Dr. Boyers is currently available for second opinions and consultations only. She is not available to take on therapy cases at this time but is willing to provide a consultation and help you find an appropriate team or resources in the community. Consultation: $300 per session

Dr. Boyers does not participate in any insurance plans. This means that she cannot accept your insurance for payment. However, she will make every effort to assist you with the filing of the proper paperwork so that you may get reimbursed by your insurance carrier. However, this is not a guarantee that your insurance will reimburse you for your treatment. Every insurance policy is written differently so it is important that you speak to your insurance regarding your out-of-network mental health coverage prior to your first session.

It can be very frustrating to find a psychologist because many do not accept insurance as a form of payment.  I think it is important to discuss my reasons for not accepting insurance.  This has been my practice for many years and I believe it was the right one for me and for my clients.

• Insurance companies require you to supply a diagnosis as a means of getting paid for services.  This is an issue for clinicians and for clients. It requires me, after only knowing someone for a short time, to supply a diagnosis that I may not even be confident about.  As one works in therapy, sometimes our initial understanding of what your issue or issues may be can change.  I often do not focus heavily on diagnoses because individuals frequently don’t “fit” exactly in our system of diagnostic criteria.  What is best is for us to construct together, an understanding of your struggles and how they affect you and ways to help you feel and do better. 
• Or, you may be going through a difficult period in your life and are seeking some support but you don’t actually meet criteria for a formal diagnosis.  Well, in order for you to use your insurance, I would have to provide one in order for you to get reimbursed.  Or, perhaps you meet criteria for a mental disorder during this period of your life, but generally you do not.  Now there is a record in your file with the insurance company that says you have a mental disorder that you cannot control or amend as the circumstances in your life improve.
• When you use your insurance company, they often have a say about how many sessions you can have.  Therapists are often asked to speak to insurance companies in detail about your care in order to defend their treatment plan.  This review process is not only invasive, but also it could wind up cutting your treatment short without much warning.  So, a person who is not intimately involved in your care, who may never have even treated clients before, could decide if you are progressing adequately in your treatment, irrespective of how you feel about your treatment.  In addition, the time required of the clinician to engage in the review process and provide required paperwork is extraordinary.  I feel strongly that my time and energy is better spent on tasks that directly benefit my clients, such as coordinating their care with other providers, speaking to family members, learning new skills, reading books, and taking care of myself as a human being so that I can deliver the highest quality care I am capable of.
• There is the reality of payment.  Over the years, insurance companies in Florida have actually reduced the amount that they are willing to pay for psychotherapy to a point where many clinicians have left insurance panels.  Literally, the rate that I was paid nearly 20 years ago when I first started my practice, was higher than what they pay now. We all know that cost of living has increased over the last 20 years, and it will continue to do so.  So, on top of lower fees, a clinician must spend hours reporting to insurance companies about their treatment. Time that could be spent in service of their clients.  I prefer to deliver high quality, individualized care, that is thoughtful, and paced in a way that is comfortable to the client, not based on what an insurance company says. 
• Clients in my practice receive a high level of attention from me.  Because we are not burdened by the demands of an insurance company, we are free to develop our therapeutic relationship and treatment goals at a pace that is appropriate for the client.  This policy frees me up to be able to work creatively and be available to clients in a way that I could not be if I had the administrative burden of working with insurance. 

So while this creates an unfortunate situation where I am not able to provide services to those who really need to use their insurance for their care, I do have the time to speak to these individuals and help direct them to quality providers on their plan.  Even if I am not able to see you, I will take the time to speak with you about your situation and help you to come up with treatment options.