6223 Florida Highway 87, Milton, Florida 32570, United States
Why I’m No Longer Accepting Insurance After April 2025
Hi there. I want to take a moment to explain why I’ve made the decision to no longer accept insurance at My Therapy Partner, Inc. It wasn’t an easy decision — I initially worked hard to be in-network with insurance companies because I wanted to make therapy as accessible as possible. But over time, I realized that the insurance model just doesn’t align with the kind of care I want to provide or with your best interests as a client.
Here’s why.
A Better Way to Do Therapy: Why I’m Stepping Away from Insurance
The Problems with Insurance and Mental Health Care:
Insurance companies are supposed to provide equal access to mental and physical health care, but in practice, they routinely fall short. Here’s what I’ve experienced firsthand:
- Delays and restrictions: Insurance companies often reduce reimbursement rates, limit the number of sessions, and even deny treatment — regardless of whether more care is clinically necessary.
- Low reimbursement rates: Mental health providers are paid significantly less than other medical providers. For example, if I charge $200 per session, an insurance company might only reimburse me $60. On top of that, you might have a $40 copay — meaning the insurance company covers just $20 of my fee.
- Lack of privacy: Insurance companies audit treatment plans and therapy notes to search for fraud or determine if you’re using your coverage “too much.” These audits can feel invasive and undermine your right to confidentiality.
- Medical model limitations: To bill insurance, I’m required to provide a diagnosis and prove that your therapy is “medically necessary.” This approach doesn’t account for personal growth, life transitions, or historical trauma — things that don’t always fit into a diagnosis but are still incredibly valid reasons to seek therapy.
All of this creates a system that prioritizes profit over people and makes it harder for you to get the care you deserve.
The Hidden Costs of Insurance
It’s not just about low reimbursement rates. The insurance model forces clinicians to do unpaid administrative work and often come up against a practice known as clawbacks. A clawback happens when an insurance company audits my records, sometimes years after a session, and demands repayment for something as minor as a punctuation error or formatting inconsistency. Even after I’ve been paid for a session, they can request that money back — creating financial risk and stress for clinicians. I’ve seen clawbacks reach up to $500,000, putting mental health providers in incredibly difficult positions.In addition to these risks, clinicians often spend an hour and a half on unpaid administrative tasks for every session billed to insurance. This is time taken away from focusing on client care.I’ve personally spent countless hours trying to get paid for work I’ve already done, often choosing to “eat the cost” because it’s not worth the hassle. My therapeutic approach is integrative, meaning I draw from a variety of evidence-based techniques and tailor my approach to each client's unique needs. I prioritize creating a warm and supportive environment for my clients.
An NPR interview from August 25, 2024, highlights why many therapists are choosing to move away from accepting insurance. The interview discusses the increasing administrative burdens, the low reimbursement rates, and the ethical concerns therapists face when working within the insurance system. These are challenges that I, and many others in the field, have experienced firsthand.
Why I’ve Changed My Business Model
After years of attempting to navigate the ever-changing challenges of INSURANCE COMPANIES, I decided ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. I’m tired of working harder just to fight for FAIR COMPENSATION. More importantly, I want to provide you with the BEST CARE POSSIBLE — without interference from INSURANCE COMPANIES.
Here’s what that means for you: Our work together will be COMPLETELY PRIVATE. Your therapy notes won’t be shared with anyone unless YOU choose to share them. You don’t need a MENTAL HEALTH DIAGNOSIS to work with me. We can focus on PERSONAL GROWTH, LIFE TRANSITIONS, or SELF-IMPROVEMENT without worrying about whether it fits into a diagnosis. My fee is $200 PER SESSION, with a SLIDING SCALE available for those who need it. If you’re committed to doing the work, I’m happy to find a rate that works for both of us.
I know that PAYING OUT OF POCKET for therapy is a BIG INVESTMENT, and I don’t take that lightly. But I’ve also noticed something important: When clients pay for therapy themselves, they often VALUE IT MORE. They’re more likely to SHOW UP, PUT IN THE WORK, and MAKE REAL CHANGES — because they’ve made a CONSCIOUS CHOICE to invest in their well-being. This model also gives you COMPLETE CONTROL over your therapy. We can focus on what YOU WANT to work on, at YOUR OWN PACE, without being limited by INSURANCE COMPANY RULES.
You have the right to CONFIDENTIAL MEDICAL RECORDS: Your therapy notes won’t be reviewed by insurance companies. You have the right to PURSUE PERSONAL GROWTH: You don’t need a diagnosis to justify seeking support. You have the right to SET YOUR OWN GOALS: Our work together will focus on what MATTERS MOST TO YOU, not what an insurance company deems necessary.
I believe that therapy should be a SAFE, CONFIDENTIAL SPACE where you can work on WHATEVER YOU NEED, without fear of JUDGMENT OR RESTRICTIONS.