Why no insurance?

Hi there, it's Ellen... Tohwikeli values safety and authenticity which in practice includes honesty and transparency.  Below I lay it all out for you.

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First and foremost, our top concern is your well-being and protection as a client. In private practice, we have the freedom to prioritize your needs without the constraints insurance companies impose on therapists. This allows us to tailor the therapeutic approach to your unique experiences and create a safe space for you to explore your trauma and healing without external pressures.

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Insurance companies are for-profit businesses, and their main objective is to manage costs and maximize profits. Unfortunately, this can sometimes get in the way of quality and shorten the duration of treatment or change treatment in some way. By operating independently, we can focus solely on what's best for you and your healing process without being influenced by financial considerations. Healing can look so different for each individual and insurance feels like a box that trauma just doesn't always fit into. 

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Negotiating with insurance companies is often a time-consuming process that diverts valuable time and energy away from providing you with the care you deserve. We want to dedicate our attention to your therapeutic needs and ensure we have sufficient time together to work through your trauma and achieve meaningful progress. Much of our time outside of sessions is spent thinking about clients and their healing and insurance shouldn't prevent or interrupt that, but it does. 

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Additionally, we believe that putting a label on trauma, like a diagnosis, can sometimes be counterproductive to the healing process. Meaning, a diagnosis can work against the natural healing process. Trauma is a complex experience and reducing it to a diagnosis may oversimplify your unique challenges and experiences. Diagnoses are often seen as the explanation for symptoms and behavior and most stop there. This is one of the reasons we see trauma misdiagnosed so often. In private practice, we can explore your past, present, and future experiences without being bound by diagnostic limitations, allowing for a more holistic and personalized approach to healing.

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Insurance companies often impose guidelines that may limit the number of sessions or the therapeutic modalities available to you. Without insurance, we have the flexibility to tailor our work together to your specific needs, ensuring that you receive comprehensive and individualized care. 

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Lastly, we value and respect the work we do, and believe that therapists should be fairly compensated for their expertise and service. Therapists at Tohwikeli have specialized training, education, and certification in trauma and related issues. We bring multiple years of advantageous experience to your care. Unfortunately, insurance companies often undervalue mental health services, and this can lead to therapists being reimbursed at rates that do not reflect their skill and commitment. By not relying on insurance, we can ensure that services are valued appropriately, allowing us to focus on providing you with the highest quality of care. 

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In a nutshell... We are most effective when we are fully and only on your side. If we work with insurance then we end up being on their side, before yours. We need to prioritize what's best for you, not what's best for the insurance company. Also, we're not trying to make bank, here. Y'all can ask my dad - when I told him I wanted to be a social worker, I was clear that the choice was not about money, and it still holds true today. I am just trying to live my life and run an ethical small business serving others. 

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I hope this explanation offers insight into our decision not to accept insurance and demonstrates our commitment to providing you with compassionate, client-centered, and unrestricted trauma therapy. Our priority is to support you on your healing journey in a safe, respectful, and empowering environment and we do that best without insurance involved.