At Weatherstone Collaborative, we specialize in comprehensive, insight-driven care for eating disorders, trauma, and complex family dynamics. Because healing from an eating disorder or deep-seated behavioral challenge requires highly individualized, multi-modal treatment, we operate as an out-of-network (private pay) practice.

Choosing private pay allows us to prioritize your clinical needs and health over insurance company mandates. Here is why out-of-network care provides a distinct advantage for your recovery journey:

1. Truly Individualized Care Without Corporate Interference

In-network insurance providers often dictate the length, frequency, and type of therapy you can receive, regardless of what is clinically appropriate. As an independent practice led by a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist & Consultant (CEDS-C), we reserve full freedom to tailor every element of your care—from our flexible Spotlight programming to specialized individual, family, and group sessions.

2. Complete Privacy and Confidentiality

When you use in-network insurance, insurers require a formal mental health diagnosis that becomes part of your permanent medical record. They can also request detailed therapy notes and clinical records to justify coverage. By paying directly, your treatment remains strictly confidential between you and your treatment team.

3. Holistic, Interdisciplinary Team Collaboration

Effective eating disorder and trauma treatment goes far beyond a 50-minute weekly session. It demands ongoing, close collaboration between therapists, dietitians, physicians, and family members. Insurance companies rarely reimburse for this essential behind-the-scenes coordination. Private pay enables our team to devote the time and energy needed to manage your care holistically.

4. No Arbitrary Treatment Cut-offs or "Medical Necessity" Barriers

Insurance companies often reduce or deny coverage as soon as physical symptoms stabilize, long before psychological and relational healing is complete. Private pay ensures your recovery process progresses at a pace that honors your unique journey, without the stress of sudden insurance drop-offs or denials.

5. Expertise You Can Rely On

Specialized care—especially in eating disorders and relational psychodynamic therapy—requires advanced, specialized training. Operating as a private pay practice allows us to retain top-tier, highly credentialed specialists in East Tennessee and maintain manageable client caseloads so every client receives deep, attentive care.

6.  "Beyond the 50-Minute Hour"

Real healing from eating disorders requires team consultation, dietitian collaboration, and family involvement. Our model ensures we have the dedicated bandwidth to coordinate every layer of your care.

"Cash billing" is used when you are paying for your therapy services with cash, check, or credit card and are not filing insurance claims.   WC does not file claims with insurance companies, as we are no longer in network providers.  Additionally, you as a client might not want to file insurance claims because you do not want a mental illness diagnosis on your medical record. We accept cash, check, HSA, FSA, ACH transfers, and credit cards for payment.

When paying cash for services, the billing process is simple.  You just pay the standard fee for each session conducted at the time of service, unless you have made prior arrangements with our Director of Operations for an invoice-based process.  There are no surprises or hidden fees.  In some cases where a client expresses financial hardship, we will refer them to Project Heal for assistance, and/or adjust the standard fee to accommodate the hardship. This results in a Net Session Fee. Any reduction of this kind is discussed and agreed to between the Director of Operations and the client in advance of the initiation of treatment.  There are no surprises here. With insurance involved, this gets more complicated. Keep in mind that your therapist has only one fee for any given service. The Net Session Fee is the maximum your therapist will charge you for a session. See your “Good Faith Estimate” for more details and clarification.

*At WC we will ask you to keep a credit card on file for billing purposes in our electronic billing system. Payment is due at the time of service. You have the option to be put on an auto-pay system, where your card is automatically charged each week electronically or you can request an electronic invoice to be sent to your email for payment via credit card or ACH bank draft.

Standard Rates for 2026 are available upon request.

Good Faith Estimates do not constitute a contract; they are estimates based on standardized rates and baseline expectations of care requested or required. 

If you are finished with your counseling work and have a credit balance, we will issue a refund to you in a timely fashion.

Your Rights

• Though we would love to help with your counseling needs, you are not required to see our therapists.

• You may choose to not see a given therapist or switch to another therapist at any time.

• Rates may be updated during your course of treatment; however, you will be notified in writing in advance of any planned rate changes. 

• You have freedom to seek other in-network therapists through your insurance company if you want. 

• Your out-of-pocket expenses with in-network providers will likely be lower than out-of-network providers, except interns and therapists who lower their fee to accommodate hardship.

If you think you have been wrongly billed at WC, contact admin@weatherstonecollaborative.com  or 865-337-7692 or Stephanie Weatherstone at stephanie@weatherstonecollaborative.com or 865-337-7692.   We will be happy to listen and work to resolve the issue. 

Additional Rights related to the GFE dispute process (from CMS.gov):

• You can ask to update the bill to match the Good Faith Estimate, ask to negotiate the bill, or ask if there is financial assistance available. 

• You may also start a dispute resolution process with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). If you choose to use the dispute resolution process, you must start the dispute process within 120 calendar days (about 4 months) of the date on the original bill. If you dispute your bill, the provider or facility cannot move the bill for the disputed item or service into collection or threaten to do so, or if the bill has already moved into collection, the provider or facility has to cease collection efforts. The provider or facility must also suspend the accrual of any late fees on unpaid bill amounts until after the dispute resolution process has concluded.

• The provider or facility cannot take or threaten to take any retributive action against you for disputing your bill. 

• There is a $25 fee to use the dispute process. 

  • If the Selected Dispute Resolution (SDR) entity reviewing your dispute agrees with you, you will have to pay the price on this Good Faith Estimate, reduced by the $25 fee.

  • If the SDR entity disagrees with you and agrees with the health care provider or facility, you will have to pay the higher amount. To learn more and get a form to start the process, go to www.cms.gov/nosurprises/consumers or call 1- 800-985-3059.