Clearwater clinic for teens insurance question
My 16 yo daughter's therapist has recommended we shift her over to Clearwater Clinic for DBT group and individual therapy there as well. She has anxiety, depression, panic attacks, and has tried some self-harming behaviors when things get difficult. On the other hand she is bright, talented, creative, and a great student, who has strong friendships with smart, down to earth kids.
I have a whole bunch of questions both financial and about the treatment.
I would love to hear from people who used Clearwater. I know one person who did it with her daughter and it helped her but not her daughter. In her case insurance covered it. Also is there anything else around that is more intensive than once a week therapy but less intensive than day treatment? Does Kaiser offer anything? Our experience with Kaiser groups is that they weren't very helpful. Kind of on the surface and lots drop ins. We had a great therapist at Kaiser but she left and my daughter couldn't connect with the new one so we moved her to a private therapist about a year and half ago.
We currently pay for everyone but me to be on Kaiser through my job. When I look at other plans I could buy out of pocket (Blue Shield) it's confusing but it looks like they also would only cover a percentage of Clearwater treatment and that's after a high deductible is met. Can anyone who has used Clearwater tell me if it was effective for your child? Did you find a way to get it covered by insurance? How much did you end up spending (back of an envelope calculations looked like $20,000 for a year). I'd be so grateful for any relevant information on Clearwater or the insurance issue or other treatment options. Feel free to contact me privately if you prefer. I just feel kind of overwhelmed trying to figure all this out and could benefit from your experience. Thank you.
Parent Replies
hi, Kaiser has a DBT program modeled the same way as Clearwater, but it's only available in Richmond. And, the Oakland psych department is very territorial - I had to go through a lot getting them to agree to continue providing therapy and urgent care to my son in Oakland, while going to a psychiatrist in Richmond. That said, if you don't mind switching therapy (and psychiatry if needed) to Richmond, you could sign up for the DBT program there. The program requires that the teen sees a therapist who's a part of that DBT program as well. I hear the program is excellent, and the price is covered by your insurance so it's just copay for sessions.
My son and I ended up doing Clearwater, because he was clinically depressed and it would have been very difficult for us to get to Richmond Monday evenings (that's when the program was scheduled last year and most likely now as well). I paid out of pocket for two modules. They were very helpful to me, and I hope my son got something out of them as well. He participated yet said he hasn't learned much. Just like with anything, one has to want to learn, and in my son's case he went to classes because he had to. I've seen families where parents came to the class, but their child did not. I've seen families that did all of the modules twice, and the kids would storm out or walk out of the class while parents were still there (and the moderator would follow them out to check in on them).
I suggest you do Kaiser DBT if logistics allows - note that both Clearwater and Kaiser require parent participation.
If you have more questions, I'd be happy to answer them, just ask the moderator for my contact.