"Paperwork and oversight" is part and parcel of being in the mental health field...so I am kind of taken aback that the counselor doesn't seem to want to do his part, particularly with someone who is suicidal. In my mind, he should be doing everything he CAN to get the longer sessions authorized, so long as there is a need.
Let's pretend he had another client in the same situation, same insurance, but that client didn't offer to pay out of pocket for the second hour, because the client knows insurance will cover a longer session if it is authorized, or that it could very well meet the definition of a crisis. What would the counselor do then?
Tell him to get the authorization, and if insurance won't give one, then he can charge the client out of pocket for a non-covered service.