Help! Should I take insurance?

To take insurance or not to take insurance - a hot topic that will probably never die out in the therapist community. Depending on which side they fall on, you will hear folks passionately defending why it is absolutely essential that we all take insurance plans for reasons including accessibility. You will also hear folks advocating for being self pay because of the restraints and limitations that insurance companies put on clinicians and clients. Both sides have really valid points. If you feel stuck in the middle - here are some questions to help guide you to the path that is best for you right now. Remember, if you decide to take insurance now, that doesn’t mean you have to accept it forever! Similarly, if you decide to be self pay for now, that doesn’t mean you can’t decide to get paneled with insurance later. These two groups often feel very exclusive - but there is room to move between them!

• What is your ideal caseload number? If your lifestyle allows you and you enjoy seeing 20+ clients per week, insurance pay may feel feasible for you! There can be plenty of other reasons - maybe finances are not a struggle for you, so your income goal is more fluid.

• What are your notes and treatment plan notes? For those therapists that use CBT, DBT, or more behavioral models - you may not have to tweak much of what you are doing to submit your things to insurance companies. For those of us who do more somatic work like EFT or ART - some training or coaching around documenting words that insurance companies need to see may be important.

• Do you enjoy networking? If you dislike networking, paneling with an insurance company is an easy way to take a load off of yourself - the referrals will continue to flood in (especially if you panel with one of the bigger ones in your area). A certain level of ongoing networking is necessary for private pay practices!