Benefits of Private Pay Therapy

You’ve seen the cost of counseling and it might have been a hard pill to swallow.  You have insurance, but have a high deductible, there are long wait times for therapists who take your insurance, or you don’t want to use insurance for mental healthcare.  And yet, you’re hesitant to make that call and set up an appointment for a private pay therapist. You’re not sure its worth it, but you know you would benefit from seeing a counselor.  What do you do? How do you make that decision?

First, know you are worth every penny you might spend on counseling.  While I’d like to say, your wellbeing and mental health is priceless, there is very clearly a price you are considering.  Think of counseling as an investment in yourself which will have a ripple effect on the rest of your life. Where can this mental wellbeing take you?  The possibilities are infinite! And you can really put a price on your possibilities.

Next, consider the benefits of paying out of pocket:

You have control over your care

You will have more autonomy in your treatment and therapy sessions.  You will have more control over the focus of each session, your goals, the frequency and length of treatment.  That is all up to you (with some input from your counselor as well, of course, you’re a team working together).  Insurance companies may dictate what you get treatment for, for how many sessions over a certain period of time, and the focus of sessions.  So, if you’re working on anxiety, and all of a sudden your significant other leaves you, the therapist will have to write treatment notes focusing on anxiety or maybe give you another diagnosis.

No Diagnosis

When you pay privately, the therapist does not need to diagnose you.  They do not need to write down in their notes the DSM classification of why you’re seeing them.  This can have a positive impact on the course of therapy, though there are many pros and cons of diagnosis.

Increased Ethical Care

When you see a therapist and pay privately, what happens in session is only between you and the therapist.  This results in more ethical care by increasing confidentiality (by not sharing your information with a third party, such as an insurance company) and autonomy of the client (since you are the sole decision making party in your mental health treatment).

Consistent Care

When you pay privately, you have control over the duration and frequency of your treatment.  This gives you more control over your care, no matter what happens in your life. For example, you may lose your insurance benefits or they may stop paying for sessions and you might be left without care.  With private pay, you are always in control and no matter what happens can discuss with your therapist how to best continue treatment either by adjusting the fee or frequency as needed.

Quality Therapeutic Relationship

With private pay, you keep a third party out which might intrude on the therapeutic relationship.  The therapist can focus on you and what you need rather than what the insurance company wants them to do.  In addition, you are given more time to build a trusting helping relationship between you and your therapist because there are no time/session restrictions.

More Immediate/Frequent Care

While this might not always be true, it is possible you might be able to see your therapist for an initial appointment sooner than if you used insurance.  Sometimes, you may need to wait 6+ weeks to even meet them! Then you may need to wait weeks for your second appointment. With private pay, you might be able to see your therapist sooner and more frequently, adding to having more control over your care.

There are a lot of benefits to you as a client to paying privately for your therapeutic needs.  However, I’m sure you’re also wondering, “what’s in it for the therapist?” I would be lying if I told you there weren’t any benefits for us, so here’s a few:

Clients are more motivated for therapy

When a client pays out of pocket, they are aware of the value of therapy, monetarily speaking.  They work hard in therapy to get every penny’s worth. It is so refreshing for a therapist to work with someone who WANTS to be there.

Freedom

We are free to set prices that reflect our value, experience, and specialties.  We can practice therapy from perspectives we prefer rather than what will be reimbursed for (while maintaining ethical standards of course!).  We don’t have someone we have to pester for more sessions or reimbursement. We can be spontaneous and follow your needs rather than what the insurance company says your needs are.  This leads to increased quality in therapy services for you!

Security and Self-Care

When we accept private pay clients, we and the client expect to pay at the end of the session.  Therapists know when they are getting paid. Insurance companies may take days, weeks, even months to reimburse therapists.  We have bills, families, and a life too and while we LOVE what we do, we also need to make a living to support the ones we love and our work.  Furthermore, when we take private pay clients we often receive higher payments than from insurance companies. This means, we can see less clients per week and make the same amount.  Which reduces stress and also leads to higher quality of care for you in your session with that therapist! When we take care of ourselves, we are better able to take care of you.

There are many benefits for both the client and the therapist in a private pay counseling situation.  Though, this might not be possible or affordable for every person in need of therapeutic services, and that’s okay too.  You need to do what’s best for you and your family, and that’s always the best choice.