Why is Therapy so expensive?
Therapy Is expensive. You’re not wrong about that.
If you've ever looked at our rates page and felt your stomach drop a little...you're not alone. Counseling is a real investment of time, emotional energy, and money. We get it.
So why would a practice that cares deeply about accessibility choose to be out of network with insurance? And how can Aspire Counseling still be a good financial fit for you or your family?
This post pulls back the curtain on both the cost and the value of therapy at Aspire Counseling. We'll also talk about how tools like Thrizer, HSAs/FSAs, and thoughtful financial conversations can make high-quality care more realistic than it may first appear.
Is therapy really that expensive?
Yes, therapy is a significant investment. Weekly sessions at Aspire typically range from $100–$170 per session, depending on your therapist's training and licensure. When you're already stressed, anxious, grieving, or dealing with OCD or PTSD, thinking about adding hundreds of dollars a month can feel overwhelming.
You might be asking yourself some hard questions right now.
"How long will I need to come?"
"Will this actually help?"
"Is it irresponsible to spend this much?"
Those are completely fair questions. In fact, we encourage you to ask them.
Counseling isn't a quick Amazon purchase. It's a deep investment in your mental health, your relationships, your physical wellbeing, and your long-term quality of life.
When anxiety eases, trauma symptoms fade, and depression lifts, people often notice improvements in work, school, parenting, physical health, and overall life satisfaction. That's why we talk about therapy as an investment on our Rates & Insurance page.
Why is Aspire Counseling out of network with insurance?
Aspire has been out of network since we opened our Columbia office in 2017. That's not an accident. It's a client-centered choice that allows us to live out our values and provide the kind of care we'd want for ourselves and our own families.
Being out of network means your insurance company doesn't dictate your treatment. It means we protect your privacy fiercely. It means you and your therapist decide what your care looks like, not someone in a cubicle who has never met you.
Here are the specific reasons we made this choice.
We fiercely protect your privacy
Insurance companies require diagnoses, documentation, and often the use of electronic systems that involve sharing your information with multiple third-party entities.
That can matter later if you're applying for certain jobs, security clearances, or professional licenses. We'd rather you be able to talk openly with your therapist without worrying who else might read a diagnosis down the road.
We don't believe everyone should have to be diagnosed
For insurance to cover therapy, we typically must assign a mental health diagnosis. Even for situations where you might just be going through a hard season, working on your relationship, or navigating a big life transition.
We absolutely diagnose when it's clinically appropriate. For example, OCD, PTSD, anxiety, or depression. But we don't believe a diagnosis should be the price of admission to counseling.
We want insurance companies out of your treatment decisions
When a practice bills insurance directly, the insurance company often dictates how often you can be seen, how long your sessions can be, and how many sessions you "get."
At Aspire, we want you and your therapist to decide what your care looks like. That might mean:
Short-term, skills-focused anxiety treatment
Longer 60–90 minute sessions for trauma work
More frequent sessions during a crisis
Slower, supportive work during a big life transition
We want our clinicians fully focused on you, not on paperwork
Insurance billing is its own full-time job. The more time your therapist spends on the phone with insurance companies, chasing denials, and appealing claims, the less time they have for you.
Being out of network lets us protect session time and brain space for you. Your therapist can focus on preparing for your sessions, consulting with other experts about your concerns, reading up on the latest research, and planning your care between sessions.
Paying our clinicians well is a client-care issue
Here's something people don't always hear. The ability to provide excellent, evidence-based care is directly tied to whether therapists are supported, fairly compensated, and not drowning in impossible caseloads.
Staying private-pay allows us to keep caseloads at a level where therapists can show up present and attuned. We can pay clinicians competitively so they can stay in the field long-term. We can offer advanced trainings in trauma, OCD treatment, DBT, EMDR, and more.
In other words, fair pay for therapists isn't extra. It's part of how we take good care of you.
What is Aspire Counseling doing to make therapy affordable?
We're doing several concrete things to make therapy more financially doable. Being out of network doesn't mean we shrug and say "good luck." We care deeply about accessibility, and we're honest that we can't solve every insurance problem that exists in the U.S. healthcare system.
But here's what we can do.
Thrizer helps you use your out-of-network benefits
We use Thrizer, a platform that helps clients use their out-of-network benefits without having to front the full fee and then wait around hoping to be reimbursed. Thrizer verifies benefits, helps clients understand their deductible, and streamlines reimbursement.
Reimbursement data from Aspire Counseling
When we pulled actual 2025 data for Aspire clients who had already met their out-of-network deductiblehere's what we found:
Reimbursement range: 32% – 99% of session costs
Average reimbursement: 64%
Most common range: 50–70% reimbursement (about two-thirds of claims)
So yes, there's real variation by plan. But once deductibles are met, many of our clients are getting a meaningful portion of their therapy reimbursed.
We want you to have real numbers, not vague promises.
We'll help you understand your benefits
Out-of-network benefits are confusing. Many clients don't know what their deductible is, don't know which providers count toward that deductible, or think "out of network" means "no help at all."
During our intake process, we can check your out-of-network benefits and walk you through what your plan actually says, in plain language. That doesn't mean we can change your deductible or guarantee reimbursement. But we can help you feel more informed and empowered before you commit.
We accept HSA and FSA cards
We accept Health Savings Account (HSA) and Flexible Spending Account (FSA) cards. These can be a tax-advantaged way to pay for therapy.
If you already set aside pre-tax dollars for healthcare, using those funds for counseling can make the numbers feel more manageable over the course of the year.
We offer limited reduced-rate spots
We reserve a small number of reduced-rate slots for clients with significant financial need. Those do tend to fill quickly, and we never want to give false hope. But they're one way we try to bridge the gap for some folks who really need care.
If cost is the main barrier, you're always welcome to ask our intake team about current availability and possible options.
We offer multiple ways to access care
We offer individual therapy for adults, teen counseling, child counseling for anxiety, and online therapy throughout Missouri.
For some families, online therapy reduces costs related to travel, childcare, and time off work. That's another small but important part of making care more accessible.
How does my out-of-network deductible actually work?
Your out-of-network deductible may be met faster than you think. A lot of people assume they'll never hit their deductible with therapy alone, so they think it's pointless to try.
But your mental health therapist often isn't the only provider contributing to that deductible.
Depending on your specific plan, your out-of-network deductible may also be affected by:
Your dentist (maybe-this might be a seperate plan)
A chiropractor
An out-of-network specialist you see once or twice
An unexpected ER visit where the physician is out of network
Even if you don't spend your entire deductible at Aspire, therapy may still help you reach a yearly number you were going to pay across providers anyway.
What am I actually paying for at Aspire Counseling?
When you work with an Aspire therapist in our Columbia office, our Lee's Summit location, or online across Missouri, you're not just paying for 50–60 minutes on the couch or on a screen.
You're investing in:
Clinicians trained in evidence-based treatments like EMDR, Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) for things like anxiety, trauma, OCD, and depression
A practice that protects your privacy and clinical autonomy
Thoughtful treatment planning and collaboration between sessions
A therapist who has enough space in their caseload to show up fully for you
An environment that is affirming, inclusive, and trauma-informed
If you'd like to get a feel for our team, you can meet our therapists on the Our Counselors & Staff page.
How can I find out if Aspire fits my budget?
If you're curious but nervous about the financial side, here's a simple next step. Reach out to our intake team. You can request an appointment or contact us with any questions you have about cost, frequency, or reimbursement.
Ask us to check your out-of-network benefits. We'll walk you through your deductible, what happens once it's met, and how Thrizer may be able to help.
Get a Good Faith Estimate. As part of the "No Surprises Act," we'll provide a written estimate of expected costs so you can make an informed decision before you commit.
And once you're in therapy, you're always allowed to say, "Can we talk about the financial side for a minute?" We'd rather collaborate on a sustainable plan than have you disappear because it got too stressful.
Our promise to you
We can't promise that therapy will be cheap. We can't promise that your reimbursement will look like someone else's. And we definitely can't rewrite your insurance policy.
What we can promise is this:
We will be honest and transparent about costs. We will use tools like Thrizer and accept HSA/FSA cards to help you stretch your resources. We will continue to prioritize high-quality, evidence-based care, reasonable caseloads, and fair pay for our clinicians—because that's what supports real healing for our clients.
If you're interested in working with us and want to explore whether it's financially feasible for you, we'd love to have that conversation.
You don't have to have it all figured out before you reach out. That's what we're here for.
Therapy in Columbia, Lee's Summit, and Online Across Missouri
At Aspire Counseling, we offer therapy for anxiety, trauma, OCD, depression, and stress at our offices in Lee's Summit and Columbia, Missouri. We also provide online counseling to anyone throughout Missouri.
Our therapists are warm, down-to-earth people who use evidence-based approaches that actually work. We believe in treating you like a whole person, not a diagnosis.
To get started, call us at 573-328-2288 or visit our website at aspirecounselingmo.com. We'll match you with a therapist who gets it.
About the Author
Jessica Oliver, LCSW, is the founder and Clinical Director of Aspire Counseling in Missouri. She specializes in trauma and anxiety treatment using evidence-based approaches including EMDR, Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), and mindfulness-based interventions. Her favorite thing to do is offer week long trauma intensive for people needing a jump start on their PTSD treatment. Jessica is passionate about creating accessible, high-quality mental health care and has built Aspire Counseling around the values of client autonomy, privacy protection, and clinical excellence. She sees clients at the Lee’s Summit office and offers trauma therapy intensives—week-long programs where clients meet twice daily for intensive CPT treatment.
