FAQ

If you’re ready for change and relief from the same symptoms and stress, then the answer is yes. Your efforts, dedication, and investment in therapy ultimately determine the value you can achieve. We are all wired to heal and therapy presents the optimal opportunity to do just that. Below are some ways therapy may be beneficial to you:

• Understand yourself better: Insecurities, emotions, behaviors, thoughts, and patterns
• Resolve past trauma
• Manage symptoms of anxiety, depression, perfectionism, shame, trauma, chronic pain, etc.
• Embody your strengths and cultivate self-compassion
• Foster healthy habits aligned with your life goals and intentions
• Practice effective communication and boundary-setting
• Strengthen your mind-body connection  
• Learn what it means to be the best version of yourself

Brittany Bagy, LPC is considered an out-of-network provider and does not accept insurance. The cost per 50 minute session is $165.

Investing in therapy is investing in yourself. The short-term financial commitment is worth the long-term emotional gains. 

Clients can request a receipt of services to submit to their insurance, which may provide personal reimbursement or application toward a deductible depending on the benefits of your insurance plan. Please feel free to request an out-of-network question guide for further clarity and financial preparation in regards to your insurance coverage. Understanding your insurance benefits, including out-of-network coverage, is your responsibility. 

Bypassing insurance helps to avoid limitations and restrictions regarding diagnosis, allowed number of sessions, or constraints on types of therapy. 

Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), cash, check and credit cards are all accepted forms of payment. All payments are due at the time of service.

If you fail to appear for the scheduled appointment (whether virtually or in-person), and/or fail to give a 24-hour notice of cancellation, you will automatically be charged the full cost of the appointment ($165 for individual therapy).

Cooperation and courtesy are important in the therapeutic relationship. When you schedule an appointment, that time is reserved for you and/or your child. As the client and/or caregiver, you are responsible for scheduling and cancelling appointments. This policy is in place to respect the time of both the provider and all clients seeking access to therapy services. 

It is understood that emergencies may arise. In these situations, it is my decision whether to waive or reimburse these charges.

Edited to note: If you are sick and/or noticing symptoms of Covid-19, please call Brittany Bagy, LPC as soon as you notice the onset of symptoms. Together, we can discuss fees, reschedule your appointment, or determine if a telehealth visit would still be possible.

Therapy sessions are tailored to meet your specific needs, experiences, hopes, and goals. While I will make recommendations on the frequency of visits, additional resources, or ideas and tools to put into action, you ultimately make these decisions. Therapy is a collaborative process, but above all, this is for you to feel empowered to express and assert yourself. 

The first 1-3 sessions are typically focused on building rapport, assessing your needs, establishing goals, and offering psychoeducation customized to your presenting issues or inquiries. 

You can anticipate growing, learning, healing, and trusting yourself. Expect to be challenged-respectfully and gently, of course. If you’re seeking change, understand the journey to long-term change is typically uncomfortable because it’s also unfamiliar. Together, we will navigate the discomfort, the unfamiliar territory, the fears, the blocks, the shame, the hurt, and whatever else is interfering with feeling and being the best version of yourself.

I meet you where you’re at. My highest priority as a therapist is to be fully present and attentive to you. I seek to understand your life experience, not judge or preach, so you can self-observe, nurture yourself through stress and struggles, and reach beyond your potential. 

I’m straightforward and ready to get to business but we will always go at your pace. I frequently check-in for feedback and input to give you the leading voice and insure we’re on the same page. Your level of participation, communication, and action guides our sessions. The more curiosity, awareness, and openness in our work, the greater the therapeutic outcomes. 

“The greater the effort, the greater the glory.”   Pierre Corneille

Therapy is meant to be a safe and supportive space to grieve, to be heard, to be seen, and to connect. It’s a place to create change and overcome fears through mindfulness, curious exploration, and experimentation. 

I integrate Brainspotting to set the frame in processing the “tough stuff” in a way that’s tolerable for you but also emphasizes your connection with your true self. Self-compassion exercises, meditations, psychoeducation, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy techniques are also interwoven in the context of psychotherapy. See more about Brainspotting or Self-Compassion. 

Amidst the pain and experiences (both past and present) that you walk in with, I hope you walk out with relief, greater confidence, and a stronger connection to yourself.

The best preparation is to honestly reflect on your hopes and goals and any barriers you face in aligning with your values. It’s not about being polite and agreeable. Discover your truth so you can live it and shed the fallacies causing you this misalignment.  

Keep an open mind. Stay curious. Try something new or different to open the doors to change. 

Ask questions. Review the paperwork and see what questions come up for you. Therapy is tailored to you as an individual not vice versa. The better you can articulate your needs, experiences, symptoms, thoughts or behavior patterns, the better you can determine if our therapeutic relationship is a good fit for you and what next steps to take.

Ideas for self-inquiry for an honest reflection:

-What are my intentions for going to therapy?

-What do I hope to change or see differently as a result of therapy?

-What patterns, obstacles, or issues are preventing me from connecting with myself and/or achieving my goals?

-What will progress look like? What might change and/or reaching these goals feel like? 

Remember, it’s okay and very normal to be nervous. 

The therapeutic relationship is absolutely essential to healing, trusting, being vulnerable, taking risks, being honest, open, and curious. Going to therapy involves a great deal of courage and is a commitment of time, money, and energy; therefore, be vigilant of who you choose to navigate this journey with you.  If it is not a good fit or it doesn’t feel right, I strongly encourage you to share this feedback with me as soon as possible so we can work together to identify a therapist or program that might be a better fit for you. Similarly, if I believe it is not a good fit or your needs or presenting issues are outside the realm of my professional capacities, I will refer you to another mental health professional or facility that may better suit your needs. This is your time to heal, grow, learn, and connect with yourself.

No one will know you are in therapy unless you choose to tell them or you are a minor, in which case parental consent is required to proceed with treatment.

There are exceptions in which I do not need written authorization from you and may be legally mandated to disclose certain information to uphold safety. These situations include active thoughts of suicide, plans or intent to harm others, or child abuse. Your safety and the safety of others is my priority. 

In general, the privacy of all communications between a client and a therapist is protected by HIPAA. All medical and personal health information is also confidential, secure, and protected under the law; however, a higher degree of privacy can be assured with direct payment since there is no transmission of your health information or risk of random compliance audits. If you request a receipt of services to submit to your insurance provider, a diagnosis as well as dates of service are required for these claims to be submitted and potentially reimbursed. Insurance providers can audit and request records at any time to determine medical necessity and whether or not they will accept and process claims.

Bypassing insurance helps to avoid limitations and restrictions regarding diagnosis, allowed number of sessions, or constraints on types of therapy.

Sometimes, it may be beneficial for me to speak with others about therapy goals, the course of treatment, or past medical or therapeutic services accessed in order to offer you the most optimal care. For those seeking coordination of care between me and a previous therapist, a primary care physician, psychiatrist, or other professional, family member, or person, you will need to sign a release of information from the office of Brittany Bagy, LPC acknowledging your written permission. Please request this form, complete it, and return it to me so correspondence and integrative care can be initiated as soon as possible. 

In addition to in-person, office visits, telehealth sessions via Zoom Healthcare (a HIPAA-compliant platform) are also an option for anyone seeking services. Many clients alternate between in-person and video appointments per their convenience and to best suit their schedules, location, or personal preferences.
Typical appointments are 50 minutes in length but extended sessions or intensives can be arranged by request. In some circumstances, Brittany Bagy, LPC may consider it appropriate and/or beneficial for you to have an extended session of 90 or 120 minutes. On these occasions, prorated fees will be discussed, agreed upon, and clients will make the ultimate decision as to whether or not to pursue extended sessions.
Intensives are an option to those who may be traveling from outside the Saint Louis area and are seeking specific therapy services in which a client’s needs cannot be met in a typical 50 minute session or extended appointment. Half day or full day options are available depending on availability and scheduling. These fees will be determined on an individual basis and a free phone consultation will be required to ensure your needs and goals are within the realm of services