Call your insurance company to find out the answer. Inquire what your ‘co-pay’ is to see a clinician/psychiatrist. A co-pay is the amount that you will be responsible for paying at each session. If your insurance plan does not have a co-pay, it will have a ‘deductible’ which means that you have to pay 100% of the session cost until your deductible has been met. Your insurance company will then pay for part or all of your session cost. You can also ask if the plan has an ‘out of pocket’ limit. This means that once your family has spent this amount of money (co-pays, medication, visits, etc) insurance will cover your expenses at 100%.

Some providers offer a lower rate for out of pocket payments. Some providers are not yet licensed (but are practicing under the supervision of a licensed clinician) and are able to offer lower cost sessions. There are also several ‘sliding scale’ providers in the Harrisonburg area. This means that your session fee would be determined by your financial means. Learn more about insurance and connecting with community resources.

While confidentiality of mental health services is legally protected, some information (including date and type of appointments) may be conveyed in correspondence sent to the person who pays for your insurance. For more details, please speak to your insurance company and your provider.

If you decide to use the ‘Find a Provider’ feature on the website for your insurance company, be sure to enter your member number or plan name for a correct list of options. If you just go to the website of the main insurance company on your card, you might end up with a list of providers that don’t take your insurance. You can also search Psychology Today's Find a Therapist and/or MiResource. Keep in mind that you should always confirm directly with your provider that they participate with your specific insurance plan.

• PhD and PsyD (Psychologist with a doctorate, should indicate licensure status)
• LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor)
• LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker)
• Mental Health Providers for Medication
  • Psychiatrist (MD or DO) or Psychiatric Mental-Health Nurse Practitioner
  • Some Family Doctors and Primary Care Physicians will prescribe medication for anxiety and depression

It will likely be more expensive to see an ‘out-of-network provider’ than a provider on your insurance company’s panel. However, you can ask your insurance company if your plan is a Preferred Provider Organization (PPO). If you do have a PPO, it is possible that your company will pay a portion of the fee for an out-of-network provider.

JMU students experiencing a mental health emergency (e.g., thoughts or plans to kill yourself, thoughts of seriously harming others, recent sexual assault) can visit the Counseling Center to speak with a clinician. Counseling Center hours are Mon - Friday: 8am-4:30pm. 

After regular business hours or on weekends: please call the Counseling Center at 540-568-6552 and press "1” to connect to the after-hours crisis line. 

You can always access services at Sentara RMH Medical Hospital (540-689-1414), 2010 Health Campus Drive, Harrisonburg, VA. Visit our Emergency Resource page for additional 24 hour service information. 

If you are unsure how to proceed, you can call the CC (540-568-6552) and ask to schedule an appointment with the Case Manager who will assist you in verifying benefits, identifying providers, and in scheduling an appointment.