Can I Use My Insurance For Child Or Teen Therapy At This Edina Clinic?
By Cabot Psychological Services · Published 2026-10-15 · Last updated 2026-10-15
In many cases, yes. Cabot Psychological Services accepts a broad range of insurance plans, including Medicaid and Medicare. We check your coverage before your child’s first appointment, so you know what to expect. Insurance can help pay for child and teen therapy for anxiety, depression, and behavior concerns, plus ADHD assessment and psychological testing. Your child or teen can meet with a therapist at our Edina office, at our Minneapolis office, or by telehealth anywhere in Minnesota.
What Kinds of Insurance Plans Does the Clinic Accept?
Cabot Psychological Services accepts a broad range of insurance plans, including Medicaid and Medicare, which is rare for a private psychology practice. We built our insurance-based mental health care for children, teens, and adults around that wide acceptance because the type of card in your wallet shouldn’t decide whether a struggling child gets seen.
Many private practices do not take Medicaid, so families on public plans can end up calling one office after another and hearing the same answer. Here, a Medicaid card isn’t a reason to turn a family away.
Hennepin Healthcare is one of our confirmed insurance partners. We aren’t listing other plan names here, because the reliable answer for your family comes from checking your specific card. Keep that card close by when you reach out.
A quick note on Medicare: it mostly covers adults 65 and older and some people with disabilities. For kids and teens, the plans that usually matter are a parent’s job-based plan and Medicaid, which Minnesota calls Medical Assistance.
How Does Insurance Verification Work Before the First Visit?
Cabot Psychological Services checks your insurance coverage before your child’s first appointment, so you do not have to figure out your benefits alone. A coverage check, often called benefits verification, is a request to your insurer that usually confirms these details:
- whether your plan treats the practice as in-network, meaning the clinic has a contract with your insurer
- your copay (a flat fee) or coinsurance (a percentage of the cost) for each session
- how much of your deductible is left, which is the amount you pay before your plan starts sharing costs
- whether any service needs prior approval, sometimes called prior authorization
Parents of a child who is struggling are often already stretched thin. Sitting on hold with an insurer and decoding words like “coinsurance” can make it easy to put off that first call. When we handle the benefits step, you can put your energy toward your child. You can also self-schedule through our online booking system, SimplePractice, so there’s no need to wait on hold to get started.
What Information Should I Have Ready?
Have your insurance card, the policyholder’s name and birth date, and your child’s full name and birth date ready before you book. The full list:
- Front and back of the insurance card
- Policyholder’s name and date of birth
- Your child’s legal name and date of birth
- Any second insurance plan, such as coverage through each parent
- A referral or prior approval number, if your plan requires one
If you’re unsure about any item, our coverage check can help sort it out.
Does Minnesota Medical Assistance Cover Therapy for Children?
Yes. Minnesota’s Medicaid program, Medical Assistance, generally covers medically necessary mental health care for eligible children and teens, and Cabot Psychological Services accepts Medicaid. “Medically necessary” generally means care that is needed to diagnose or treat a health condition and that meets accepted standards of care.
Many Medical Assistance members get their benefits through a managed care health plan, which is a private health plan that runs Medical Assistance benefits on the state’s behalf. Because of that setup, the name printed on your child’s card may be a health plan’s name rather than “Medicaid” or “Medical Assistance.” Share the card itself during the coverage check, not just the program name, so we can confirm the right plan.
Because we accept Medicaid, families on Medical Assistance have one more place to get child and teen care in the Minneapolis and Edina area. Coverage can vary by service, so confirm benefits for specific services, such as psychological testing and evaluation, during the coverage check. The same goes for families enrolled in one of Minnesota’s other public health care programs: confirm your specific program during the check. The Minnesota Department of Human Services page on Medical Assistance explains eligibility and how the program works.
What Child and Teen Services Can Insurance Help Pay For?
Insurance usually helps pay for therapy and assessment that a licensed clinician finds medically necessary, and Cabot Psychological Services offers a wide range of those services for kids and teens:
- Child and adolescent therapy for anxiety, depression, behavior challenges, and emotional regulation
- Play therapy for younger children, who often show feelings through play more easily than through words
- ADHD assessment and therapy
- Psychological testing and evaluation
- Childhood autism testing
- Learning disability assessment
- Parent-child conflict resolution and family therapy
Our clinicians use evidence-based methods. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) helps kids notice worried or harsh thoughts and practice new ways to respond. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) teaches skills for handling big feelings and getting along with others. For a child with OCD, Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) helps them face fears in small steps without doing the habit that the fear demands.
Federal mental health parity rules mean many plans that cover mental health care must do so on terms similar to medical care. Details still differ from plan to plan, so the questions in the table are worth asking.
| Service | What it helps with | What to ask your insurer |
|---|---|---|
| Talk therapy | Anxiety, depression, behavior, emotional regulation | What is my copay or coinsurance per session? |
| Play therapy | Younger children working through feelings | Is play therapy billed as regular outpatient therapy? |
| ADHD assessment | Attention and hyperactivity concerns | Does an ADHD assessment need prior approval? |
| Psychological testing | ADHD, autism, or learning concerns | How many testing hours does my plan cover? |
| Family therapy | Parent-child conflict, family stress | Are family sessions covered under my child’s plan? |
Is Psychological Testing Covered the Same Way as Therapy?
Not always. Many plans treat psychological testing differently from weekly therapy and may ask for prior approval first. Testing for ADHD, autism, or learning concerns usually takes several hours across interviews, questionnaires, and scoring, which is much longer than a therapy session, and insurers often review that larger request before approving it. Asking about prior approval before testing is scheduled makes a surprise denial less likely.
What Questions Should Parents Ask Their Insurance Company?
Ask your insurer whether Cabot Psychological Services is in-network, what you will pay per session, and whether any service needs prior approval. Calling your insurer yourself is optional, since we run our own coverage check, but some parents like to hear the answers firsthand. These six questions cover the ground:
- Is this practice in-network?
- What is my copay or coinsurance for outpatient mental health visits?
- How much of my deductible is left this year?
- Does psychological testing need prior approval?
- Is telehealth covered the same as in-person visits?
- Does my plan cover all license types, including clinicians practicing under supervision?
Question 6 matters because of how our team is licensed. Our team holds PhD, LP, LICSW, LMFT, LADC, and LGSW credentials, but not every clinician on the team practices independently. For example, Adam Cook, MA, LAMFT, practices under the supervision of Craig Norvell, MA, LMFT (Minnesota License #LMFT2363). Some insurance plans have rules about which license types they pay for, and asking ahead helps your child get matched with a clinician your plan covers.
When you call, write down the date, the representative’s name, and the call reference number. If a claim question comes up later, those notes make it much easier to resolve.
Can My Teen Use Insurance for Telehealth Therapy in Minnesota?
In most cases, yes. Many Minnesota health plans cover telehealth therapy the same way they cover in-person visits, and Cabot Psychological Services offers telehealth anywhere in the state. Some employer plans follow different rules, so confirm telehealth coverage during the insurance check.
Minnesota winters bring ice and early darkness from November through February, and those months can also be when low mood gets worse for some kids and teens. Online sessions spare families an icy drive after school and help keep appointments steady through the winter.
For teens, a session at home also means less missed school, since it cuts out travel time on both ends. Some teens may find it easier to talk from a familiar setting at home, too.
Online therapy works better when your teen can’t be overheard. Set your teen up in a private room with headphones, so they can talk freely without worrying that a sibling or parent will overhear. Telehealth isn’t the right fit for every child, and your clinician can talk with you about whether in-person sessions would work better.
Choosing Between the Edina Office, Minneapolis Office, and Telehealth
Cabot Psychological Services has an Edina office, a Minneapolis office, and statewide telehealth, so families can pick the option that fits their drive time, school schedule, and child’s comfort.
The Edina office is a natural fit for families in Edina, Eden Prairie, Minnetonka, St. Louis Park, Richfield, and nearby southwest metro suburbs. Edina is mostly car-dependent, though. Families who rely on transit may find the Minneapolis office or telehealth easier to reach week after week.
Consistency usually matters more than location. A therapy plan works best when your child can attend regularly, so choose the format your family can keep up with during busy school months, not just the one closest on a map. If mixing formats, such as in-person sessions with telehealth on snowy days, would help your family, ask your clinician whether that’s an option. Plans can treat in-person and telehealth visits differently, so during the coverage check, ask us to confirm benefits for the specific location and format you plan to use.
Cabot Psychological Services has been in practice since 2010. The practice is led by Amanda Mulfinger, PhD, LP, who holds Minnesota License #LP5029. Our multi-disciplinary team brings together licensed therapists and a licensed psychologist under one practice. Multiple clients have independently mentioned our warm office culture.
What If My Child Needs Help Before Insurance Is Sorted Out?
If your child is in danger right now, call or text 988 or call 911 first. Insurance questions can wait. The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is free and open around the clock.
These warning signs call for same-day help:
- Talk of suicide or self-harm
- Giving away belongings
- Sudden withdrawal from everyone
- Not eating or sleeping for days
Crisis mental health support is one of the services Cabot Psychological Services offers. If a concern feels urgent but isn’t an emergency, call us and explain what’s happening.
Many worries are serious but not an emergency. A child who refuses school, or a teen who panics every morning before the bus, needs care soon, and sorting out insurance yourself doesn’t have to come first. You can book online right away, and we verify coverage before the first appointment. Reaching out early doesn’t mean you’ve failed as a parent.
Key Takeaways for Edina Parents
- Many families can use insurance for child and teen therapy at Cabot Psychological Services, including families on Medicaid (Medical Assistance).
- The clinic verifies coverage before the first appointment, so parents do not handle benefits alone.
- The Edina office, the Minneapolis office, and statewide telehealth give families more than one way to get care.
When you’re ready, self-schedule through our SimplePractice online booking system or call Cabot Psychological Services to start a coverage check for your child or teen.
Our Insurance Partners
We accept most major insurance plans to make care accessible
Cabot Clients Say
"Sessions with Amanda are empowering."
Sessions with Amanda are empowering. She is a deeply kind therapist who has helped me to process, heal, and develop as a person.
"I have been a client of Cabot since the inception in 2010"
I have been a client of Cabot since the inception in 2010; my experience with the therapists and administrative staff have always been positive. I trust them and have referred both family and friends to Cabot and all have come back thanking me for the referral and have benefited from the caring and compassionate work of the Cabot staff.
"Cabot provides a welcoming and safe environment"
Cabot provides a welcoming and safe environment for those who may be struggling or need additional support. Each time I come for an appointment I am welcomed with a smile and hello not only from my therapist but others who pass through the waiting room.
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