Finding good mental health care in Pennsylvania can be a full-time job. You call providers and everyone has a wait list, or they don’t call back, or they did take your insurance but now they don’t. There are very few ways around this to get affordable and quality mental health care but virtual therapy is changing the game. This allows providers (psychologists (PsY), Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSW), Licensed Professional Counselors (LPC), and Licensed Marriage and Family Counselors (LMFC) the ability to see more clients and reduce costs to both parties.
There are many options for virtual therapy, I happen to utilize Grow Therapy for my private practice, but I will tell you how to pick the company and provider that works best for you.
I always recommend printing the list or writing it down. Make sure to notate when you called and who you spoke too, wait times, cancellation fees, etc. Your co-pay for a specialist should be the only payment they require (which should be on the back of your insurance card and is typically $35-$55). Some people require you to do a full intake over the phone, some ask for paperwork to be completed prior to your first appt. If you don’t have a printer at home, you can print at your local library or often a community center near you. Another option would be to ask for the paperwork to be mailed to you.
How to Look Up Therapists for Commercial Insurance Plans
If you have insurance in Pennsylvania, you should be able to look up your insurance plan and then enter a specialty (Psych, substance abuse, dual diagnosis, etc) and your zipcode. This will give you a list of providers that you can start calling.
How to Look Up Therapist for Medicaid & Medicare
If you have Medicaid or Medicare your challenge in finding a provider will be even greater. There are Community Mental Health Centers that may be able to offer more support than private practices will be.