Our Payment Philosophy

As many as one in four people first seek support from clergy when facing emotional or mental health challenges. DCC was intentionally designed to serve individuals who desire integrated pastoral and clinical care in a professional, confidential setting.

Insurance companies rarely reimburse for spiritual or pastoral interventions, even when those approaches are deeply meaningful and effective for the client. Our model allows clients greater influence over the kind of care they receive, rather than limiting therapy to what an insurance plan will approve.

When insurance is involved, continued care often depends on the presence of an ongoing diagnosis. This can unintentionally create pressure to remain focused on symptoms rather than celebrating progress and healing.

Our self-pay model allows therapy to remain focused on:

• growth and resilience

• life transitions

• grief, fear, and meaning-making

• relational repair and spiritual reflection

without tying care to a diagnosis for financial reasons.

Insurance companies require a formal mental health diagnosis in order to reimburse counseling services, even in couples counseling. This leads to one partner being labeled the “identified patient.” We believe this requirement can unintentionally reduce complex human experiences into diagnoses that don’t always reflect the full reality of a person or relationship.

At DCC, we strive to see the person before the diagnosis and to support growth, healing, and wholeness without labels if they are unnecessary.

Mental health diagnoses submitted to insurance companies become part of a client’s permanent electronic health record, even after symptoms resolve. For many clients, privacy is a significant concern.

Under pastoral counseling and coaching, we are able to provide options outside the typical medical model, offering a wider scope of care.

Insurance billing requires significant administrative time and resources, but by minimizing insurance involvement, we keep overhead lower and can:

• offer more transparent pricing

• devote more time and energy to clients

• avoid billing practices that inflate costs

Furthermore, therapist burnout is a serious issue in mental health care. This is especially true in high-volume, insurance-driven environments. Research consistently shows lower burnout rates among private-pay clinicians.

We believe that well-supported therapists provide better care, and that sustainability matters for long-term excellence in serving our community.