Private-Pay Therapy: The Ultimate in Convenience, Freedom, and Privacy

As a private pay therapy practice, we often have prospective clients ask why we decided to turn away from the mainstream insurance reimbursement model for mental health services.

The answer is both simple and complex.

The simple response is that your wellness is worth more than insurance companies dictate.

The medical model of mental health care is based on discriminatory practices that largely affect minorities and women. Since Blue Agave’s mission is to help women, especially women of color, transform personal challenges into life-enhancing opportunities, we need to find a different approach.

Blue Agave provides private-pay mental health and wellness services because:

• We believe you should be in charge of your mental health journey.

• We want to empower you to make decisions about your treatment plan.

• We want to meet you when and where you need help most.

• We want you to have the convenience and flexibility to ensure mental health care fits into your life.

The History of Mental Health Care

Mental health care has changed dramatically in the last century, so we won’t detail all of those changes here. Since Blue Agave Therapy and Wellness Services caters to women, especially women of color who want to effectively manage their mental health and crush their goals, we will focus specifically on how mental health care changes affect those populations.

•  The current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM V) definition of trauma excludes systemic trauma from racist or sexist practices that affect the lives of our patients. Instead, the definition of trauma that qualifies people for PTSD treatment relies on single or repeated episodes and not on oppression, forced acculturation, and other indignities minorities face in the United States. Since insurance companies require a diagnosis code, it is difficult to treat this sort of trauma through insurance reimbursed therapy services.

• The medical model of mental health care sees client struggles as caused by an individual's inability to manage their lives rather than by systemic forces that contribute to the prevalence of mental illness. Capitalist ideals, the dominant white culture, and political ideals all work to define “normal” functioning in the United States, and insurance companies use these same definitions. This can skew the mental health care received by minority populations because what is “normal” in one culture may be problematic in another.

• When it comes to women and mental health care, until the 20th century women’s mental health concerns were thought to be tied to their reproductive organs, which compromised care. 

• Hysteria was a diagnosis per the American Psychological Association until 1980 - and women were regularly diagnosed as hysterical when they struggled to juggle all the demands placed upon them by family, work, and society. 

This history of mental health care as a medical issue gives us pause because of the unfair treatment of minorities and women. So, Blue Agave Therapy chose to eliminate insurance red-tape from mental health care so we can provide clients the services they need in the way they need them. You have goals to crush, and we want to help you achieve them. 

Private Pay Therapy: Convenience, Freedom, Privacy

In addition to the cultural needs addressed by offering private pay therapy services instead of going through insurance red-tape, we find that private pay offers greater convenience, more freedom, and ensures privacy for clients seeking mental health care

Convenience

With private pay therapy, you get therapy services on a schedule that works for you. When insurance companies pay for your mental health services, they decide when you can see a provider, how often you see them, and the length of your therapy sessions. It can also take a long time for new clients to receive a referral for treatment by their insurance providers.

Patients who opt for self-pay therapy can choose to see a provider at any time. You and your provider determine the length of your treatment, and how often you see them. Whether you want a session twice each week for one hour, or every other week for two hours, self-pay therapy empowers you to choose your own schedule. You get therapy on your terms.

Freedom

Self-pay counseling services from Blue Agave offer you the ultimate freedom. In addition to controlling scheduling, insurance companies determine what types of therapy you can try based on your diagnosis and who you can see. Choosing private pay lets you control your mental health journey because you are not limited to in-network providers.

Many people don’t seek mental health care because they don’t have a diagnosable mental health condition, even though they are struggling and want support. The trouble is that unless therapists use a diagnosis code, insurance companies won’t pay.  Self-pay clients can trust that they and their provider can make educational decisions about treatment methods based on the issues you face, your progress, and your long-term goals.

Learn more about customized therapy from Blue Agave Therapy and Wellness Services

At Blue Agave, we understand that deciding to enter into private-pay therapy is a decision you don’t take lightly. That’s why we offer many opportunities to get to know us before you commit. To get a feel for how we work, please download our Imposter Syndrome Journal. We designed it to help you overcome limiting beliefs and conquer your goals.

Blue Agave serves women via telehealth in Washington State and via telehealth or in-person in Arizona. We invite you to schedule a free consultation so we can discuss your therapy goals, and see if Blue Agave is the right solution for your needs. To schedule, click here.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I submit my insurance costs for out-of-network reimbursement from my insurance company? 
Yes! Blue Agave Therapy and Wellness Services will provide a superbill each month that you can submit to insurance. Reimbursement from insurance companies varies, so check with your insurance company so you know what to expect.

What is the cost of therapy with Blue Agave?
Therapy services are $200 per hour. You can choose hour long sessions, two hour long sessions, and get therapy as often as you need because insurance isn’t dictating how we meet!

Do you offer a sliding scale based on income?
No, Blue Agave Therapy and Wellness Services believes in the value of professional services and does not offer a sliding scale based on income. Insurance reimbursement may be available from your provider using a superbill, so check with them about out of network care. 

What payment methods do you accept?
We accept cash, check, and all major credit cards. 

What is the cost of in-person Vs. telehealth services?
In person and telehealth services are billed at the same cost of $200 per hour. 

• Minsky-Kelly, D. & Hornung, B. (2022). Structural Whiteness in Mental Health: Reexamination of the Medical Model Through a Lens of Anti-Racism and Decolonization. International Journal of Social Work Values and Ethics, 19(2), 153-173. https://doi.org/10.55521/10-019-210

• Tasca, C., Rapetti, M., Carta, M. G., & Fadda, B. (2012). Women and hysteria in the history of mental health. Clinical practice and epidemiology in mental health : CP & EMH, 8, 110–119. https://doi.org/10.2174/1745017901208010110