Frequently Asked Questions

Read our most Frequently Asked Questions

Steve Fringer

The initial hour is $160.00 and every hour thereafter is $145.00. If I am in network with your insurance company, they will establish the cost of therapy. But there will be, in most cases, a deductible or co-pay for which you, the client, are responsible. Once established, these charges are to be paid in each hour. Payment can be made with cash, check, credit card, or health savings account (HSA). If requested, a printout of your monthly statement will be made available for submission to your insurance company or HR department at your place of work.

Session cancellations are required twenty-four hours in advance of the session. Insurance will not cover the cost of a missed session. Failure to notify the therapist twenty-four hours in advance results in being charged the full session fee.

To determine if your insurance covers counseling, it is best to call your insurance company. Usually on the back of your insurance card is a number for Mental Health and Substance Abuse. When you call this number, ask what coverage you have for individual outpatient counseling. Do you have out-of-network coverage? Do you have a deductible that needs to be met first? How much is that deductible? What will your co-pay cost be? How many counseling sessions are you allowed? Some insurance companies will pay a portion of the counseling fee for out-of-network providers, but the deductible and copay costs may be higher.

Some people choose not to use their insurance because it requires me to submit a claim to your insurance with a diagnosis. They feel more comfortable maintaining maximum privacy regarding their counseling experience.

I am in network with the following insurance companies:

  • Tricare
  • Humana
  • Humana Military
  • Cigna
  • WEA

Couples’ counseling and/or marriage counseling are most effective when both partners are present.  When each partner is present a fuller, more balanced and nuanced perspective is provided. In situations where only one person enters therapy and the focus is marital therapy, I will work with the partner who has entered therapy and we will work toward the goals that person has established. Working individually to accomplish goals for your marriage is possible and realistic because therapy changes a person, deepening their self-understanding, the dynamics of their marriage, and how they interact with others.  It invites them to dance differently with their partner and when they dance differently it will have an impact on the partner.  Never underestimate the power of one person changing.  It is always possible that when one spouse sees changes in their partner that they may be more open to entering counseling. 

There is no pre-determined number of sessions for therapy to meet.  At the start, to maximize the benefit of counseling, weekly attendance is recommended.  This will help you find a rhythm to counseling and become more comfortable with how it works, come to understand what is asked of you, and how to weave the changes you’re making into your daily living.  Eventually, as you realize more and more of the changes you’ve desired, you may, in conversation with your therapist, begin to decrease the frequency of therapy.  Once the goals you’ve established for yourself in therapy are met, you’re done.  But not just done, you’re different in several good and positive ways.

It is not uncommon for clients to check in with their therapist on occasion, returning for a “booster shot.”  It’s a good way to insure you continue on the path toward greater health and wholeness, and also to discuss how to navigate any difficult bumps or potholes you’ve encountered.

To make an appointment you can fill out the form on this website or call the voicemail number. That number is confidential and good 24/7. If you fill out the website form, I will respond to your email or call you to set up an appointment. My Wauwatosa office and Racine office are provided on the maps on this website.