Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield Therapy in Philadelphia

How coverage works with Empire

We are in-network with Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield, the New York Blue plan. Empire members in Philadelphia, whether you have relocated or split time between the two cities, are covered through the BlueCard program. No referral is required for outpatient therapy, and telehealth is covered at parity for Pennsylvania residents.

What you will typically pay

A copay is a flat fee per session, typically $15 to $50 with Empire, after your deductible is met. Some plans use coinsurance instead, a percentage of the session cost. Your deductible is the amount you pay out of pocket each year before your plan begins paying; many plans waive it for outpatient mental health. One call to Empire member services settles which applies to you.

Verify your benefits

Call the number on your Empire card and ask: Do I have outpatient mental health benefits? What is my copay or coinsurance? What is my deductible, and how much is met? Is there a session limit? Do I need a referral?

What we treat with Empire coverage

Anxiety

Under Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield, anxiety is a covered outpatient behavioral health diagnosis, whether it shows up as panic, social anxiety, chronic worry, or physical symptoms with no medical cause. Anxiety therapy at our practice treats those symptoms as adaptive rather than defective and works on the relational history that trained them.

Depression

Major depression and long-running low mood are covered Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield conditions. Our depression therapy is not a course of thought-correction; it examines what the depression is protecting you from feeling and what in your relationships keeps the pattern in place, which is where lasting change tends to come from.

Trauma and PTSD

Trauma treatment is covered under Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield as outpatient behavioral health, from a single overwhelming event to years of an unsafe childhood. Our trauma-informed approach asks what happened to you rather than what is wrong with you, and paces processing so treatment does not become another overwhelming experience.

Grief and loss

Loss of any kind, including the deaths that do not get bereavement leave, is covered under Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield. Grief therapy here is not about reaching acceptance on schedule; it is about being accompanied while you carry something that has changed the shape of your life.

Life transitions

Transition-related distress is a covered Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield outpatient concern, and it does not require a crisis to qualify. Life transitions therapy attends to the internal work that lags behind the external change, which is usually why a wanted change can still feel like grief.

Relationships

Relational difficulty, including the patterns that follow you from one relationship to the next, is covered under Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield. Our relationship therapy is individual and attachment-focused, aimed at the template rather than the last argument, and it often shifts a relationship without the other person ever entering the room.

Getting started

Start the intake (about 5 minutes), get matched personally within 1 to 2 business days, and meet your therapist. Request your match, or call (215) 399-4128.

Frequently asked questions

Last updated July 2, 2026