Leslie Garcia Leslie Garcia

Your Mental Health Is Waiting For You....

Last week, we were all stunned into silence, sadness, and confusion when flooded with news of the suicides of Anthony Bourdain and Kate Spade. Many of you may still be struggling with the questions of “Why?” and “How often do we miss — OR ignore — the signals?”

Here are some action plans.

Last week, we were all stunned into silence, sadness, and confusion when flooded with news of the suicides of Anthony Bourdain and Kate Spade. Many of you may still be struggling with the questions of “Why?” and “How often do we miss — OR ignore — the signals?”

Since then we have been inundated with calls at Counseling Space and CEO Motions as the week’s events reopened the dialogue about suicide and the shame and stigma around mental health in communities of color.

Here’s what I can tell you:

  • Close to 800,000 people die due to suicide every year
  • Every 40 seconds someone dies due to suicide
  • There are indications that for each adult who died of suicide there may have been more than 20 others attempting suicide

Maybe you are at the point where you want to stop suffering in silence. Maybe you are ready to take action. Maybe you want to reach and help a loved one.

Here are some action plans:

  1. CALL the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
  2.  COMPLETE the Patient Health Questionnaire to discover the very blurred line between stress and depression
  3.  DOWNLOAD our Health Insurance Cheat Sheet for guidelines on what to do if your therapist doesn’t take insurance
  4.  BOOK a FREE Consultation Call with Counseling Space

If you’re a businesswoman barely beating burnout, please also consider joining our Wellness Board Room. Last week’s sad news stressed the importance of support and safe space once again! The Wellness Board Room was created because we understand the silent and secret challenges of entrepreneurship and professional leadership.

PLEASE DO NOT sacrifice living while pursuing your life’s goals and dreams.

What are some of the questions you’ve been processing in light of the news of Bourdain and Spade? I welcome your reflections and questions.

 

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Leslie Garcia Leslie Garcia

What To Do When a Therapist Doesn’t Take Insurance

Your mental wellness is important! If you have gone as far as to research, select, and call an ideal therapist, do not be so quick to hang up — or give up — on the first call if they do not take your insurance. There are options available.

Discover the ways in which you may use your current insurance plan to offset therapy costs with an out-of-network provider.

Countless potential clients contact me and the conversation starts something like this:

Potential Client: “Do you take my health insurance?”

Me: “I don’t accept your plan, but….”  

After an uncertain pause, I would share the ways in which they could use their current insurance plan to offset therapy costs with an out-of-network provider.

You DO NOT have to wreck your budget to start your journey to wellness!

As I walk potential clients through the steps they should follow and questions they should ask their insurance provider, I am often surprised by how many are unaware about 3 IMPORTANT points:

  1. That it may be possible to receive reimbursement for sessions if the provider they are seeking does not accept their insurance.

  2. Whether they qualify for reimbursement under their current plan.

  3. The deductible and reimbursement amounts involved when using an out-of-network provider.

After sharing the relevant information, many eventually take action and follow-up with me to start therapy using their out-of-network options. I have even had other clients who call within 1 - 3 days to move forward by paying out of pocket because they felt comfortable and appreciated the time I took to educate them about their coverage options!

Your mental wellness is important. If you have gone as far as to research, select, and call an ideal therapist, do not be so quick to hang up — or give up — on the first call if they do not take your insurance. There are options available. Be persistent in discovering ways in which you can comfortably afford therapy, so that you may start your wellness journey sooner than later!

COMPLETE the form below to DOWNLOAD our Health Insurance Cheat Sheet. This will take you step by step through the questions you should ask your insurance provider when considering an out-of-network mental health professional. Note: these questions are helpful for BOTH medical and mental health services.


HEALTH INSURANCE CHEAT SHEET DOWNLOAD


For many, enrollment is fast approaching. Refresh your health goals, and choose a plan that will support BOTH your mental and physical wellness intentions!

Have a great week!

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