Bridget, a skilled perinatal therapist and CAP specialist, specializes in mothers struggling with postpartum depression, anxiety, and birth trauma. But like many therapists, she's faced the constant challenges of the insurance-based model.

Navigating the Challenges of Insurance-Based Care

A year ago, Bridget decided to get paneled with insurances via Alma. This initially helped her build a client base, but soon she encountered multiple limitations including:

• Low Reimbursement Rates: She’s noticed that she was not getting paid adequately and that insurance rates began dropping even more this year. As a small business owner, this created financial strain.
• The Fear of the Clawback and Over-documentation: Bridget mentioned that “constantly feeling the need to justify how sick my clients are and their need for treatment”, didn’t feel ethical or help her ability to provide care.
• Limited Treatment Options: As a therapist who likes to offer a multifaceted approach, including ketamine assisted therapy or walk-in talks Bridget was often limited by what was covered by insurance.
• “There were situations where clients were being told you can only have x amount of sessions, when I really didn’t feel like I was done, we had only brushed the surface. Then there were clients who needed different kinds of treatments that weren’t necessarily going to be covered by an insurance. … so having the conversation about switching over private pay kind of encompassed all of that if you can get the type of treatment that you really need and want you can without worrying about what is covered”.
• Overworked: Bridget didn’t have control over her clientele, and acknowledged that “the old agency mindset of [carrying] 90 clients a week is not sustainable, it’s not good care for yourself, so allowing yourself the freedom of private practice and understanding that 16 clients is actually more than enough” was very important for her.

Embracing Private Practice

A few months ago, Bridget made a bold decision: She transitioned to a fully private pay model. With the help of Mentaya, she's empowering her clients leverage their out-of-network benefits so that they can still use their insurance.

I’ve found that with Mentaya some of my clients are able to get huge portions of their bills reimbursed. For example, I was working with a new mom who needed ketamine assisted therapy, which can get pricey, and she ended up getting 80% of her fee covered!”

Bridget views therapy as an investment for clients, and is now helping them see it that way. Here’s how she frames it to her clients:  “are you just here for short-term relief or do you really want long term healing”, she allows them to understand that therapy is here to help them “achieve their deepest goal” and that requires time and effort.

By embracing private practice and leveraging out-of-network benefits, Bridget has empowered herself to provide exceptional care to her clients while maintaining a sustainable and fulfilling career. Her journey serves as an inspiration for therapists seeking greater autonomy and control over their practice.