Growth is Priceless.

With us, it’s also affordable.


Meaningful growth work that supports the most important things in your life is truly priceless. It is impossible to put a price tag on how much your happiness is worth. Or your family. Or the meaning and satisfaction you find in your career. All of those things have value that simply cannot be calculated in dollars and cents.

And yet, we try. At that fork-in-the-road moment when someone literally has the chance to change the trajectory of their life or save their marriage, they think, “But wait, how expensive is therapy? How much is this going to cost?

I get it. For too long, effective, genuinely meaningful personal growth work with a top-notch expert has been a luxury that only the privileged few can afford.

Although many of our clients are extremely successful and seek out our services because they want the best, Growing Self is devoted to making excellent, expert couples counseling and coaching, life coaching and therapy, and career coaching services accessible and affordable for more than just the financially privileged.

Why? Because the most important things in the world are the well-being of your family, your emotional wellness, your career satisfaction, and your ability to create the life you want. Investing in your family, your emotional health, and your personal development will reap dividends far more precious than anything money can buy, like a couch or a TV.

It’s only natural to wonder, “How much does therapy cost?” when embarking on this journey. I’ll tell you off the bat that we strive to keep our services affordable, while also ensuring that our happy, healthy providers earn a comfortable living in return for the extraordinary value they provide: Our fees for a 45-minute session generally fall between $85 and $170, depending on whether you work with one of our “more experienced” or “more affordable” experts.

If you’re interested you can learn more about the rates for our core services in these related articles:

But you and I both know this is not about money. This is an investment in your life. Ask anyone (even a billionaire) who is miserable, alone, sick, or has lost their family: Nothing else matters.

I believe that you deserve to have access to the type of positive, effective, expert guidance that will help you take care of the things that are most precious to you. I know from years of experience that getting the right help at the right time can make all the difference in a life, a career, or a family.

I’ve also seen what happens when people don’t.

In this article I’ll be sharing:

Use the links above to hop down to the section you’re interested in. Otherwise, we have much to discuss — let’s dive in!

It all started with a really terrible marriage counseling session.

Let me tell you a true story about why it is so important to me, personally, to make effective, meaningful help as valuable, affordable, and convenient as possible for as many people and families as possible:

I was sitting with a bitter, bitter, couple who, like too many do, had not done premarital counseling (to save the money!) and then had postponed quality marriage counseling for years. In the meantime, their relationship had gotten so bad, so distant, so acrimonious that, by the time they finally landed in my office, it was beyond repair.

The saddest thing for me was that I could hear, in their story, that over the years things hadn’t always been this bad. They’d loved each other, once. There had been clear opportunities where I believed — with just a little support from a genuinely competent marriage counselor — they could have learned how to turn towards each other, instead of away. I believe they could have repaired their relationship and saved their family.

But they didn’t. They put the work off. They avoided it. They were busy. They told themselves that it would get better once XYZ circumstance changed. They assumed expert marriage counseling was too expensive, and that their situation wasn’t severe enough to warrant it. Mind you, these were successful, professional people who spent lots of money on trips, cars, clothes, and stuff — they could have easily afforded to get meaningful help for their relationship. They just didn’t understand the value.

So instead, they made ineffective attempts to change things on their own only to fall back into the same patterns. And as the months and years passed, their resentment, frustration, and hurt became so toxic, it degraded the fabric of their relationship to the point that there was nothing to put back together. We tried discernment counseling, but the female partner was just ready to call it quits.

They put off getting help until it was a crisis situation, and one of them was initiating a divorce. By the time we had our first meeting, it was too late — the emotional door had closed forever.

Ironically, they’d now spend tens of thousands of dollars — many times the cost of effective, evidence-based marriage counseling — to the lawyers and realtors who would help them tear their marriage and family apart, instead of saving it. Not to mention the terrible toll their impending divorce would take on both of them and their children, both mentally and emotionally (as well as financially). (Marriage counseling is not expensive — divorce is expensive). It was truly tragic, especially because — had they understood how important it was to get help for their relationship, even just a few years earlier — it would have been preventable.

The True Cost

And this is only ONE example. I could tell you more stories.

  • Like about the woman who wasted years of her life in wishy-washy, ineffective therapy through her insurance that never challenged her to take the action she needed to take in order to move forward and finally make a real and lasting positive change in her life.
  • Or the super-smart, talented software engineer who blew out of job after job before he learned how to increase his emotional intelligence.
  • Or the project manager at a big tech company who dreamed of having a family, but spent most of her child-bearing years in mad pursuit of hollow professional success, and on the roller coaster of a dead-end, toxic relationship before our work together showed her how to finally create a truly healthy life for herself.
  • Or the seventy-something-year-old retired physician, literally sobbing on my couch, after his wife of 40+ years finally left him for failing to make meaningful change again, and again, and again.

Every single one of these people, years earlier, had that, “Wait, but how much is it going to cost?” mindset too, without fully understanding the real cost of NOT doing this work. Every single one of them was a successful, affluent professional who could have easily afforded it. But they didn’t understand the value, and the steep price they were paying by not getting help sooner.

Ultimately, they found out how much it *actually* cost… but the true price they paid was not in dollars. It never is.

It’s Going to Be Different, For You.

So many times as I closed the door after these heart-wrenching sessions, I thought to myself, “I need to help other people avoid this terrible outcome.”

I have since become an evangelist for the importance of doing meaningful personal growth work, and a champion for making it as valuable, affordable, and easy as possible to take action and do the right thing.

Now, we’re here. And I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to tell you what other people didn’t understand until they already paid a steep price: The first step in creating real and lasting change starts before you even begin therapy, or coaching.

It starts when you change your story.

What’s most valuable has nothing to do with money.

-Dr. Lisa Marie Bobby
Handsome man smiling, rates and insurance at growing self

Change Your Story, Change Your Life

In order to move forward in any direction, you have to recognize — and disarm — your inner obstacles.

Also known as “the story” you’re telling yourself. The one that keeps you stuck. 

A good therapist or coach helps you do this… but the irony is that you have to do some of it, on your own, before you can get in the door.

Your story changes when you recognize that there are things in life too valuable to be thought of in terms of dollars and cents. You become empowered to do the right thing when you realize what’s most valuable has nothing to do with money.

This wisdom to invest in what matters most will determine the outcomes of your life years from now. It’s what will protect you from losing things that are most precious to you. 

That story opens the door to your ideal future, so you can glide on in.

Valuable + Affordable Options

Learn about our value, our rates, when you can use your insurance, and how we make this work for you — whether or not you’re financially privileged.

You Deserve Valuable and Affordable Help

Both myself, and everyone that I hand-select to be on my team is here because we actually care about you. We believe that you deserve to have a fulfilling life full of love, happiness, and success.

While changing the trajectory of your life, your career, and your family is absolutely priceless, I too am a middle-class kid, and understand that expense is a real concern for many families. (When my husband and I had to swing the cost of marriage counseling it was a financial stretch — and among the most valuable things we’ve ever done).

Here’s how we make this work for you on every level:

1. We Bring You The Best.

Many hundreds of therapists and coaches apply to work with us every year…. and we accept almost none of them. The therapists and coaches on our team are beyond excellent. We only work with the most well-educated, highly trained, credentialed therapists who specialize in either marriage and family therapy or career counseling using effective, evidence-based practices… and who operate as coaches as well as therapists.

We require degrees from accredited programs with stellar reputations — no Master’s degrees from questionable online, for-profit counseling programs here.

With very few exceptions, anyone who works with couples at Growing Self must have a Master’s degree specifically in marriage and family therapy and be eligible for licensure as a Marriage and Family Therapist. This specialized training makes a big difference in outcomes, and — believe it or not — 95% of most therapists who offer couples counseling don’t have it.

Similarly, our career counselors are licensed therapists with Master’s degrees and certifications in career counseling and professional development. Most career counselors aren’t. A counseling degree or licensure as a therapist is not required to offer career counseling. More on how to find a good career coach.

Likewise, we do not work with any coaches who do not also have a Master’s degree in counseling psychology and are licensed as therapists. FYI, “coaching” is an unregulated profession, meaning that there are zero educational or training requirements necessary to call oneself a “coach.” Buyer beware.

Linda P., M.A., LMFT, CESCI-C

The chance to get insight, brainstorm, build goals, and make action plans with an empathetic, experienced professional of Linda’s caliber has been incredibly uplifting. She has helped me see the forest instead of the trees, and create real forward momentum both personally and in my career.
— Linda’s Former Client

2. We Offer Extraordinary Value.

Outside of Growing Self, a lot of what goes on in therapy is oftentimes not that effective. If you’ve ever been in traditional talk therapy and wondered, “How would just talking to a therapist about my feelings change anything for me?” Your suspicions are correct: Outside of certain situations, it may not do much to move you forward.

That is why everyone on our team uses only strategic, focused, evidence-based approaches to marriage counseling, therapy, life coaching, and career coaching that have been shown by research to be the fastest, most efficient ways to help you make positive change. We also check on your progress to ensure you’re getting traction and moving forward.

When we are considering candidates to invite to our practice, we have a rigorous interviewing process. Therapists and coaches hoping to join our team must demonstrate how they will be effective in helping you make real and lasting change in your life, using science-backed strategies.

Believe it or not, most therapists and coaches never have to prove they can be genuinely helpful to people. They just get a credential and glide by for years, unquestioned — and nobody knows what happens behind the closed door of the therapy office except the “expert” and the client trusting them. (More on how to find a good therapist, if you’re interested).

When you’re at a turning point in your life, your relationship, or your career, you can’t afford to mess around — wasting your time, money, and emotional energy. We have clients tell us all the time that they’ve gotten more out of a few sessions with us than years of prior therapy, thanks to our effective, action-oriented approach.

Dori B., M.S., SAS, MACA

Dori was excellent. We felt incredibly comfortable with her as a person and as a professional, even when discussing very sensitive subjects. We felt she really took the time to understand us both as individuals and as a couple. We have had so many positive changes in our relationship since working with her. She really helped us.
— Dori’s Former Client

3. We Offer Affordable, Sliding Scale Rates

Money is never the most important thing. Not in life, not in love, and certainly not in good business. Money is never, ever as important as people. Just like you, we have values and integrity. Our values are centered around helping you.

Because your well-being is so important to us, we will not allow money to stand between you and the Love, Happiness, and Success that you deserve. We will explore solutions with you, be flexible with you, and help you get connected with the right services to fit both your needs and your budget.

You get to choose the best option for you.

Best yet? Our world-class therapists and coaches care so much that many of them offer affordable, income-based sliding-scale rates.

Hunter T., M.S., LMFT

Hunter is amazing and makes me feel human. He laughs with me and talks to me like I’m a person who matters. He makes me feel like he genuinely cares, and I don’t feel like I’m talking to a robot with no emotions. I really like that we’re just two humans talking, but he has the knowledge and skills to help me grow and excel.
— Hunter’s Former Client

Rates For Our Expert Clinicians

Our providers charge different rates depending on their level of education and experience. You can choose to work with a more experienced provider or a more affordable provider. (All of whom meet our rigorous standards of excellence.) Browse through the categories below to see our rate tiers, and which of our providers are within each level.


Most Experienced

Our doctoral-level clinicians each have doctorates, extensive experience in their respective fields, and expertise as coaches. Experienced, doctoral-level clinicians with couples or career specialization and coaching experience are rare, and their services are incredibly valuable.

However, our doctoral-level team is committed to our core philosophy of making meaningful, effective personal growth work accessible. That’s why they keep their rates surprisingly low, generally only $170 per 45-minute session. They sometimes have space for sliding-scale clients.

More Experienced

Our advanced clinicians are all licensed mental health professionals with experience in powerful coaching strategies, as well as effective, evidence-based therapy for individuals, plus specialized education and experience in either marriage and family therapy or career development.

They all have years of experience and a few of them have decades of experience. Our advanced team charges $145 per 45-minute session and may have sliding scale options between $105 and $145 based on your income, and their current availability to accept new sliding scale clients.

More Affordable

Our Master’s level clinicians also have advanced degrees in counseling psychology and years of experience in helping people through effective, evidence-based therapy, couples counseling, dating coaching, breakup recovery support, parent coaching, life coaching, career coaching, and more. They generally charge $125 per 45-minute session and may be able to slide as low as $85 per session, depending on your income and their availability.

So how expensive is therapy, really?

Let’s do some practical math: To create meaningful, real, and lasting change requires, with us, on average, 12 sessions of evidence-based counseling or coaching. (Sometimes longer, sometimes shorter, depending on what’s going on).

In the most extreme scenario, If your high income disqualifies you from our sliding scale and you paid the full fee of one of our most expensive doctoral-level clinicians, that’s… (pause while Lisa does some math) …over about five months…. (you don’t have to go every week once you start getting traction) …about $90 a week. That’s dinner and a movie for two, these days. A basic date night.

Now, consider that you’ll still be experiencing the benefit of that five months of work at least five years into the future. That works out to be about a dollar a day. To take care of the most important things in your life. (Actually, the five years thing is arbitrary. My husband and I did about eight sessions of evidence-based marriage counseling in the late ‘90s, which I believe saved our marriage, and we’re still benefitting every day from that work).

You Can Start Right Now: Schedule Your Free Consultation

Research consistently shows that the key component of meaningful and effective personal growth work is working with the right person.

Because fit is so important, we offer you a free consultation meeting with the expert of your choice. You can meet them face-to-face, learn about their background and approach, discuss your hopes and goals, and talk about what your work together might look like.

If it feels like a good match, you can then continue meeting until you’ve achieved your goals.

If, after reading through all of this and researching your options on our website, you’re not sure about who to work with, just get in touch. Our client services team is here to support you at every step of this journey.

“But Wait! CAN I USE MY INSURANCE??”

We get this question a lot. The short answer is, maybe.

Here’s the situation. Your health insurance only covers medically necessary behavioral healthcare for the treatment of diagnosable psychiatric conditions. That’s just how health insurance works.

At Growing Self, we’re focused on personal growth, healthy relationships, and positive change — not the diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric conditions (although our clinicians are all qualified to do so).

We specialize in helping people feel happier, create healthy relationships, and achieve their most important personal and professional goals. This work is vital and often life-changing — but it usually doesn’t qualify as “medically necessary.”

That said, under certain circumstances, we can help you use your insurance benefits. For more details, see the video, and list below:

We can help you use your insurance if:

  • You meet criteria for a psychiatric diagnosis
  • You are recieving psychotherapy (not coaching) for the treatment of said diagnosis
  • Your policy covers behavioral healthcare with out-of-network providers
  • And you are working with a clinician who is licensed in your state of residence (always necessary for psychotherapy, but not necessary for coaching).

For more detailed information please visit:

How our system works: You’ll pay us for your sessions directly, and we will prepare a superbill for you to submit to your insurer. If you are covered for out-of-network behavioral healthcare, you’ll get reimbursed for your sessions from your insurance company.

Additionally, our practice accepts payments from Flex Healthcare Spending Accounts (FHSA) that are managed through a Visa or Mastercard.

Wait — doesn’t insurance cover marriage counseling?

Marriage counseling (aka, “family therapy”) is only covered by health insurance if it is a medically necessary treatment for either you or your partner’s psychiatric condition. If that’s what’s going on, we can help you get reimbursed for that.

In the absence of an identified psychiatric diagnosis, marriage counseling for the purpose of relationship improvement (like therapy for the purpose of personal growth) is not covered by health insurance.

For more information about the cost of our relationship services, and whether or not you can use your insurance for them, check out:

“Can I use insurance for life coaching? How about career counseling?”

No. Coaching is strictly for the purpose of personal growth, self-improvement, positive outcomes, better relationships, and goal achievement. It’s not healthcare, and coaching is not covered by insurance.

For more information about the cost of our coaching services and whether or not you can use insurance for them please view:

“But… I need to use my insurance.”

If you are seeking treatment for a psychiatric condition and need an in-network provider, Growing Self is probably not the best place for you.

You would be better served by calling the number on the back of your insurance card, or going to your insurer’s website for a list of in-network psychotherapists in your area who specialize in the treatment of your specific condition.

“Do you take Medicaid?”

Fun fact about Medicaid: If you have Medicaid, Medicare, or MediCal benefits, you’re actually required to get the services that Medicaid covers from a provider who is in Medicaid’s network. No provider can legally charge you for services that Medicaid will pay for, even if you want to pay out of pocket. We are not Medicaid paneled providers. We are therefore prohibited from providing therapeutic services to you.

If you have Medicaid benefits, we are happy to see you for things like career coaching, premarital counseling, or life coaching (all things that Medicaid does not cover). But if you’re interested in therapy, it would probably be better for you to contact your local Medicaid office and get a list of in-network providers in your area.

Now, a Public Service Announcement From Someone Who Cares:

We sometimes have people reach out to us with a sincere interest in getting help, but whose circumstances are such that the type of growth work we do here is not appropriate. They need a higher level of care and support than we can provide.

If you or someone you care about is dealing with a serious psychiatric condition, a mental health crisis, a safety issue (such as domestic violence or child abuse), is in need of emergency support after a sexual assault, is currently suicidal, has a serious substance use disorder, or is in need of assistance with things like housing, food, and other basic necessities, we recommend that you direct them to reputable non-profit, charitable, or state-supported organizations that seek to serve people with these types of issues.

Please visit our “Emergency Resources” page to learn more about these options.

Otherwise…

You Can Do This.

It’s okay that insurance doesn’t cover personal development. Health insurance didn’t pay for your education either — and that was a valuable investment in your life.

Getting involved in effective, expert couples counseling, life coaching or career coaching is what smart, responsible, proactive people like us do to develop ourselves, achieve our most important goals, and take care of ourselves and the things that matter more than anything else in our entire lives.

Personal development is not “healthcare.” Growth is not the “treatment of symptoms.” It’s how we evolve and create positive change in ourselves, our relationships, and our careers.

If you want to do private counseling or coaching, but have limited resources, you can work with a more affordable clinician and you can see if your income qualifies you for a sliding-scale rate.

You can do this. It’s important that you do this. And we’ll work with you to make it happen.

Your partner in growth,

Dr. Lisa Marie Bobby

Hiking woman looking into sunset

One more thing…

We all agree that having access to your very own personal therapist or coach is amazing, and ideal. However, that experience is not the only path to meaningful change.

If you are still on the fence, wanting to get involved with growth work but feel like cost is a true barrier, we have created other, even more affordable options for you.

Solution Sessions | Groups | Courses

Solution Sessions

Expert Advice, On Demand

Looking for immediate support? If you’re not ready to make the investment in multi-session counseling and coaching, an affordable option is our “Solution Sessions.” Whenever you like, you can meet with one of our experts by phone or online video for a one-time, solution-focused coaching session.

You’ll leave with new clarity, direction, and a plan of action to carry you forward. Learn more about our solution sessions…

Grow With a Group

Lifetime of Love

Our lifetime of love group class experience is a fun, low-key, and cost-effective way to do premarital education. Over six hours of in-person instruction with one of our expert marriage and family therapists, you’ll learn the secrets of strong couples, how to communicate, how to handle conflict, how to keep the romance alive in your relationship, and how to get on the same page about your partnership and priorities.

This class is a fantastic value, representing a 75% savings from our private premarital counseling sessions. Our Lifetime of Love group class is taught at our Denver and Broomfield Colorado offices as well as online by HIPAA compliant Zoom video.

Learn more about the Lifetime of Love group premarital course.

Divorce & Breakup Recovery Coaching Group

Our online Divorce & Breakup Recovery Coaching Group is all about helping you heal your broken heart, work through the hard feelings that come after a difficult split, do the work of moving on, and create positive connections with other people on the journey of growth and healing.

Every week you’ll get guidance and strategies from an expert breakup recovery coach, and the support of a caring community who understands exactly how you feel.

Learn more about our Online Divorce & Breakup Recovery Coaching Group.

Transformational Courses

The Happiness Class

If you’re ready to feel happier, more confident, cultivate healthier lifestyle habits, get a handle oIf you’re ready to feel happier and more confident, cultivate healthier lifestyle habits, get a handle on your emotions, and learn how to make positive changes in your life that are consistent with your values, The Happiness Class is an effective, affordable alternative to private counseling or coaching.

You’ll getStart today and get instant access to 14 online classes that teach you how to change the way you think, feel, and behave, for the better.

You’ll get many of the same tools and ideas, eye-opening experiential activities, and strategic homework assignments that we teach to our private clients. It could cost as much as $2,000 for 14 private sessions with a doctoral-level clinician on our team, but you can take the entire Happiness Class for less than $100. It’s a steal.

Learn more about The Happiness Class

Heal a Broken Heart

If you are struggling in the aftermath of a difficult breakup or divorce, we have an affordable, effective course to support your healing. “Heal a Broken Heart” is based on the science behind Dr. Lisa’s book, “Exaholics: Breaking your addiction to an Ex love.” It walks you through the steps of healing after heartbreak.

Through the insightful classes and meaningful assignments, you’ll be guided through the process of figuring out whether your relationship can be repaired, and if not, how to let go and move on. You’ll learn how to find closure, release feelings of anger and grief, heal your self-esteem, stop thinking about your Ex, learn and grow, and develop a healthy, happy new chapter in your life. Best yet, this entire six-hour course is only a fraction of the cost of one private session.

Learn more about our Heal a Broken Heart course.

Find The One

If you’re interested in strategic dating coaching to help you find the love of your life, we have an affordable, effective alternative to private coaching: Our “Find The One” online course.

Step by step, you’ll learn the art of personal branding, how to stop getting involved with the wrong people, how to be more attractive to your ideal partner, how to master both online and in-person dating opportunities, how to spot “red flags” early in the dating process, and how to handle common dating frustrations such as “ghosting,” “breadcrumbing,” and dead-end relationships.

All this, for less than the cost of one private dating coaching session.

Learn more about our online dating class.

Free Resources, For You

Whether or not you’d like to work with us for coaching or therapy, sign up for a group, or take a class, we are still here for you.

That’s why, in addition to our paid services, you’ll always find — at no cost — our amazing experts generously sharing meaningful guidance, inspirational ideas, and useful tools you can put into practice today.

Please take advantage of all our free resources — they’re all there to support you on your journey of growth.

Knowledge is Power: Educational Resources For Informed Decisions