Yes. Medicare Part B covers mental health services and visits with a wide range of licensed professionals, including psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, social workers, nurse practitioners and—beginning this year—marriage and family therapists, as well as mental health counselors. Check in advance whether the provider accepts Medicare. If you’re in original Medicare, after meeting your Part B deductible, you will pay 20 percent of the cost of the visit unless you have Medigap or other supplemental insurance, which likely will pay the rest. If you have Medicare Advantage, check with your plan about costs.

Medicare allows an authorized representative to help a beneficiary make decisions about coverage. Anyone with Medicare can appoint someone to act as their authorized representative by filling out the Authorization to Disclose Personal Health Information Release Form. You can find this form online or call Medicare at 800-MEDICARE (633-4227) to request a copy. If your mother can’t fill it in, you can do so on her behalf if you have legal authority to act as her proxy. That means you’ll need to submit paperwork proving you have power of attorney over her health care decision-making. Once you receive confirmation from Medicare that you are her authorized representative, you can move forward with changing her coverage. Some Medicare Advantage and Part D plans have separate authorization forms; contact the plan directly to see if you need to provide additional documentation.