Why do so many therapists not accept my insurance? This is a question I’ve heard far too many times, and it speaks to some major barriers that both clients and therapists face when working with insurance. Clients sign up for health insurance expecting it to cover reasonable care, only to find their choices severely limited in many cases. So why do so many therapists not work with insurance?

Clients who come to therapy seeking sessions once every two weeks (or less often) often feel they are too busy to prioritize weekly therapy.  While it’s good to know your priorities, a wise man once said “Never half-ass two things; whole-ass one thing” (Ron Swanson, Parks and Recreation).  I tend to agree.  If you don’t feel ready to prioritize therapy right now (either financially or temporally) it makes me wonder how ready you are to do the difficult work we have ahead.  I’ve often encouraged clients in this situation to consider waiting to start therapy until they’re ready to make that commitment, since a focused effort later may be more efficient and effective than a partial commitment now.  

Clients often ask me why I became interested in online counseling. I’ll be honest, it wasn’t always part of my plan! I was used to providing therapy only in an office setting with armchairs, bookshelves, waiting rooms, and all the trappings we therapists (and our clients) are so accustomed to. This was familiar to me, and (like most humans) I was pretty stuck on that one perception of what therapy could be.