Fees & investment

Clear pricing, no surprises.

We publish our rates because you deserve to know what care costs before you pick up the phone. New Birth Family Counseling is a private-pay practice serving San Diego and, by telehealth, all of California. Every new client starts with a free 15-minute consultation.

Why we don't bill insurance

Private pay is a choice, not a limitation.

Insurance reimbursement comes with conditions: a billable diagnosis submitted to a third party, session limits set by a reviewer who has never met you, and a record of your care in someone else's system. We decided that wasn't the practice we wanted to run.

No diagnosis required for coverage We assess what's actually going on rather than what fits a billable code. Nothing about your care is submitted to an insurer.
No one caps your sessions Your treatment length is decided between you and your clinician, based on how you're doing, not on an authorization.
Your care stays private This matters especially for active duty service members, professionals with clearances, and anyone who wants their therapy to stay between them and their clinician.
Integrative care isn't billable anyway Functional lab work, nutrition, and mind-body care are rarely covered by mental health benefits. Private pay is what makes the whole-person model possible.
Our rates

What care costs

All sessions are available in our Mission Valley office or by secure telehealth throughout California. Early morning, evening, and weekend appointments are available.

Therapy
Free consultation
A 15-minute call to tell us what's going on, ask questions, and decide whether we're the right fit. No commitment.
Free15 minutes
Individual therapy
One-on-one sessions for trauma, anxiety, burnout, and personal growth. Includes EMDR, Brainspotting, somatic therapy, CBT, DBT, and EFT as your plan calls for them.
$20060 minutes
Couples therapy
Infidelity and betrayal repair, rebuilding trust, communication, and reconnection. Longer sessions because couples work needs the room.
$25075 minutes
Couples intensives
Concentrated work for couples ready to move faster than weekly sessions allow. A two-day intensive is $2,500; a three-day intensive is $4,000. A $1,000 non-refundable deposit reserves your dates and is applied toward your total. Which format fits depends on what you're working through, and we'll help you decide before you book.
$2,500–$4,000two or three days
Functional medicine & wellness
Initial wellness consultation
One rate covers every wellness service: functional medicine, herbal medicine, therapeutic nutrition, and mind-body wellness planning. A full intake covering your health history, symptoms, sleep, nutrition, and stress, plus a plan for which lab panels are worth running.
$350initial visit
Wellness follow-up
Reviewing your lab results, adjusting your protocol, and tracking how you're responding over time. Same rate whether the focus is labs, herbs, nutrition, or your mind-body plan.
$150per visit
Limited availability

Six reduced-fee slots, held open.

We hold six reduced-fee spots in the practice at any given time. They exist because cost shouldn't be the only thing standing between someone and care, and because we'd rather be honest about the size of the program than imply it's unlimited.

When all six are full, they're full. We'll tell you directly rather than leaving you waiting, and we'll point you toward other options in San Diego if we can't be one.

If cost is a barrier for you, say so during your free consultation. It's not an awkward question here.

Ask about a reduced-fee slot
About lab work

Lab panels are billed separately.

Functional lab testing is ordered through an outside laboratory, and those costs are paid directly to the lab rather than to us. Pricing varies depending on which panels your situation calls for.

We'll never order a panel without telling you what it costs first, and we don't order tests to be thorough for its own sake. If a panel won't change what we do, we don't run it.

What that looks like in practice

At your initial consultation we identify which panels are worth running based on your history and symptoms, and you see the cost before anything is ordered.

Some clients start with a single targeted panel. Others do a broader workup. Both are reasonable, and it's your call.

Many labs offer payment plans, and some panels are eligible for HSA or FSA funds.

Immigration psychological evaluations

Evaluations for hardship, asylum, U-visa, and VAWA cases are priced separately as a flat fee covering the full evaluation and written report.

See immigration eval pricing
Questions about cost

What people ask about fees

Do you take insurance?
No. We're a private-pay practice and don't bill insurance of any kind. That means nothing about your care is submitted to a third party, no diagnosis is required for coverage, and no reviewer decides how long your treatment lasts.
Will I get a written estimate of what my care will cost?
Yes. As a private-pay client you're entitled to a Good Faith Estimate of expected charges under federal law, and we'll provide one. If your care ends up costing substantially more than estimated, you have the right to dispute it.
Can I use my HSA or FSA?
Therapy and functional medicine consultations are generally eligible expenses for HSA and FSA accounts, as are many lab panels. Check with your plan administrator, since rules vary.
How do I pay?
We accept debit cards, all major credit cards, and HSA and FSA cards. Payment is handled at the time of service.
What's your cancellation policy?
We ask for 24 hours' notice to cancel or reschedule. A first late cancellation or no-show is charged a $60 fee; after that, missed sessions are charged the full session fee. Intensives work differently: a $1,000 non-refundable deposit is due at booking and is applied toward your total, and cancellations must be made at least 14 days before the intensive date.
Do I have to commit to a certain number of sessions?
No. There's no package requirement and no minimum. Some approaches, like EMDR, tend to run a predictable course of eight to ten sessions, and we'll tell you what to expect. But you decide how long you stay.

Still deciding? Start with a conversation.

Fifteen minutes, free, no commitment. Tell us what's going on and ask whatever you need to ask, including about cost. Appointments available early mornings, evenings, and weekends.

Request your free consultation