While I do accept several insurance carriers, I encourage you to contemplate self-pay for several reasons. One:  lack of confidentiality.  In using your insurance, I must disclose certain information to your insurance through electronic media, which increases the risks of your information being compromised. While steps are taken to keep such information safe, data breaches are not unheard of. Additionally, insurance companies could request your specific chart to review.  You 
may not want them to know your personal business.  If we talk about things that they do not feel are necessary to your treatment, they can deny payment.   
 
Two:  I have to give you a mental illness diagnosis.  Insurance companies don’t just pay for services to help you through life events. They pay for a diagnosis. I have to give you a diagnosis for your insurance company to pay for it. Even if you seek help with merely learning how to live a better mental wellness lifestyle or deal with a parenting issues or other life situation, I have to give you a diagnosis to utilize your insurance benefits. This will stay on your permanent record, which could negatively affect your ability to obtain life insurance or obtain specific jobs. You may not want people to know you needed help at one time. I want you to get the help you need without worrying about how a diagnosis may affect your future needs.  
 
Three:  another reason for using self-pay is so YOU can decide when to start and stop treatment, who to see, and how long to seek treatment. We decide together on your treatment goals and how to achieve them—not an insurance company.  
 
Four:  You control what the sessions will be about. For example, suppose you want to address something that is not related to your diagnosis. In that case, I am required to redirect you to the symptoms that brought you to treatment or give you another diagnosis to justify treatment to the insurance company. 
 
Sometimes it may be necessary to utilize your insurance benefits.  For those times, I accept  Aetna Commercial plans, Blue Cross/Blue Shield Commercial Plans, UMR, and United Healthcare Commercial plans.  If you wish to use an insurance that I do not accept, I will give you a statement to turn in to your insurance company for potential reimbursement at their rate.