Frequently Asked Questions

While AMI is in-network with United, BCBS, and Optum, we recommend not using insurance for your mental health needs whenever possible. After many negative experiences with insurance companies, the Awakened Mind Institute has been frustrated by the following tendencies of insurance companies:

• Insurance Companies Routinely Violate Patient Confidentiality
• Insurance Companies Routinely Refuse To Pay For Certain Diagnoses
• Insurance Companies Limit The Number of Sessions A Patient Can Have
• Insurance Companies Refuse To Pay For Marriage Counseling And Family Services
• Insurance Companies Routinely Interfere With Treatment And Push Providers To Save Money At The Patient's Expense
• Insurance Companies "Low Ball" Therapist Fees, Ensuring That The Patient Is Most Often Treated By The Least Experienced Clinicians
• These "low ball" fees also mean frequent therapist turnover

If you are not in-network with any of the above carriers, but you want to use your insurance, this means that you will pay for clinical services up front and then seek reimbursement from your insurance carrier using a document called a "super bill," which AMI can provide you.

Note: Health insurance does not reimburse for Buddhist and spiritual counseling services.

If you have any further questions (and this stuff is complicated, so feel free), please reach out via our contact us page, or email Dr. Wilson (our founder) directly at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

After your initial consultation, and only if you've decided to enter into psychotherapy with your doctor, your intake session will be scheduled.

This one-time, 90-120 minute session is extremely important because it provides an opportunity for your doctor to gather valuable information about key factors effecting your life, like your psychological and medical history. All this information helps your doctor make your treatment as effective as possible.

During this session you will also be asked to fill out and / or sign appropriate Colorado state-mandated, doctor-patient paperwork such as:

• An informed consent – This provides important information about your therapy plan including doctor-patient confidentiality, session fees and lengths, appointment cancellation policies, and your rights as a client in therapy.
• A statement of therapeutic orientation – This document outlines your therapist’s qualifications and treatment orientations as a doctor of clinical psychology.
• A disclosure agreement – This document contains specific information regarding your therapist’s background, education, and regulatory status.

If you choose to enter into AMI's care, your initial intake session will be scheduled after your initial consultation. This one-time 90-120 minute session allows your doctor to gather information about your personal and medical histories and other key factors that may influence the success and sustainability of your treatment.

Will My Insurance Company Pay For My Psychotherapy Or Counseling?

While AMI is in-network with United, BCBS, and Optum, we no longer work directly with any other medical insurance companies. (Click AMI’s Fees and Payments page for more information on our fees, including our sliding scale, pro bono requirements, and more.)

Yes, AMI offers sliding scale spots and pro bono slot for appropriate clients. Currently all sliding scale and pro bono slots are full. To be considered for our sliding scale or pro bona slots, please email us with your request using our online consultation form. For more information on our fees including our sliding scale and pro bono requirements click here: AMI's Fees and Payments page.

Primarily AMI offers cognitive psychotherapy; in particular Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), which is considered the modern standard of care for many types of depression, anxiety, stress, grief, addiction, and anger management issues.

The Awakened Mind Institute has very competitive clinical fees; this is especially true given the quality of treatment our doctors offer. Generally speaking, individuals and / or families with a household income between $60,000 and $150,000 (or more) find AMI's clinical fees to be affordable.

Although all of our psychotherapy is based on our clients' needs, preferences, and issues here are some useful guidelines:

Absolutely not. In fact, the majority of our clients are very successful, highly educated and fully functioning people such as doctors, lawyers, military officers, teachers, business owners, CEOs, athletes, teachers, technicians, scientists, executives, civil servants, and therapists.

Because they are an avid students of world religion, Dr. Wilson and Julia Wilson often incorporates key aspects of their clients’ existing spiritual or religious practices into their individual therapeutic processes and overall psychological growth.

Dr. Parker Wilson is Buddhist minister and clinical psychologist (ret), and he can provide advisement based on an extensive understanding and practice of Buddhist psychology and meditative technology. Julia Wilson is a recognized Tantric teacher, specializing in Tantric methodologies. Dr. Wilson is a university professor, doctor of clinical psychology, and a practicing Mahayana Buddhist. Both he and Ms. Julia Wilson have been highly trained in Buddhist and existential psychology and meditation by some of the greatest living Buddhist masters of our time. Dr. Wilson has been authorized to teach BuddhaDharma since 2004, and Ms. Wilson received permission to transmit the BuddhaDharma since 2010.

The fundamental techniques for developing mindfulness, while rooted in the teachings of Buddhism, are actually more scientific than religious in nature. Buddhist psychology asks one to deeply analyze one's own existential experience. In other words, unlike traditional religious belief systems, Buddhism is not a faith or dogma based system; nor do its practitioners seek special consideration from a higher power, nor do they seek to convert others to their way of thinking. It is, therefore, more akin to a deep philosophy and empirical understanding.