Why Therapists Don’t Take Insurance

Navigating the mental health landscape can feel overwhelming especially when it comes to understanding how therapy is paid for.

At Body Liberation Collective, we are deeply committed to helping individuals heal their relationship with food and their bodies. We believe that everyone deserves access to compassionate, high-quality care.

So naturally, one of the most common questions we receive is:

“Why don’t you take insurance?”

It’s a fair question—and an important one.

While using insurance for therapy may seem like the most accessible option, many people are surprised to learn that it can create limitations for both clients and therapists.

Our decision to remain an out-of-network practice is intentional and rooted in our commitment to providing the highest quality care possible.

Protecting Your Confidentiality

Confidentiality is the foundation of effective therapy. When insurance is used, therapists are required to share detailed information with insurance companies including diagnoses, treatment plans, and sometimes session details.

This means your deeply personal information is no longer fully private.

By not working with insurance, we are able to keep your therapy truly confidential, creating a space where you can show up openly, honestly, and without concern about how your information is being used or shared.

Providing Personalized, Individualized Care

Insurance companies often determine:

• how long you can be in therapy

• what type of treatment is “allowed”

• how frequently you can be seen

These decisions are typically based on generalized guidelines, not your unique needs. At Body Liberation Collective, we believe therapy should be tailored to the individual. Working outside of insurance allows us to:

• personalize treatment

• adjust pace and frequency

• use approaches that best support your healing

Freedom from Required Diagnoses

In order for therapy to be covered by insurance, a mental health diagnosis is required. This means that even if you’re seeking support for:

• body image struggles

• disordered eating patterns

• relationship with food

• identity or life transitions

you may still be given a formal diagnosis in order for sessions to be reimbursed. We believe that not all struggles need to be pathologized in order to deserve care. By remaining out-of-network, we can offer support without requiring a diagnosis when it doesn’t feel appropriate or aligned.

Transparency Around Cost

Insurance can make the cost of therapy confusing and unpredictable. Many clients find themselves navigating:

• deductibles

• copays

• changing coverage

• unclear reimbursement

In contrast, our model allows for clear, upfront pricing, so you always know what to expect. You can view our full fees and policies here: fees and policies

Supporting High-Quality, Sustainable Care

Behind the scenes, working with insurance can be incredibly complex for providers. Delays in payment, administrative burden, and clawbacks (when insurance companies request repayment) can impact a therapist’s ability to sustainably provide care. By operating outside of insurance, we are able to:

• spend more time with clients (not paperwork)

• maintain smaller caseloads

• provide more present, attentive care

Ultimately, this allows us to show up as better therapists.

What If I Can’t Afford Therapy?

We understand that cost can be a barrier. To help make therapy more accessible, we offer a limited number of sliding scale spots, based on financial need and availability. You are always welcome to reach out and ask about current availability.

We also partner with Project HEAL, an organization that provides financial assistance for individuals seeking eating disorder treatment.

Using Out-of-Network Benefits

Even though we don’t accept insurance directly, many clients are able to receive partial reimbursement through out-of-network benefits.

We provide a monthly superbill that you can submit to your insurance provider.

If you’re unsure about your coverage, you can call your insurance company and ask:

• Do I have out-of-network mental health benefits?

• What percentage is reimbursed?

• Is there a deductible?

Our Approach

Our decision to not accept insurance is not about limiting access, it’s about protecting the integrity of care.

This model allows us to provide therapy that is:

• deeply personal

• confidential

• flexible

• aligned with your needs—not insurance guidelines

  Interested in Working Together?

  If you’re considering therapy, we’d love to connect.

  Fill out our contact form to schedule a free phone consultation and see if we’re the right fit.