Pricing For Therapy In St. Petersburg, Fl

Honest, Transparent Pricing

Most therapy practices keep their pricing hidden until you're on a phone call asking awkward questions. We don't.

Here's exactly what therapy costs at Sunshine City Counseling, why we charge what we do, and how to know if working with us makes sense for your situation.

We're an out-of-network practice. That means we don't bill insurance directly — clients pay our session fee at the time of service, and we provide a superbill you can submit to your insurance for partial reimbursement.

This is a deliberate choice — and it's about your care, not our convenience. Here's why:

Insurance shouldn't dictate your therapy.

Insurance companies decide which treatments they'll authorize, how often you can be seen, when you have to stop, and what counts as "medically necessary." We don't want a billing analyst deciding the pace, shape, or depth of your healing. Private-pay means clinical decisions stay between you and your therapist — where they belong.

2. Insurance requires a diagnosis — and not always a helpful one.

To bill insurance, we'd be required to assign you a mental health diagnosis from session one, even if what you're actually navigating is a life transition, a season of grief, a relational rupture, or a matrescence shift that doesn't really fit a clinical label. That diagnosis goes on your permanent medical record. It can affect future health, life, and disability insurance applications. And clinically — pathologizing what's actually a human experience often makes the work harder, not easier.

3. Privacy.

Without insurance involved, your therapy records aren't shared with a third party. What you bring into the room stays in the room.

4. Specialized expertise insurance won't reimburse.

Our clinicians are trained in modalities — Tholáge® Neuropsychotherapy, IFS, somatic and attachment-informed therapy — that insurance rarely fully covers but that produce real, lasting change. Being out-of-network lets us offer them without compromise.

Why We're Private-Pay

Session Rates by Clinician

We charge different rates by clinician, reflecting experience, training, and credentialing. Every clinician on our team produces excellent outcomes — the right fit matters more than the price difference.

Cara Cancio

Licensed Clinical Social Worker

ADHD, anxiety, OCD, perfectionism, identity work

Price per Session: $150

Olivia Pelts

Licensed Mental Health Counselor

Codependency, attachment, faith-integrated therapy

Price per Session: $165

Kelly Dzioba

Registered Mental Health Counselor Intern (post grad)

Anxiety, perfectionism, perinatal mental health, life transitions

Price per Session: $120

All sessions are 50 minutes — in-person at our St. Petersburg / South Pasadena office, or online across Florida.

Not sure who's the right fit? Start with our free 15-minute consultation — we'll match you with the right clinician based on what you're navigating.

Counseling Intensive

For clients who want compressed, high-impact work — typically focused on codependency, attachment, or relational patterns — we offer Counseling Intensives with Olivia.

Intensives range from half-day to multi-day formats and can move clients through what would normally take months of weekly therapy in a matter of days.

For full pricing tiers and what's included, see our Counseling Intensive page.

Modern therapy lobby with two sleek white chairs and a kegerator, creating a welcoming space—mental health clinic in St. Petersburg, FL

What's Included in Every Session

50 minutes of focused, individualized clinical work
A clinician trained in evidence-based modalities (CBT, ACT, IFS, somatic therapy, attachment-informed work, Tholáge®)
Documentation and a superbill for insurance reimbursement
Email support between sessions for routine questions
A direct relationship with your clinician — no portal handoffs, no rotating providers

We are out-of-network with all insurance plans. Most clients submit our superbills to their insurance for partial reimbursement — typically 40-70%, depending on your out-of-network mental health benefits.

To check your benefits before starting, call your insurance and ask:

"Do I have out-of-network mental health benefits?"
"What's my deductible, and have I met it for this year?"
“What percentage do you reimburse for out-of-network outpatient mental health (CPT codes 90834 or 90837)?"
If your benefits cover a significant portion, your effective cost per session may be substantially less than the listed rate.

Insurance & Superbills

Free 15-Minute Consultation

Before committing to anything, we offer a free 15-minute consultation with the clinician we recommend for you. This is your chance to:

Talk through what's bringing you in
Ask questions about how we work
See if the clinician feels like a fit
Decide on next steps — no pressure

Schedule Free Therapy Consult

Frequently Asked Questions

Insurance requires a mental health diagnosis to authorize sessions and limits the type and frequency of care. Many of the modalities our clinicians are trained in (Tholáge®, IFS, attachment work, somatic therapy) aren't fully reimbursed. Being out-of-network keeps the focus on you, not on what insurance approves.
Therapy is a meaningful investment, and we understand it's not accessible for every season of life. If our rates are out of reach, we encourage you to look at Open Path Collective (a directory of sliding-scale therapists), local community mental health centers, or training clinics that offer reduced rates with graduate-level interns.
We'd rather see you in good care than not in care at all.
We don't offer formal sliding scale at this time, but our team works with a limited number of reduced-rate slots when capacity allows. Inquire at the time of your free consultation.
Major credit cards, debit cards, HSA/FSA cards, and ACH transfers. Payment is due at the time of service.
Yes — same rate, same clinical quality. We offer both for client convenience and flexibility.
We require 24 hours' notice for cancellations or reschedules. Sessions canceled with less than 24 hours' notice are charged at the full session rate.