One of our core values at Emovere is providing trauma informed care that prioritizes your choice and autonomy. That isn’t always possible when insurance enters the mix. We believe you deserve to be in control of your care, including the freedom to choose your therapist, length of treatment, the services and modality of care you receive, your privacy and confidentiality (except for limits of confidentiality) by not having a mental health disorder diagnosis on your medical record, nor be limited by the issues that are meaningful for you discuss in therapy (e.g. some diagnoses and topics such as increasing personal insight, increasing communication in relationships, marriage/couples therapy are generally not billable by insurance).
Insurance companies require a diagnosis which is not always relevant to your treatment. Once your mental health status and treatment is documented with an insurance company, it becomes a part of your permanent health record. There may be possible repercussions to consider for your future such as denial of insurance when applying for disability or life insurance or the possibility that a diagnosis can be brought into a court case (e.g. divorce court, family law, etc) to name a few.
Insurance companies might also ask for records of your sessions to evaluate whether they should continue to pay for services. While this may seem benign, pause and consider how you feel about strangers at an insurance company reading about your personal thoughts, feelings and experiences explored in your sessions. If you coil at the thought – you are not alone!
At Emovere, our clinicians have invested in advanced training in creative arts and somatic therapies. We value a deeply personalized treatment plan based on your personal goals, your nervous system capacity, cultural background, the therapeutic relationship and creativity/ imagination. This creativity and personalization is not always possible when using insurance as the insurance company will also decide how you work with your therapist-often opting for manualized or short-term therapy rather than allowing you to choose what type of service and length of treatment is in your best interest.
Being able to freely choose your own therapist with whom you connect and believe can help you achieve your highest potential is important. Research has shown that a good therapeutic relationship is one of the most important factors for change. If you limit yourself to only in-network therapists, you might eliminate someone who would be a really good fit or who has more specialization in the areas you’re struggling in and maybe help you feel better faster.
Many insurance companies offer out-of-network mental health coverage, so we are happy to provide you with a Superbill to submit to your provider for reimbursement.
[Read more about questions to ask your Insurance company about out-of-network benefits]
We also believe that therapy and wellness should be accessible to everyone regardless of their ability to pay. Many of our clinicians offer a limited amount of sliding scale spaces in their schedule through the Open Path Collective and periodically we offer low-cost services with a graduate level counseling intern.
While it may seem costly at first, your mental health care is one the most important investments you can make. We are here to help! Ready to schedule your free consultation? Contact us today.
