Referral Guide for Community Psychological Providers 

Your Counseling and Psychological Services counselor may recommend a transition of your mental health care to a community provider following your initial consultation or after some treatment and further assessment of your needs. If so, the steps outlined here can help you find a provider. 

Access Your Insurance Benefits

If you have health insurance, begin by taking these steps:

  1. There is an 800 number on the back of your insurance card. Call this number to reach the customer service representative for your insurance company. They will ask you for your insurance ID number (located on the front of your card), your birthdate, and your home address. 
  2. Ask them what your “outpatient mental health benefits” are. (Sometimes these are referred to as “behavioral health benefits.”) 
  3. Ask for a listing of names of therapists or psychological services in your local zip code. Make sure to get more than 1-2 names, as you may need to call several different people. They may also give you a website on which you can look up this information. 
  4. It can be helpful to have the following questions answered (Note: Bolded terms are defined on our Understanding Insurance page): 
    1. Is there a deductible to meet? If so, you will want to know how much the deductible is and how much has been met to date. 
    2. What is my co-pay or co-insurance?
    3. How many sessions can I receive per year? Your insurance company may give you an exact number of sessions, or they may say “unlimited sessions based on medical necessity.” 
    4. Is pre-authorization or referral required before meeting with a therapist? 

Locate and Contact a Community Provider

After obtaining a list of providers from your insurance, you will begin by calling the names on the list. If you do not have insurance, a list of sliding scale providers can be found below. 

Keep in mind that space is limited with counselors and psychiatric providers, so you may need to call several in order to find out who has openings. Try not to get discouraged if you cannot speak with the contact person directly, as you will often need to leave a confidential voice mail. In your voice mail, you will need to identify yourself, mention who referred you, and provide a return phone number and times you can be reached. The provider will call you back, usually within a day or two unless you indicate that you need an urgent contact. 

If you have additional questions or need assistance in any way, please contact Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) and we will do our best to help. 

Helpful questions to ask a community provider:

  1. Are you currently accepting any new clients?
  2. How soon would an appointment be available?
  3. My concerns have to do with (depression/anxiety/eating issues/alcohol issues/relationship
    problems/etc.) Do you have experience working with these concerns?
  4. Do you still take insurance from [your insurance company]?
  5. What are your payment policies? Do I need provide co-payment at the first visit?
  6. Where is your office located?
  7. Is there anything else I should be aware of?