I want to know what other clinicians charge, but I think there are APA-related prohibitions against discussing rates….
Do you know that to be true? I’m not sure that’s right. I’ve seen, on multiple listservs/Google Groups, rules against discussing fees, motivated by concerns having to do with antitrust laws. I’ve always imagined those concerns to be mostly paranoid and misguided, given the realities of the marketplace. An effort to organize clinicians to drive bargaining with insurers might raise antitrust questions, for example, but I can’t think of a reason two, or twenty, clinicians couldn’t discuss their fees.
Trade associations often conduct surveys of members to ascertain information about costs and prices, and manage to do so in compliance with antitrust legislation.
I think folks can discuss fees, consistent with their own tolerance for any hypothetical risk associated with it, and with the rules of whatever forum they’re talking in.
If there’s an APA guideline of which I’m unaware, I’d love to know about it.
But until then, I’m comfortable telling you that what I’ve heard of fees is typically in the $60-85 range for group therapy, and, for individual treatment outside of a sliding scale context, from $120-$400.
