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How long are therapy sessions, usually?

Most therapy sessions are between 50 and 55 minutes long. Therapists typically take a few minutes at the end of each session to refresh before seeing the next client, so the time is typically less than an hour to allow for this.  This time frame is often referred to as the “therapeutic hour” by professionals. 

To some clients this seems like a lot of time, and to others not enough.  The therapist will guide the discussion length and begin to wrap it up towards the end of the session, keeping your goals for therapy in mind. 

This less-than-an-hour format also helps clients who wish to see their therapist over a lunch break, or in between activities. It is also partially determined by some insurance companies. A session that is paid by insurance is typically considered to be less than 52 minutes.

* Savings estimate based on a study of more than 1 billion claims comparing self-pay (or cash pay) prices of a frequency-weighted market basket of procedures to insurer-negotiated rates for the same. Claims were collected between July 2017 and July 2019. R.Lawrence Van Horn, Arthur Laffer, Robert L.Metcalf. 2019. The Transformative Potential for Price Transparency in Healthcare: Benefits for Consumers and Providers. Health Management Policy and Innovation, Volume 4, Issue 3.

Sidecar Health offers and administers a variety of plans including ACA compliant and excepted benefit plans. Coverage and plan options may vary or may not be available in all states.

Your actual costs may be higher or lower than these cost estimates. Check with your provider and health plan details to confirm the costs that you may be charged for a service or procedure.You are responsible for costs that are not covered and for getting any pre-authorizations or referrals required by your health plan. Neither payments nor benefits are guaranteed. Provider data, including price data, provided in part by Turquoise Health.

The site is not a substitute for medical or healthcare advice and does not serve as a recommendation for a particular provider or type of medical or healthcare.