see if at least part of the cost would be covered by your out of network benefits.

So, you want to call your insurance company. Do not ask them if they cover couples counseling. Ask them if they (1) cover a diagnosis of Z63.0, (2) cover a CPT code of 90847 and (3) what your coverage is for an out of network therapist.
posted by metahawk at 8:23 PM on October 27, 2016 [1 favorite]

Another note regarding insurance - some policies only cover PhD, MD, or equivalent, even though you can be licensed for family therapy with other credentials.

2 of the 3 insurance agencies (my job switched insurances plans each year) covered an out-of-network therapist, the other wouldn't have covered her even if she was somehow in-network.
posted by TofuGolem at 6:38 AM on October 28, 2016

Best answer: I don't have personal experience with them, but I've heard good things about Family & Children's Service of Ithaca. They have multiple counselors on staff so they can match you with someone who meets your needs, and they list couples counseling as part of their services.
posted by ourobouros at 8:04 AM on October 28, 2016

Best answer: Seconding Family and Children's Services. Does your employer offer an EAP program? Apparently many companies in Ithaca do and Family and Children's serves them too.
posted by mareli at 8:30 AM on October 28, 2016