How do you calculate an ethical private‑pay rate as a trauma therapist?
Most advice on calculating what your private pay rate should be is based on what you want to earn or what others in your area are charging. Neither one accounts for your experience and what you've invested in your training.
The CTT Rate Setter starts with what insurance pays for a 60-minute session in your area, then adjusts for your trauma certifications, your specializations, and your region. You get a low, average, and high rate, the math behind each one, and a fee statement you can adapt for clients.
About five minutes. No sign-up. Download your results as a PDF or CSV.
Join the email list
The business side of trauma therapy, in your inbox. Unsubscribe anytime.
How your rate is calculated
-
01
Market base rate
What insurers in your area pay for a 60-minute session (CPT 90837). It's a conservative floor. If you don't know yours, the tool shows you how to find it.
-
02
Trauma certifications
EMDR, IFS, and other trauma certifications increase the rate. It takes into account the investment of time and money.
-
03
Specializations
The populations and presentations you've specialized working with. Maybe your additional training didn't provide a certification, but the specialization is valued.
-
04
Region
An adjustment for the market where you practice. It factors in your location and cost-of-living.
You see every number the tool uses. So when someone asks why you charge what you charge, you have an answer.
Want to go further? Module 2 of the Foundations course covers therapist compensation and rate setting in depth.
