Medi-Cal Psychotherapy
Shine a Light Counseling Center provides free adult, teen, and child therapy for clients with eligible Medi-Cal plans. Medi-Cal clients do not have a co-payment. This means that people previously without access to mental health counseling can now get it.
We welcome the diversity of people on Medi-Cal, and we understand the challenges of getting good health care when funds are limited. We believe every person deserves good mental health care. It is important, however, to make sure you have the right provider for your medi-cal plan. This page can help you identify if we can bill Medi-Cal for your therapy.
Our Eligible Plans:
Anthem Medi-Cal Plans
San Francisco, Sacramento, Santa Clara, Fresno, Alpine, Calveras, El Dorado, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mono, Tulare and Tuolomne counties all have Anthem as a Medi-Cal plan option. If you live in one of these counties and have Anthem as your Medi-Cal plan. We can help you. Request Services below.
Carelon Medi-Cal Plans
There are many counties in California that offer Medi-Cal plans with Carelon Behavioral Health providers for mental health benefits. As Carelon contracted providers we can help you if you have any of the plans listed below.
CCAH
(Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Benito, Merced & Mariposa Counties)
San Francisco Health Plan
(San Francisco)
LA Care Health Plan
(Los Angeles)
Gold Coast Health Plan
(Ventura County)
Partnership Health Plan
(See Map below)
Enroll in Medi-Cal
If you need help enrolling in Medi-Cal please visit the Covered California webpage. If you are eligible for Medi-Cal, please enroll. Once you are enrolled, contact us for a psychotherapy appointment at our Santa Cruz, Watsonville, Monterey or San Francisco offices (or via telehealth). If you are already covered by Anthem or Carelon, in the Medi-Cal regions listed above (or on the map below), please use the request for services form at the bottom of this page to schedule a counseling appointment.
CCAH
All plans with Carelon Behavioral Health providers
Anthem Medi-Cal Plans Throughout California
Much of Northern California
San Francisco Health Plan with Carelon Providers
LA Care Plans with Carelon Providers
Ventura County
Blue Shield LA and San Diego Counties (effective 3/1/25)
What Medi-Cal Plan do you have?
Knowing what therapists can bill your medi-cal plan can be very confusing. Here is a guide to determine if a Shine a Light therapist can bill medi-cal for your therapy:
Anthem and Carelon Behavioral Health
We can bill medi-cal for you if you have a plan in the regions on the map above. But your behavioral health benefits must be adminsitered by Anthem or Carelon (formerly Beacon).
No Blue Shield Plans Until 3/15/25
If your insurance card has Kaiser or Blue Shield logos on it, we can’t help you. Please contact these insurance providers directly to find an in-network provider.
Kaiser Plans- Only with Special Authorization
If you have a Kaiser Medi-Cal plan, you can request authorization to see an “external provider”.
Only the Regions on the Map Above
If you live in a browned out county on the map above, we can only help you if you have an Anthem Medi-Cal plan.
Medicare
We do not have any Medicare providers at Shine a Light Counseling Center. Please let us know if you have a Medicare plan, because Medi-Cal will not cover your costs if you also have Medicare coverage.
What is your Subscriber Number?
Your subscriber number should be on your insurance card. You will need your number to complete the Request for an Appointment form. The number should have:
CCAH: Eight numerals and a letter (and possibly more numerals)
Partnership: Eight numerals, a letter, and one extra numeral
SF Health Plan: Eleven numerals
LA Care: Eight numerals and a letter (and possibly more numerals)
Gold Coast: ?
Anthem: If your subscriber number start with 3 letters, it may be an Anthem or Blue Shield plan. We can bill Anthem, but not Blue Shield (until 3/1/25).
Request an Appointment
To Request an Appointment at Shine a Light or NPCC, please fill out this form. We respond to inquiries Monday through Friday. All inquiries we receive on the weekends or holidays will be processed the next business day. Thank you for your patience. If you need immediate services, please call 911.
Agency Inquiries
New Office in San Francisco!
Shine a Light Counseling Center is please to merge with New Perspectives Center for Counseling. NPCC has been serving the San Francisco community for thirty years. Now NPCC is transitioning to become the San Francisco site for Shine a Light. NPCC will retain its name, character and history. For information about NPCC or counseling in San Francisco:
New Perspectives Center for Counseling (link)
Emergency Contact
Shine a Light does not provide crisis services. If you have a mental health emergency, call 988 or 911. Or click here for more Crisis Resources
Telephone Contact
You can call Shine a Light at 831-996-1222, but we encourage you to use the email forms to the left. If you call, please leave the following:
- Phone number
- Preferred location
- Best times to meet
- Issue you want help with
- What insurance you have (if any)
FAX us at: 831-417-0443
Good Faith Estimate
You have the right to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” explaining how much your therapy sessions will cost. Your fee will be set according to a sliding scale, in collaboration with your therapist, prior to your first counseling session. Total costs depend upon the number of sessions you choose to utilize.
If you have private health insurance and we are not in-network with your plan, please be aware that your costs for therapy may be less by using an in-network provider. This will depend upon your plan's deductible amounts and co-payments. In some cases, counseling at Shine a Light is less costly than using private insurance.
If you hope to use "out of network" benefits through your private insurance, please be aware that many plans will not reimburse for services provided by trainees. Please request an Associate level therapists for out-of-network billing.
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