Insurance

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I do not participate in any insurance networks, and am therefore considered an "out of network provider." Services may still be covered in full or in part by your health insurance or employee benefit plan, however, it is your responsibility to check your coverage. I am able to provide documentation for reimbursement that you can submit to your insurance provider directly.

 

Experience has taught me that what is most important to me and my ability to provide the highest level of quality care is a healthy work-life balance. My goal is to spend my professional time, efforts, and energies on providing you with creative, focused, and individualized care that can be limited by the constraints of insurance. Although many find it frustrating and challenging to find a therapist who accepts insurance, there are several considerations to keep in mind when considering an out of network provider:

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Diagnosis:

• Insurance companies require therapists to provide a diagnosis for billing purposes. This requires me to provide a diagnosis to your insurance company upon our first meeting, which can be too soon to come to a complete understanding of all existing concerns and considerations. In many instances, clients seek counseling for personal growth or for life challenges that do not necessarily meet criteria for a formal (or "billable") mental health diagnosis, however, insurance companies require a diagnosis for treatment reimbursement. Further, some individuals do not wish to have a diagnosis on file with their insurance carrier that only reflects a particular season of their lives.

Quality Care:

• Insurance companies in Virginia reimburse therapists at a low rate that does not cover the cost of doing business. Solo practicing therapists are not able to negotiate this rate, therefore have no control over reimbursement. To adequately maintain the operational costs of running a solo practice, this can require therapists to have to work with a higher number of clients than is beneficial for their own work-life balance. Thus, therapists who accept insurance typically have very high caseloads, and with a higher case load, there is inherently a larger administrative load. I prefer to deliver high quality, individualized care, that is thoughtful, and paced in a way that is comfortable for myself, the client, and our therapeutic process, not based on what an insurance policy dictates.

Errors in Payment:

• Finally, payment processing by insurance companies is inconsistent. Therapists may wait anywhere from 7 to 30 days after services have been rendered to be paid. Additionally, insurances create payment processing errors. While this should be an automated process, and rather simplistic, the reality is that an amazing number of errors in payment amounts are made and can even result in money being requested back 6 months after payment. This requires the therapist to get the additional payment from the client, and again, this could be months after they have stopped working together. 

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Unfortunately, insurance creates many roadblocks to mental health care that make quality care less accessible and deliverable. Ultimately, using an out-of-network therapist allows you and your therapist to be more in control of the care you receive, and although it may seem more costly at first, your mental health care is one of the most important investments you can make.

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