REASONS MANY CLIENTS and I PREFER NOT TO USE INSURANCE 

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Many clients ask why I’ve chosen not  and many of my clients choose not to bill insurance directly — and the answer is simple:

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Because it allows me to offer the kind of care that’s deep, flexible, effective, and entirely focused on you — not on checkboxes or codes.

Here’s what that means for you:

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🌿 More Privacy

Insurance companies require a diagnosis to approve treatment. That means your mental health history becomes part of your permanent medical record. When you pay privately, everything stays confidential between us.

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⏳ More Flexibility

Insurance plans often restrict the types of therapy covered, how long we can meet, or how often sessions are allowed. With private pay, you get the care you need, at the pace that works best for you — without anyone dictating the terms.

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💡 No Labels, Just Support

To use insurance, I’d be required to diagnose you with a mental health disorder — even if what you're experiencing is completely understandable (like grief, burnout, or life transition). Private pay allows us to work together without labeling or pathologizing your experience.

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🔧 More Tools at Your Disposal

Insurance rarely reimburses for integrative or holistic approaches like somatic therapy, EMDR intensives, nervous system regulation, or mind-body work. When you invest directly, we can use everything in my toolbox — based on your needs, not billing codes.

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💸 Can I Still Use My Insurance?

Yes — if you have out-of-network benefits, you may be able to get reimbursed for sessions. I’ll help you check your coverage and provide everything you need to submit claims.

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👉 Check Your OON Benefits

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✅ The Bottom Line

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Therapy is one of the most valuable investments you can make in your health, your peace, and your future.

When we remove the insurance middleman, you get more freedom, more support, and better results.

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Still have questions? I’m happy to chat. Just reach out or book a free consult below.

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[📅 Book a Free Consult]

 

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More about why clinicians and clients choose not to use insurance

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• Reduced Ability to Choose:

  • ​Most health care plans today (insurance, PPO, HMO, etc.) offer little coverage and/or reimbursement for mental health services.  Most HMOs and PPOs require “preauthorization” before you can receive services.  This means you must call the company and justify why you are seeking therapeutic services in order for you to receive reimbursement.  The insurance representative, who may or may not be a mental health professional, will decide whether services will be allowed.  If authorization is given, you are often restricted to seeing the providers on the insurance company’s list.  Reimbursement is reduced if you choose someone who is not on the contracted list; consequently, your choice of providers is often significantly restricted.

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• Pre-Authorization and Reduced Confidentiality:

  • ​Insurance typically authorizes several therapy sessions at a time.  When these sessions are finished, your therapist must justify the need for continued services.  Sometimes additional sessions are not authorized, leading to an end of the therapeutic relationship even if therapeutic goals are not completely met.  Your insurance company may require additional clinical information that is confidential in order to approve or justify a continuation of services.  Confidentiality cannot be assured or guaranteed when an insurance company requires information to approve continued services.  Even if the therapist justifies the need for ongoing services, your insurance company may decline services.  Your insurance company dictates if treatment will or will not be covered.  Note: Personal information might be added to national medical information data banks regarding treatment. 

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• Negative Impacts of a Psychiatric Diagnosis:

  • Insurance companies require clinicians to give a mental health diagnosis (i.e., “major depression” or “obsessive-compulsive disorder”) for reimbursement.  Psychiatric diagnoses may negatively impact you in the following ways:

 

1. Denial of insurance when applying for disability or life insurance;

2. Company (mis)control of information when claims are processed;

3. Loss of confidentiality due to the increased number of persons handling claims;

4. Loss of employment and/or repercussions of a diagnosis in situations where you may be required to reveal a mental health disorder diagnosis on your record.  This includes but is not limited to: applying for a job, financial aid, and/or concealed weapons permits. 

5. A psychiatric diagnosis can be brought into a court case (i.e.: divorce court, family law, criminal, etc.). 

 

It is also important to note that some psychiatric diagnoses are not eligible for reimbursement.  This is often true for marriage/couples therapy.

 

Why Many Choose Private Pay: 

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These involve enhanced quality of care and other advantages:

 

1. You are in control of your care, including choosing your therapist, length of treatment, etc.

2. Increased privacy and confidentiality (except for limits of confidentiality). 

3. Not having a mental health disorder diagnosis on your medical record. 

4. No limit on how many sessions you can have.

5. No restrictions on how you can be helped/treated, meaning the modaily used can be anything that supports your wellbeing and healing and not limited to what insurance requires clinicians to be limited to utilize.

6. Consulting with me on non-psychiatric issues that are important to you that aren’t billable by insurance, such as learning how to cope with life changes, gaining more effective communication techniques for your relationships, increasing personal insight, and developing healthy new skills. 

 

After reading this, you still may decide to use your health insurance.  If you provide me with a list of therapists on your insurance provider list, I will do my best to recommend a therapist for you.