I have chosen to get credentialed with various insurance companies because I know that many people can only access therapy services by using their insurance coverage, and I am skilled in managing the administrative tasks that this often entails. I am currently in-network with the following plans:
COLORADO● Aetna● Anthem (BlueCross BlueShield)● Carelon Behavioral Health● Cigna/Evernorth● Kaiser● Medicaid (Colorado Access)● Medicare (government plans)● Quest Behavioral Health● SelectHealth● United (and its affiliates, i.e. Optum/Oxford/Surest)
FLORIDA● Aetna● Carelon Behavioral Health● Cigna/Evernorth● Quest Behavioral Health● United (and its affiliates, i.e. Optum/Oxford/Oscar/Surest)
IDAHOUnfortunately at this time, Idaho does not allow telehealth-only counselors to be credentialed with insurance plans in the state. For ID residents, please refer to private pay/sliding scale rates.


Your financial responsibility will depend on how your specific plan covers outpatient mental health services.
My private pay rate is $150 for a standard 55-minute therapy session for individuals or couples. I have sliding scale rates available, as low as $100, for folks who cannot afford my full rate. 

Reasons people may choose not to use insurance:High deductibles: High-deductible plans may sometimes require that you pay the insurance contracted rate for services until you hit your deductible. Some people have such high deductibles, that they do not anticipate ever hitting their deductible within the year. Therefore, they may choose to do private pay if my out-of-pocket rates are more affordable than the rate their insurance sets with me.
Diagnosing:When using insurance for therapy, I am required to assign a diagnosis in order for services to be covered. There are many valid diagnoses that allow room for someone to not meet the full criteria for a particular mental health condition. When a couple is seeking therapy through insurance, one member of the couple will have to be the "identified client" who will have an assigned diagnosis. Unfortunately, with the way insurance codes therapy services, couples therapy is only considered "medically necessarily" in order to help alleviate the symptoms of someone's mental health condition. Some people do not feel comfortable with having an official diagnosis, and choose to not use their insurance for services for this reason. If you are someone who has insurance but wants to pay out-of-pocket instead, you are able to fill out an insurance opt-out form. 
Privacy:It is possible that insurance companies may perform routine audits that require providers to send them information from people's charts, including but not limited to: demographic information, diagnoses and treatment plans, treatment summaries, and clinical notes. Therapists are trained in how to document services minimally and succinctly, for the purpose of sharing only what is clinically necessary. Therefore, notes in a client's chart do not contain extensive details about the content of therapy conversations. Nevertheless, it is important to be aware that your insurance company is allowed to access relevant medical information for auditing purposes.
Autonomy:On occasion, insurance companies may try to investigate whether or not they believe services to still be medically necessary in a specific case. They may also sometimes conclude that a standard 55 minute session is unnecessary, and that they will only cover sessions that are shorter. Some people want their mental health care to be solely determined by them and their therapist, with no outside interference.