Good Faith Estimate (GFE)
A written estimate of expected charges, provided before care begins, for every individual who seeks psychological care at Alafiora without using insurance. This page explains that federal requirement and exactly what it covers: current session rates and billing codes, the two cost-estimate tools used at scheduling, and the specific federal rights that come with receiving one.
- The Federal Notice Behind This Page
- Current Service Rates and Billing Codes
- Calculator: Estimating Session Cost by Frequency and Duration
- Calculator: Estimating Out-of-Network Reimbursement
- Client Rights Under the No Surprises Act
- Requesting a Written Estimate
No section by that word. The menu holds the complete site.
The Federal Notice Behind This Page
What the No Surprises Act Actually Requires
Good Faith Estimate Law for Psychologists and Therapists
The No Surprises Act, effective January 1, 2022, requires healthcare providers, including licensed psychologists and other mental health providers in private practice, to give uninsured and self-pay individuals a written Good Faith Estimate of expected charges before care begins. Alafiora is a private-pay, fee-for-service psychological practice; no insurance claims are filed on a client's behalf, and this federal requirement applies to every prospective and current client here, without exception.
A superbill, an itemized receipt a client can submit independently to an insurer for possible out-of-network reimbursement, is available on request for anyone who carries out-of-network benefits and wants to pursue that route on their own. An individual who plans to request superbills and submit them to insurance is still entitled to a Good Faith Estimate before services begin; using superbills for reimbursement does not remove this right.
Every estimate provided here, and any written estimate delivered at intake, reflects the information available at the time care is scheduled. Actual costs can differ if the frequency, duration, or nature of services changes based on clinical need as treatment unfolds. Any substantive change to anticipated services is followed by an updated estimate, consistent with the reissue schedule described later on this page.
Current Service Rates and Billing Codes
What a Session Costs and How It Is Billed
Alafiora's CPT Codes and Session Rates
The session types below are the building blocks both cost-estimate tools further down this page draw from. A standard fifty-minute session remains the most accessible entry point into ongoing care; the extended session and the concierge retainer sit at the other end of the fee structure, for clients whose treatment calls for more room or more access than a standard session provides.
| Session or service | CPT code | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Initial intake session (80 minutes) | 90791 | $475 |
| Individual psychotherapy (50 minutes) | 90837 | $300 |
| Individual psychotherapy, extended (110 minutes) | 90837 | $600 |
| Clarity session (25 minutes) | 90832 | $175 |
| Concierge monthly retainer | By arrangement | Begins at $9,500/month |
| Written documentation, support letters, or legal correspondence | Varies | Quoted separately |
| Full-rate no-show or late cancellation (under 48 hours) | Per session rate | Session fee |
Scroll the table sideways to see every column.
Rates are subject to annual review. Current clients are notified in writing at least 30 days before any rate change takes effect. Every client in ongoing care also receives a reissued Good Faith Estimate at the twelve-month mark, consistent with the federal reissue requirement described in the client-rights section below.
The full session menu, format options, and current rates live in complete form on the Rates and Fees page, which this page draws its numbers from directly; that page is the place to look for the full pricing picture, while this page exists specifically to satisfy the federal estimate-notice requirement.
Concierge access is structured as a monthly retainer rather than billed session by session, since it changes the structure of access to Dr. Esther Lapite-Garrett's clinical work rather than the clinical work itself; the retainer figure appears here, in full, because listing every service rate is this page's specific federal compliance purpose. It is otherwise kept out of ordinary page copy elsewhere on the site, and current concierge availability and exact terms are confirmed directly through inquiry.
Calculator: Estimating Session Cost by Frequency and Duration
Interactive Cost Estimator
Session-Cost and Treatment-Duration Calculator
The table above answers what a single session costs. The tool below turns that into an actual projected total, letting a prospective client estimate the cost of ongoing individual therapy by choosing how often sessions happen and for how long treatment is expected to run. Nothing entered here is saved, sent, or stored anywhere.
- Ongoing sessions
- —
- Each week
- —
- Each month, about
- —
- Sessions subtotal
- —
- First session
- —
- Estimated total
- —
An estimate for planning, not a contract or a quote. It excludes retainer costs, written documentation, late cancellation fees, and any service added on clinical grounds. Actual cost varies as care evolves.
This estimate does not include retainer costs, written documentation, late cancellation fees, or any services added based on clinical need. It is provided for planning purposes only, is not a contract, and does not obligate anyone to obtain services from Alafiora. Actual costs may vary based on the frequency, duration, and nature of care as it evolves clinically.
Calculator: Estimating Out-of-Network Reimbursement
Interactive Out-of-Network Estimator
Superbill Reimbursement Calculator
The estimate above covers direct cost. For clients who carry out-of-network insurance benefits and plan to submit superbills for reimbursement, this second tool estimates what an insurer may reimburse and what the remaining out-of-pocket cost would be. Every plan differs; this is a planning reference, not a guarantee from any insurer. Nothing entered here is saved, sent, or stored anywhere.
- Paid to Alafiora at the time of service
- —
- Applied to deductible
- —
- Eligible for coinsurance
- —
- Coinsurance portion owed
- —
- Estimated reimbursement to the client afterward
- —
- Estimated net cost after reimbursement
- —
An FSA or HSA changes what the money is taxed at, not what the insurer reimburses. The figures above are unchanged; paying from those funds simply means paying with pre-tax dollars.
An estimate only, not a quote or a guarantee from any insurer. This is a private-pay practice: the full session fee is paid at the time of service, and any reimbursement arrives afterward from the insurer, directly to the client. Insurers also calculate reimbursement against a plan-determined allowed amount, which is frequently lower than the billed charge, so a real reimbursement is often smaller than the figure above. Reimbursement depends on the specific plan, the remaining deductible, and how a given insurer processes out-of-network claims. Superbills are available on request; confirming out-of-network benefits directly with the insurer before relying on this estimate is worth doing.
This is an estimate only, not a quote or a guarantee from any insurer. Reimbursement amounts depend on a client's specific plan, remaining deductible, and how a given insurer processes out-of-network claims. Superbills are available on request to support independent reimbursement submissions, and confirming out-of-network benefits directly with the relevant insurer before relying on this estimate is recommended.
Client Rights Under the No Surprises Act
The Federal Protections Attached to Every Estimate
Good Faith Estimate Rights and the Dispute Resolution Process
Receiving an estimate is only half of what federal law guarantees here. The other half is a specific set of rights attached to that estimate. Every individual seeking care at Alafiora without using insurance holds the following rights, in full, under federal law:
- The right to receive a written Good Faith Estimate of expected charges, available on request and provided at or before scheduling.
- The right to dispute a bill that comes in $400 or more above the Good Faith Estimate provided, through the federal Patient-Provider Dispute Resolution process. Initiating that process does not affect the quality of care received.
- The understanding that a Good Faith Estimate is not a contract. Receiving one does not obligate anyone to obtain services from Alafiora or from any provider named in the estimate.
- The same protection whether the individual is a new client, an established client, or someone who carries insurance but chooses not to use it for these services.
- For recurring services, the right to a reissued Good Faith Estimate at the twelve-month mark, or whenever there is a substantive change in anticipated frequency, duration, or type of service.
For questions about the Good Faith Estimate requirement or to learn more about the dispute resolution process directly from the federal government, visit cms.gov/nosurprises or call 1-800-985-3059.
Requesting a Written Estimate
How to Get a Good Faith Estimate Before or After Scheduling
Requesting Cost Documentation from Alafiora
Knowing these rights exist is only useful if getting the estimate itself is simple, and it is. A written Good Faith Estimate, inclusive of every federally required element, is provided to every client before or at the time a first session is scheduled. Prospective clients may also request one in advance of scheduling anything at all. Reaching out directly with questions about anticipated costs, or about what care at Alafiora may involve, is always welcome, whether that conversation happens through a consultation or by moving straight into a first session.
Reading a page like this one is a reasonable way to understand the cost structure before deciding anything further, and it does not commit anyone to a next step. Some prospective clients want a brief conversation first to ask questions and confirm fit; others already know they are ready to begin care directly.
Consultation: a brief conversation, by video or phone call as the prospective client prefers, to ask whatever is needed to feel confident this is the right fit, where Dr. Esther Lapite-Garrett, a licensed psychologist and the founder of Alafiora, explains her process so nothing about starting care is unclear or assumed. A written Good Faith Estimate can be requested at this stage.
First session (intake): the actual beginning of care, where history and lived experience are gathered and a treatment plan begins to take shape, at the standard intake rate listed above. A written Good Faith Estimate is provided at or before this session regardless of whether a consultation happened first.
Begin a Confidential Conversation
Requesting a Good Faith Estimate, or simply asking a question about anticipated costs, is a brief and confidential exchange, held within the same legal and professional limits of confidentiality any licensed psychologist explains before clinical work begins, and it commits no one to anything beyond that single question. Those already certain they are ready are equally welcome to begin directly with a first session, where a full written estimate is provided as a matter of course.
For anyone who wants the complete pricing picture before asking anything further, the Rates and Fees page covers every session format and current rate directly, and this page can always be bookmarked, or the QR code in the footer scanned, to keep this information close until the timing feels right.
Every session at Alafiora is held by one licensed psychologist
Dr. Esther Lapite-Garrett is the founder and sole practitioner of Alafiora. There are no associates, no rotating providers, and no case handoffs: the person who reads a client's history in the first session is the same person still holding it two years later. She is licensed in New Mexico and Indiana, with additional state licensure underway.
Her training is doctoral-level, which typically extends several years beyond a master's-level license in assessment, diagnosis, and the treatment of complex, overlapping presentations. She keeps a deliberately small caseload so that depth is possible, participates in ongoing peer consultation and clinical training, and maintains her own personal therapy.
Whatever brought someone to this page today is never put on trial here
A consultation is a brief conversation with no obligation attached. Those already certain they are ready are equally welcome to begin directly with a first session.