So, Do You Take My Insurance?

For many people, using insurance is the only way they would ever consider paying for therapy. For some, it’s out of necessity but for others it's all they've ever known. 

When someone calls to ask about getting started in therapy, or for more information about the services I provide – one of the first questions is “So, do you take my insurance?”

When I say, “No, I don’t,” I typically hear shock and confusion on the other end of the line, “Hold on, you don’t accept insurance? That’s how I pay for ALL my other doctor’s visits, why is this any different?””

You (and they) heard me correctly, I do not take insurance as payment for therapy. Many therapists do take insurance, and that works for them but it simply does not work for me – let me explain why.

As a licensed therapist, working with insurance companies is cumbersome and can truly inhibit and even dictate the course of treatment. This is not good for you (the client) or me (the provider). I mean - who would ever want an insurance company to dictate their mental health treatment? Yikes!

When a mental health provider bills your insurance for therapy services, your insurance provider requires very personal information about you and your treatment in order to ensure that you have met what’s called “medical necessity.”

“Medical necessity” means that you have a mental health diagnosis that is so severe, that it negatively impacts your daily functioning. In other words, your ability to go to work/school, the quality of your social interactions, and/or your ability to shower, feed and/or provide shelter for yourself is significantly impaired. Do you know what this means? It means that I must prove to them that your diagnosis is disabling you from functioning as an individual and most times this simply isn’t the case with my clients.

Most insurance companies also require treatment plans, which are my notes that outline the issues we are working on in therapy and the goals we have set to help you resolve the issues you are working on. At any time through out treatment, the insurance company can decide that you are no longer in need of therapy. This is a double-edged sword since our collaborative goal (yours and mine) is to get you feeling better and out of therapy when you (the client) and I (in my clinical judgment) feel you are ready – not when the insurance company says that you’re ready.

As if that’s not intrusive enough, some insurance carriers only approve a certain number of visits and require reauthorization by asking the therapist to share even more of your personal information with the health insurance provider each time you need more sessions. At that point, once more, the insurance company decides whether you should continue treatment or not. Now you're out of visits covered by your insurance but you don't feel like you've addressed the issues you went into therapy to address, explore or resolve.

How ridiculous is that?


Here’s the deal, my clients’ right to privacy and to be in charge of their own mental health treatment is so important to me, that I’ve chosen not to accept insurance. Also, most of my clients don’t meet the required “Medical Necessity” I mentioned earlier – they’re functioning pretty well overall and coming to discuss/resolve relationship hardships, explore self-esteem issues, and have a strong desire to live a more enjoyable and balanced life.

Please don’t let the cost of therapy scare you away. Getting help from a qualified, competent and compassionate therapist is worth the investment in your mental health. Insurance is a great resource to have, and can be helpful when things get so bad that daily life has gotten impossible. The reality is, if you invest in your health early on and are proactive with your mental health, then experiencing greater struggles later on in life are less likely.


How important is your mental health?

Visit my website  TherapywithRobyn.com

Keep in mind, sometimes paying more out of pocket for a therapist who you really connect with that is outside of your network can really make a big difference in how you experience therapy.

So, take time to review your insurance benefits, see where you can make adjustments or where you can be flexible financially and then purposefully pick that remarkable therapist, who you connect with and start your healing process.

If you are ready to make changes in your life, call me today – I’d like to help: 714-390-1652.