Psychotherapy Action Network

What do people want from therapy? According to PsiAN's research with more than 1,500 Americans, 90 percent said they wanted care that goes to the root, not just relief from symptoms. That preference has not changed. What has changed is the landscape around it.

PsiAN co-founder Linda Michaels, PsyD, MBA, sat down with Mad in America this month for a wide-ranging conversation about what is really happening to psychotherapy in the United States. She covers the corporate forces reshaping the field, what the evidence actually says about depth and relationship therapies, the lawsuit PsiAN faced for raising concerns about a major therapy platform, and a new public campaign to connect people with affordable care.

Listen here: https://vist.ly/42fu4

New PsiAN research is here. Earlier this year, we surveyed 667 mental health professionals about their views on practice management companies—services that support therapists with insurance credentialing, billing, and administration. We learned a great deal from participants and are excited to share our findings. Key topics of concern: privacy, transparency of investors, reimbursement rates and pay, ethics, and overall satisfaction with services offered. We're grateful to the 667 clinicians who shared their invaluable perspectives. We hope this research serves as a starting point for improvements that make this field sustainable for therapists and, as a result, improve access to quality mental healthcare for everyone who needs it. Read the summary and full analysis at the link. https://vist.ly/42aig

Self-pay therapy is a difficult decision for both clinicians and patients. For clinicians, it's a weighing of reach versus the ability to practice responsibly: protect privacy, set session length and frequency based on need, maintain continuity, and prevent treatment from being shaped by insurer rules. Therapists choose self-pay to protect patients from profit-focused insurers: fewer administrative hurdles, sustainable rates that allow time for extra patient support, less pressure to diagnose for payment purposes, and reduced data sharing. If you're a patient, you may still be able to make self-pay work. During open enrollment, check your out-of-network benefits, deductibles, and HSA/FSA options. Ask potential therapists about sliding scale fees and superbills. Plan ahead with your therapist to estimate frequency and duration, so you can budget accurately.