Family Therapy
TRICARE covers outpatient and inpatient family therapy when it is provided with the covered treatment of a patient suffering from a diagnosed mental disorder. Family therapy may involve all or part of the family. The family generally includes the husband or wife of the patient with the behavioral health disorder and his/her children. When the patient is a child, the family may include the parents, stepparents, guardians, siblings and other family members living in the same household.
Outpatient therapy is limited to a maximum of two sessions per week in any combination of individual, family, or collateral sessions. Inpatient psychotherapy is limited to five sessions per week in any combination of individual, family, collateral, or group sessions.
Family therapy is included in the first eight self-referred outpatient behavioral health visits. All visits beyond the first eight require prior authorization from your regional contractor.
Note: Two consecutive family therapy sessions with the same family members is considered a single session and not two distinct sessions. In such a case, the reimbursement is treated as if the therapy had occurred at a single session.
See Also: Getting Mental Health Care
Last Modified:May 3, 2012
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