I’m interested in seeking treatment. What’s next?

We’d love to hear from you! We always start with a free phone consultation to ensure that we’re the right fit for your needs and answer any questions you have.

You have two options for booking the phone consultation with us:

1) Book a free phone consultation here.

2) Call and leave us a secure voicemail at 253-434-4220.

If you are interested in our services after that initial call, and if we believe we are well-suited to helping with your needs, we will schedule an initial intake appointment (either via zoom or in-person) for 90 minutes to complete a thorough assessment and make sure you are matched with a therapist who can best meet your needs.

The first 2-4 sessions are assessment and treatment planning, and you will be provided extensive information about DBT so that you can make an informed decision prior to committing to the program. We encourage you to ask questions to determine whether DBT generally, our program specifically, and your assigned individual clinician are good fits for you.

Do you provide DBT for adolescents?

Yes! We provide DBT for adolescents (13+) in Washington state.

Do you provide DBT for adults?

Yes, we provide DBT for adults in Washington state.

Do you take insurance?

We are not in-network with any insurance plans, but we will provide you with a monthly superbill that you can submit to your insurance company for out-of-network reimbursement. Depending on your insurance plan, you may be reimbursed by your insurance company for a substantial portion of therapy costs. We recommend that if you have never used your out-of-network insurance benefits, you call your insurance company (the phone number is on your card) and ask the following questions:

• Am I eligible for out-of-network therapy? 

• (If relevant) Am I eligible for these services to be delivered via telehealth (i.e., modifier 95 after the above codes)?

• What is my out-of-network deductible?

• Will you reimburse for services provided by a clinician with an associate license (LMHCA or LSWAIC) under the supervision of a licensed psychologist?

• What percentage of the provider’s fee is reimbursed for out-of-network services?

• Do I have any limits to my out-of-network coverage (e.g., # visits)?

• What is the allowable amount for each procedure code?

Your insurance company may ask about the services that will be provided - here are the procedure codes we use:

• 90791: Psychiatric diagnostic evaluation

• 90837: 55-60 minutes of psychotherapy

• 90853: Group therapy

• 90849: Multifamily Group therapy

You may also use an HSA or FSA card, if you have one, to pay for services at DBT Center of Tacoma.

Many clients are able to advocate to their insurance company to be reimbursed for comprehensive DBT with us as if it were in-network, if the treatment is deemed medically necessary. This often means a lower deductible and a higher % of costs reimbursed. This is called a benefit level exception (or “network deficiency”) and is based on the reality that outpatient comprehensive DBT (the gold standard) is unavailable in-network with insurance, particularly within a 30 mile radius of Tacoma. You can find helpful resources for advocating to insurance here, and your current provider may be able to help. Please feel free to contact us if you have questions about this process.

Curious about why we aren’t paneled with insurance? The current healthcare system makes access to sustainable, effective healthcare extremely difficult for clients and deeply undervalues the time, emotional labor, and massive financial investments made by clinicians to provide therapy. Further, DBT is a highly specialized treatment, requiring extensive training and elements of treatment that are not standard in other outpatient models, including therapist consultation team and as-needed phone coaching. Therefore, in order to pay our clinicians a living wage and a wage that honors their hard work and specialization, we are unable to be paneled with any insurance companies.

What are your fees?

Intake evaluation (90 minutes): $300

Individual therapy session (typically 55 minutes) fees depend on the clinician you see:

• Master’s clinicians: $150-175

• Founders (Dr. Hunter and Dr. LoTempio): $325

Adult skills group (2 hours): $125

Multifamily skills group (2 hours): $200 (covers tuition for adolescent and 1-2 parents/guardians)

You will receive a detailed Fee Agreement with additional information during the informed consent process.

​For comprehensive DBT you can anticipate weekly individual therapy and weekly skills group for 6-12 months. You will receive a Good Faith Estimate covering expected total costs in the early phase of treatment.

Do you provide in-person services? Do you offer telehealth/virtual services (such as via zoom)?

We are able to offer both in-person services in Ruston, WA for those who are able to reach our office, and we are also able to provide HIPAA-secure telehealth services via Zoom (or similar platform) for those who prefer this option. We know that one way of doing therapy doesn’t work for everyone. Part of our mission is to increase the accessibility of DBT, which is a highly specialized treatment that has historically been unavailable to most Washington residents due to geographical limitations. As long as you are located in the state of Washington, we would be happy to work with you virtually.

Do you prescribe medications?

We do not currently have a psychiatrist or nurse practitioner on staff for medication management. However, we are happy to provide referrals and to work in conjunction with your medical treatment team throughout your therapy.