Therapist for School of Visual Arts Students on Aetna Student Health — Online in New York

For School of Visual Arts students

Art and design programs run on critique, deadlines, and the particular exhaustion of making things people will judge. Your Aetna Student Health plan is a full health plan, and it covers therapy with an outside therapist for a copay — you don't have to route it through the campus center.

Note for this year: SVA switched from Wellfleet to Aetna Student Health for 2026–27, which moves the network from Cigna to Aetna. We're a boutique, culturally attuned practice, in-network with Aetna, and most of the people we see are students and young adults. Everything below is specific to SVA's plan.

The SVA plan, in plain terms

What SVA enrolled you in.

Carrier

Aetna Student Health (new for 2026–27)

Administered by

University Health Plans

Who's enrolled

All students; hard waiver

Plan year

effective Aug 25, 2026

Confirmed for the 2026–27 academic year from School of Visual Arts's own health-office materials. Plans change yearly; we verify your card before you're charged anything.

What it covers here

Therapy for a copay, from wherever you are.

Because SVA's plan runs on Aetna's network and we're in-network with Aetna, sessions here are a covered benefit: 50 minutes over secure video, billed through Headway, with your copay shown up front. Most students book weekly and keep going through breaks — the plan year runs through the summer.

What we work on with students, most often: anxiety and burnout, identity and self-esteem, being a child of immigrants far from home, AAPI experience, relationships, and the transitions that pile up between eighteen and thirty. EMDR is available when talking alone hasn't reached something.

Book a Session

SVA student questions

Does SVA's student health insurance cover therapy off campus?

Yes. SVA's plan is Aetna Student Health, a full health plan with outpatient mental health benefits. You can see an in-network therapist in the community — including us — the same way you'd see any doctor. The campus counseling center is one option, not a gate you have to pass through.

Are you in-network with the SVA Aetna plan?

Yes. We're in-network with Aetna, and SVA's plan runs on Aetna's network. Billing goes through Headway, so you see your copay before you book. We confirm your specific plan details before the first session.

Do I need a referral?

Aetna Student Health plans are PPO-style plans, and most don't require a referral for outpatient therapy. We check yours when we verify benefits, so there are no surprises.

Will my parents see it?

A student health plan is usually in your own name, so statements typically come to you, not a parent. If you're on a parent's plan instead of the school plan, tell us and we'll walk through what the policyholder does and doesn't see.

Where do I have to be for sessions?

Anywhere in New York State at the time of the session — Gramercy and Chelsea, Manhattan counts, and so does a library carrel with headphones. A summer at home in another state means we pause; Florida is the one other state we're licensed in.

Other Aetna Student Health schools in the city: Columbia · Barnard · NYU · Fordham · The New School · St. John's · all Aetna schools · every New York student plan.

SVA students: your Aetna Student Health plan covers therapy here.