Financial Information

Bethesda Workshops is a non-profit organization that offers intensive workshops at a price more affordable than most other clinical options. Admittedly, the cost can seem quite high when it’s first considered. In the overall picture, though, a workshop is less expensive than any other treatment alternative.

Consider these facts about the workshop program:

  • Most “intensives” provide around six to eight hours daily at most – many only three or four hours. A Bethesda Workshop involves 10-12 hours of specific, therapist-led treatment each full day, which translates to approximately 35 hours of directed help by professionals with advanced training in the field.
  • The in-person intensive help is a real bargain. At a fee of $125 per hour, which is the minimum rate for therapy in most places and is usually low for someone with specific training like a CSAT, 35 hours of counseling costs $4,375. The workshop fee of $3,000 is significantly less, and it includes all lodging and meals.
  • The only additional expense to attend an in-person workshop is travel, and Nashville is conveniently located within a day’s drive from half of the geographic continental United States.

Workshop Fees and Deposit Amounts

The fee for IN-PERSON workshops includes all materials, lodging and meals for the duration of a workshop.

 

Individual Workshops Fee: $3,000

Deposit required for registration: $800.00 (non-refundable)

Healing for Men, Healing for Women, and Healing for Partners Workshops

 

Healing For Couples Workshop Fee: $4,000
Deposit: $1,000 (non-refundable)
“Grand Slam” payment package available for those who attend their individual workshops and the couples workshop within a 12-month period. Call for details.

 

Healing for Teens & Their Parents WEEKEND
Fee: $3,575
Deposit: $1,000 (non-refundable)

 

Contact With God Workshop
Fee: $1,800
Deposit: $600 (non-refundable)

Bethesda Workshops is a private pay program; insurance doesn’t cover or reimburse the cost of a workshop. Workshop prices are subject to change without notice.

Deposit Policy

A non-refundable deposit is required to secure a spot in a Healing Workshop and must be paid in full before a participant can receive the workshop paperwork. The deposit is non-transferable to another participant, but it may be applied to a future workshop for the registrant. The deposit will be forfeited if a participant does not show up for a Healing Workshop without prior notice. A deposit will only be refunded if Bethesda Workshops or a licensed mental health or medical professional provides written documentation that the participant is not an appropriate candidate for Bethesda Workshops. The deposit will also be refunded if the participant enters an inpatient treatment facility (at least a three-week program) before the beginning of his/her registered workshop. At the conclusion of that program, the participant can ask the treatment facility to provide proof of attendance (including the dates) and Bethesda Workshops will refund the deposit.

Payment Options

Participants are strongly encouraged to pay the total workshop fee upfront to keep prices low for everyone. A participant must pay at least one-half of the total workshop fee (including the deposit) before the workshop begins. Bethesda Workshops offers a no-interest payment plan for the remaining half of the workshop fee to anyone who requests it. That balance must be paid 30 days (ideally) or 60 days (maximum) after the workshop and must be automatically billed to a debit or credit card; no checks are accepted for payment plans.  A fully executed Promise to Pay must be submitted and approved by the time the paperwork is due if the balance is not already paid in full.

Insurance

Insurance providers do not cover the cost of a Healing Workshop, and we cannot provide a superbill or documentation that satisfies insurance company requirements. As a workshop program, we do not make any formal diagnosis of participants, which is required for insurance reimbursement. We also cannot provide a procedure code, which describes the treatment setting and type of treatment provided. An intensive workshop doesn’t fit into any insurance-acceptable categories of treatment, which usually must be individual therapy, group therapy, or a hospital or inpatient program. Our workshop fee also includes lodging and meals, which aren’t allowed outside a residential or hospital setting.

Typically, the requirements for using a Health Savings Account for payment are the same as qualifying for insurance reimbursement, though some HSAs pay for “therapy.” It’s up to the workshop attendee to determine if the fee can be paid using HSA funds. Bethesda Workshops can provide a statement of account that verifies participation in a workshop, the date, and the amount paid.

Scholarship Program

Bethesda Workshops has limited funds available for scholarships to those who qualify. Applicants must submit detailed financial information, and scholarships are awarded based on annual income, the number of people in the family, and special circumstances. Scholarship funds cannot be used for the non-refundable deposit; that amount is due from the participant. A scholarship application must be submitted and approved before the workshop begins.

Apply for A Scholarship

Workshop Transfer Policy

A participant has two opportunities to transfer to a future workshop (possibly requiring a transfer fee) if written notice is provided before the start of the registered intensive. For Healing for Men, Healing for Women, and Healing for Partners, a transfer fee applies if notice is given less than two weeks before the workshop. For Healing for Couples and Healing for Teens & Parents, a transfer fee applies if notice is given less than 30 days before the workshop. (See the Financial FAQ section for the specific transfer fees for each workshop.) If a participant does not attend either of the next two scheduled workshops, the deposit is forfeited. It is the participant’s responsibility to provide written documentation of his/her intent to attend a future workshop. Participants are registered on a first come-first served basis, including those who are transferring from a prior workshop. The transfer fee must be paid, if applicable, to be confirmed for a future workshop.

FAQs for In-Person Workshops

What is the workshop transfer fee if I give less than the required notice before the workshop?

This transfer/change fee must be paid in full before a participant, couple, or family is registered for a future workshop.

Healing for Men, Healing for Women, and Healing for Partners Workshops Change Fee: $300

Couples’ Workshop Change Fee: $500

Healing for Teen & Parents Workshop Change Fee: $1,000

What is the no show policy?

If you haven’t notified Bethesda Workshops of your intent to change the date of your workshop, or you haven’t returned your registration paperwork by the Friday before your scheduled workshop, you may not be allowed to attend. In that event, your deposit will be forfeited and you will lose the opportunity to transfer to a future workshop.

Is there a waiting list fee?

Bethesda Workshops’ intensives fill up quickly. If the desired workshop is full, you may register for the waiting list by paying one-half of the deposit amount as a waiting list fee. If a spot becomes open, Bethesda Workshops will inform you about that availability as soon as space becomes available. The latest you would be notified is Monday, 12 pm Central time before the workshop starts on Wednesday.

You’ll have a maximum of 24 hours to notify Bethesda Workshops about your decision regarding attendance as long as no one else is on the waiting list. If other people are on the waiting list, you must notify Bethesda Workshops by 8:30 am the next day after being informed of an opening. If we haven’t heard from you and can’t reach you within these timeframes, your potential spot will be offered to the next person on the waiting list.

If a workshop spot becomes available, you must pay the other half of the deposit to confirm your registration in that workshop, as well as the amount that is normally due before the workshop.

If a workshop spot becomes available and you choose not to attend that workshop, the waiting list fee is forfeited.

If a workshop spot does not become available, you may apply the waiting list fee toward the deposit for one of the next two scheduled workshops. You may also receive a refund of the waiting list fee.

Do you offer a cost benefit to Couples?

Couples who attend all three workshops* within a 12-month period may attend the Healing for Couples workshop for an initial payment of only the deposit. The remaining balance may be paid over time on a no-interest payment plan.  Any balance remaining on individual workshops may be rolled into the Healing for Couples balance for new payment terms.

If you are attending the Healing for Couples workshop more than 12 months after individual workshops, a total of $2,000 must be paid prior to the beginning of the workshop (this amount includes the $1,000 non-refundable deposit).  A no-interest payment plan can be arranged for the balance (usually 2-8 monthly payments). If you have an outstanding balance on the individual workshop(s), the balance for the Couples Workshop may be added to it and a new payment plan arranged with prior approval.  

* “All three workshops” means each spouse attends his/her individual workshop and then they attend the couples workshop.

What is the cost benefit of an Intensive Workshop?

Admittedly, the cost of an intensive workshop can seem quite high when it’s first considered. In the overall picture, though, a workshop is less expensive than any other treatment alternative. Consider these facts:

  • Most “intensives” provide only around six hours of focus daily. A Bethesda Workshop involves 10-12 hours of specific, therapist-led treatment each full day, which translates to approximately 35 hours of directed help by professionals with advanced training in the field.
  • This intensive help is a real bargain. At a fee of $125 per hour, which is the minimum going rate for therapy in most places, 35 hours of counseling costs $4,375. The workshop fee is significantly less, and it includes all lodging and meals.
  • The only additional expense to attend a workshop is travel, and Nashville is conveniently located within a day’s drive from half of the geographic continental United States.
  • A four-day program reduces the time you’re away from work or home. Especially if you aren’t paid if you don’t work, this shorter time off the job is an important benefit.
  • Research shows that the group dynamic, where people learn from each other as well as from the group leader, is more effective for long-term recovery than individual counseling alone. Most people report the healing they find in a Bethesda Workshops’ group is more powerful than anything they have ever experienced.
  • In sum, Bethesda Workshops combines the most effective treatment approach with the lowest cost.

How can I afford a workshop?

Many people find the financial demands of recovery daunting, especially in the early stages of the healing journey. The expense of therapy isn’t usually a line item in the personal budget, and the cost of getting help can be quite a shock. Often addicts and partners are already strapped because of money spent on acting out, and that doesn’t include the intangible expense of wasted time and focus.

When people contact Bethesda Workshops, one of the most frequent concerns is, “How can I afford a workshop? I don’t have that kind of money!”

Our response is that after all the money that’s been wasted on acting out, doesn’t it make sense to put financial resources toward healing? Decide that getting help is worth the cost. Alcoholics Anonymous talks about being willing “to go to any lengths” to get sober. A similar saying is a willingness “to do whatever it takes.” Decide that your healing is worth any price.

Tips For Funding A Workshop