Working Hard to Help Your Child

Dr. Limbos works on the principles of hard work, integrity, professionalism and honesty to offer the best possible service to children, families, schools and their support networks. The work carried out by a psychologist extends well past the time actually spent in face to face contact with the child and family. Dr. Limbos strives to complete reports in a timely fashion, usually within 4 weeks of the last assessment visit. Dr. Limbos will consider requests for a reduction in fees using a sliding scale rate of payment based on income.

Brief Consultation, Therapy and Treatment Services

Dr. Limbos charges fees that are fair and competitive, at rates at or below the recommended fee schedule of the British Columbia Psychological Association (BCPA). Hourly rates are typically charged for therapy and treatment services or brief consultations. At this time, the fee for a 50-minute therapy session is $225. Please note that no written report is included in the fee for therapy, treatment or brief consultations. Requests for written reports will be discussed with families prior to initiating the report to determine the intended purpose and recipients of the report and a fee will be set. The fee is usually based on the number of hours required to write the report at a rate of $225 per hour. The College of Psychologists of BC sets minimum standards for what has to be contained in a psychological report. As such, if a full report is requested, Dr. Limbos may be required to conduct a complete assessment which includes a full report and recommendations (see below).

Assessments - Psychological/Psycho-Educational

For detailed assessments, a standard fee is charged for the entire service based on the age of the child and the complexity of the presenting problem. The current fee for a comprehensive psychological assessment is $2,950 (14 hours), which includes an initial consultation meeting,  a feedback meeting, scoring and report writing. Fees are billed at $225 per hour of service provided up to the maximum fee is reached. Note that for every one hour of direct contact with a child/family, Dr. Limbos spends about 2-3 hours on other work related to the assessment. This includes review of past records, phone and email consultations with parents and teachers, test scoring and report writing. On the initial consultation visit for comprehensive assessments a fee of $450 is charged. Children will typically be booked for 2 half day assessment visits. On the first half day child assessment, half of the balance is due ($1,250). On the second half day assessment, the remaining $1,250 (6 hours) is due.

Assessments - Autism Spectrum Disorders

Children who are being assessed for suspected autism spectrum disorder, must undergo a complete psychological/psychoeducational assessment (see above). In addition, they must undergo an autism specific assessment which includes administration of the Autism Diagnostic Observation Scale (ADOS) and the Autism Diagnostic Interview - Revised (ADI-R). The fee for the autism assessment for children less than age 6 is $2,250.00 (10 hours.) Children aged 6 and over must undergo both an autism specific diagnostic assessment and a complete psychoeducational assessment for a total fee of $3,350.00 (16 hours.) Children 6 years old and over who have already undergone a recent psychoeducational assessment and require only an autism specific assessment are charged the hourly rate of $225, to a maximum of $2,200. Please note that prices for autism assessments may vary slightly, depending on the child's developmental level or complexity. Dr. Limbos will make you aware of the anticipated fee during the initial consultation.

Assessments - Gifted

Children requiring assessments to determine if they are gifted require about 2-3 hours of psychological and achievement testing. In addition, Dr. Limbos will meet with parents for a 1 hour initial consultation and a 1 hour feedback session. A detailed report including test scores and their interpretation will provided for the parents and the school. The current fee for a gifted assessment is $1,800.00 (8 hours.)

Court Ordered or Complex Assessments

Court ordered and complex assessments require significantly more time than a standard psychological assessment. This is related to the need for detailed review of past medical, psychological and legal documents, detailed assessment of the child and/or their family in multiple areas, and comprehensive report writing. Court ordered and complex assessments are typically charged a fee of $225 per hour to a maximum of $12,000.

Dr. Limbos uses the BCMA fee guide as a guide for billing for medical expert witness fees and other court or legal requests. Currently, the fee for expert testimony in court is $2,985 per full day, or $1,869 per half day, and $2,000 for failure to notify of adjournment. Court preparation time, correspondence and meetings are charged at a rate of $375 per hour. Because of the high rates of non-payment for legal requests, we require prepayment of fees at at the time of the request. Reimbursement of any fees paid will be made provided that 5 business days notice of cancellation is provided.

The fee for failure of notice of hearing, discovery, depositions, scheduled consultation meeting, adjournment or out of court settlement (i.e., less than 5 business days notice) is $2250.

Please note that Dr. Limbos does NOT conduct assessments to determine child custody and access arrangements (E.g. Section 15 or Section 211).

Payment for Psychological Services

In British Columbia, fees for psychological services are not covered by the government Medical Services Plan.

Many employee extended health benefits plans (e.g. Pacific Blue Cross) cover a portion of psychological services. Because the amount of coverage varies widely from plan to plan, it is recommended that you check your coverage documents under "psychological services", "paramedical" or "other medical" expenses. Please note that in most plans fees are "per person, per year", and that some fees may be charged claimed for the parents, if they are the primary person in attendance fro the visit (i.e., intake and feedback visits). The decision to reimburse you for expenses is ultimately the that of the insurance provider, and it is the responsibility of the client to pay the balance of fees that are not covered by your insurance company. In most cases, we require direct payment from the client, and the client will then request reimbursement from the insurance company. If you are in doubt, we recommend that you call your insurance provider before scheduling the appointment to ensure what amount you will be covered for.

Psychological fees also qualify to be deducted as a medical expense on your personal income tax return.

Payment Schedule

Dr. Limbos will review details about payment with you prior to beginning any assessment or therapy. Fees for services are collected at the beginning of each hourly session or assessment visit. Following your appointment, you will be provided with a receipt of payment which will include the psychologist's registration number and credentials. The information provided is typically sufficient to meet the requirements of other organizations, including extended health benefits providers. However, should your provider require any unique information, please inform us and we will be pleased to provide the needed documentation.

For individuals with extended health benefits plans, it is the responsibility of the client to pay Dr. Limbos directly for services and then submit claims for reimbursement to the insurance company themselves. We also accept third-party payments from organizations such as ICBC and Victim Assistance.

We do not require prepayment for clinical services. However, because of the high rate of non-payment, we often request prepayment for third party requests for letters, extensive preparation (e.g. court or special meetings), travel, and attending court or other meetings requested by a third party.

Letters, Forms, Administrative and Other Services

Requests for services such as letters, reports and other administrative services may have an associated fee. The majority of correspondence, clinical questions and consultations should take place during the hours of a booked appointment or in the 10 minutes following a 50 minute booked appointment. While Dr. Limbos spends a considerable amount of time responding to brief email and telephone correspondences for no charge, clinical questions and consultations by email and telephone that are requested by the client are charged at a rate of $56.25 per 15 minute block of time set aside for the call or correspondence. Please note that many of these services are included when you pay for a detailed psychological assessment, and you will be notified before any additional charges are made for email or telephone services.

All other services are billed at a rate of $225 per hour (based on 15 minute intervals) and include:

• Filling out a Printed Form (e.g., tax benefits, insurance forms)
• Short letters for any lay person (e.g., lawyer, insurance company)
• Telephone calls at the request of patients to any lay person
• Short Summary of Facts Report including symptoms, history, diagnosis, and present condition
• Review of Records by the psychologist as may be required for summarising, selecting and photocopying medical records
• Court preparation as an expert witness
• Travel time to attend meetings requested by the a patient or thirds party
• Telephone consultation
• Email consultation

Automated Appointment Reminders

Dr. Limbos uses automated appointment notifications and reminders to help make the office more efficient. Once your appointment has been entered into our electronic medical record, you will receive an automated email with the details of your appointment, including the location and cancellation policy. You will be asked to click on a link to either confirm or cancel your appointment. Please do your best to help our staff by responding to these emails.

Cancellation Policy

A fee of $225.00 will be charged for no shows or appointments that are cancelled with less than 24 hours notice. Dr. Limbos often has to travel in order to attend appointments (e.g., from Vancouver to Coquitlam), so please give our office as much notice as possible if you are unable to make your appointment. Of course, we will always give special consideration on a case by case basis.

Method of Payment

Payment is accepted in cash, check, Visa, Mastercard and Paypal. Interac is accepted at some locations.  A 3% service charge may apply for some visa and paypal transactions.

Overdue Accounts

Payment for services is to made on the date of service, or in installments for psychological assessments as described above. Accounts that are overdue by 2 weeks will be given a reminder notice. A 3% per month late payment fee is applied for all accounts not paid within 30 days from the service date. Accounts that are more than 90 days overdue are referred to a professional collection agency.

Billing Disputes and Concerns

In order for Dr. Limbos to focus her time on clinical work and so as not to disrupt the therapeutic relationship, please address any concerns, special requests or disputes about billing to the attention of our office assistant at: admin@limboschildpsychology.com.

Doctor Referral

A letter of referral from your family doctor is not necessary to obtain psychological services. Families may self-refer by contact Dr. Limbos or her assistant by phone (604) 346-6505 or email.

In some cases, a letter from your family physician can help explain specific concerns that he/she may have about your child, or may be required by your insurance company to receive benefits. Please click here to obtain a standard letter of referral.

A fee estimate will be made at the beginning of the agreement, based on the complexity of the case. Prepayment of a deposit (50% of the fee estimate) is required prior to the start of work on the case.