Fees & F.A.Q

We thought long and hard about accepting insurance but, a few issues came to mind. The primary reason we do not accept insurance currently is due to the requirement of diagnosing individuals for insurance to pay for treatment. Although mental illness does exist and we at Amani Nia Therapeutic Services are conscious of the existence of mental illness, we cannot ignore the stigmatization and history of the oppression and discrimination that plagues the mental health field. For example, it was once considered a mental illness for slaves who attempted to flee from captivity and any sexuality outside of heterosexual was once considered a disorder. Today womxn and black and brown individuals are diagnosed with severe mental illnesses at disproportionate rates. While the field is improving, the system still has ways to go. At Amani Nia Therapeutic Services we prefer not to look at our clients solely through the lens of a diagnosis and do not believe in pathologizing our clients. Instead we prefer to treat our clients through a holistic approach. Due to our mission and efforts to serve underserved and under-represented populations, we currently choose not to potentially further stigmatize populations that often face discrimination and oppression already. By not accepting insurance, our clients are given the power to work with us to determine their course of treatment instead of the insurance company dictating how a client is treated. Until the health system is eradicated from some its afflictions and biases, we choose to instead offer equitable sliding scale fees to help therapy become affordable for clients who face financial need.