Referral to psychologist without the wait?
July 31, 2019 7:21 AM   Subscribe

All the psychology groups near me require a referral from a PCP. Waits for PCP visits are insane. Is there a shortcut? Or will they let me avoid the referral if I pay out of pocket? Thanks in advance for any info. This is just for counseling, nothing that's an emergency, but I'd like to get started sooner rather than later.
posted by ftm to Health & Fitness (10 answers total)
 
Are you in the US? I'm in the States and I've never gone through a PCP for a psych referral, except when I was on a university health plan as a student. I've always called psychiatrists/psychologists and therapists directly, and most of these I've paid out of pocket. The only problem I've faced was finding providers whose practices weren't full, so you might need to call around to several.
posted by shaademaan at 7:27 AM on July 31, 2019


My PCP would provide a referral without an appointment but i have a good relationship with her. If you know your PCP you may ask.

Your referral requirement may be an insurance issue not a practice issue.
posted by AlexiaSky at 7:34 AM on July 31, 2019 [3 favorites]


If you have the ability to pay out of pocket (and either get reimbursed through out-of-network coverage or just eat the cost), then look for a therapist with an individual practice who doesn't take insurance rather than anyone in a group. Psychology Today is often a good place to start. You still may have to make several phone calls before you get someone who aligns with your needs, returns your call, and has an opening, but the pool of practitioners will be much larger. The best therapists and psychiatrists I've had contact with are the ones who operate out of a home office or a small rental unit with a tiny waiting room and no office staff.
posted by drlith at 8:25 AM on July 31, 2019 [1 favorite]


(and for the interested reader who needs a p-doc: this is ESPECIALLY TRUE for psychiatrists IMHO, where that big out-of-pocket charge from a psychiatrist who isn't in any insurance networks may seem like a lot to pay, but is so much worth it to pay $150 every three months for a practitioner who schedules full half-hour follow-up visits that start and end on time rather than a smaller insurance co-pay to sit around in a crowded waiting room for 10 minutes of time with someone who sees 20+ patients a day)
posted by drlith at 8:34 AM on July 31, 2019 [1 favorite]


Are you near a large university with a psychology training clinic or teaching hospital? You may be able to get psychotherapy from a (highly supervised) training psychologist or psychiatry resident for about the price of a common copay, without dealing with your insurance.
posted by Keter at 8:44 AM on July 31, 2019


Does your doctor do email (like through their own secure portal)? It couldn't hurt to ask for a referral that way. If your insurance card has a consulting nurse service, I might call them and ask for help too. Sometimes the nurses on those lines have access to same-day cancellation appointments or appointments that they're holding for people who need help fast.

It also wouldn't hurt to make an appointment with your PCP while you try these other avenues. You can always cancel it later if you work something out before then.
posted by purple_bird at 10:30 AM on July 31, 2019


Do you have an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) through work? My EAP program gives 4 free therapy sessions and actually does the leg work to find someone close to the office and get them in touch. I got a therapy appointment within 24 hours this week! The therapist I saw doesn’t bill insurance, so after the 4 sessions I’ll have to find someone else that does. But I was amazed at how smoothly the process went.
posted by Maarika at 7:29 AM on August 1, 2019


My wife is a licensed clinical psychologist in private practice and, short of me asking her about specifics for how she'd handle your case/call, I know that they do have a strong fiscal pull towards out of pocket clients because, well, insurance/medicare/etc sucks for them to get reimbursed.

I'm sorry that's not more specific but feel free to memail me if you think I can get info from her that's more direct/helpful.

On a personal note, as someone who self-referred myself to a pulmonolist after years of PCPs shitting on me with "take these allergy pills and come back and see me" when I had absurdly serious breathing problems only to find out that I have actual lung nodules/ABPA diagnosis this whole time, I hear you about how much it sucks to deal with the whole 'you need a referral' crap.
posted by RolandOfEld at 10:15 AM on August 1, 2019


Are you near a large university with a psychology training clinic or teaching hospital? You may be able to get psychotherapy from a (highly supervised) training psychologist or psychiatry resident for about the price of a common copay, without dealing with your insurance.

Seconding this, my wife went through this during her PhD process and it was amazing, research driven therapy at bargain/free prices.
posted by RolandOfEld at 10:16 AM on August 1, 2019


The state of psychiatry in the US is freaking ridiculous these days. When my PCP first referred me to psych care, it was at the local humongous university, which told me I would have a 9-month wait. After two days hitting redial, I managed to talk to an actual person there, who recommended a local nonprofit, which usually had shorter wait times. And they did! Only 6 months!

I called them daily, asking if there had been any cancellations. Every. Single. Day. I don't know if they got tired of me calling, or if an opening actually occurred, but after about 3 weeks of calling, they gave me an appointment 4 weeks out from that day. Good enough.

They're one of those over-crowded, over-worked nonprofits, filled with every one of the 200 disorders in the DSM. I don't know how anybody who works there does it for more than a month. But everyone there has been dedicated, caring, and insanely hard-working. When I go in for my appointment i na couple weeks, I'll be meeting my fourth therapist and third psychiatrist. (ACT and 4 meds)

If you can self-pay for therapy, you can avoid all that. But you're still going to have to work at it a little.

Here's a couple other ideas that might work, or might bridge the gap in the meanwhile:

1. Do you really need a therapist? Or would someone in the coaching arena be able to help you? Life coach, mindset, motivation, business, relationship, whatever, there are coaches for just about everything. I've met a ton of incredible coaches over the last few years who blow my mind with their insight.

2. Would a peer-to-peer experience be helpful? (Hint: Probably more than you think it would!) I've been a member of 7 Cups for a few years now. (Disclaimer: Affiliate link. I get points. But it's like Who's Line is it Anyway - the points don't matter.) There are more ways to get support from people who've been there, wherever "there" is, than I could even begin to tell you about. But there are a lot.

All the best!
posted by The Almighty Mommy Goddess at 2:25 PM on August 3, 2019 [1 favorite]


« Older Resources for interesting reports   |   Something better than "throw darts at a list of... Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.