A common question I receive is whether I can provide a superbill for couples therapy so clients can seek reimbursement through their insurance. I choose not to do so, and I want to be transparent about why.

In my practice, the couple is the client. In Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), the focus is not on diagnosing or treating one partner’s mental health condition—it's on strengthening the relationship itself. EFT is designed to help couples heal attachment injuries, deepen emotional connection, and build secure, lasting patterns of relating. While improved individual well-being is a natural outcome, the therapy itself is not medical treatment, and it is not driven by a diagnosis.

Insurance, however, requires a medical diagnosis assigned to one person. Submitting a superbill for couples therapy means I would have to:

• Diagnose one partner

• Frame the work as individual treatment rather than relational work

• Document sessions in a way that fits medical necessity requirements rather than therapeutic goals

Doing so would misrepresent the work we are actually doing, and that is not something I am willing to do.

Ethics Matter

Some therapists choose to provide superbills for couples therapy by attaching a diagnosis to one partner and hoping the claim goes through. But this approach depends on insurers not looking too closely. If an audit occurs, the diagnosis, documentation, and nature of treatment must all align—and often, they don’t.

I want to practice in a way that is fully ethical, transparent, and aligned with the truth of the work we are doing together. I won’t put clients at risk of denied claims, surprise audits, or complications with their medical record down the road.

Protecting Your Privacy and Your Future

Submitting therapy to insurance becomes part of a person’s permanent medical file. A diagnosis can affect future life insurance, disability insurance, employment requiring medical review, and other areas clients don’t always anticipate. Many couples prefer to keep their relational work private, and paying privately allows for that.

Freedom to Do the Work That Actually Helps

By staying outside the insurance system, couples receive:

• Therapy tailored to the relationship—not to insurance requirements

• Sessions driven by your goals, not by diagnostic codes

• Protection from insurance dictating the length, frequency, or type of treatment

• A higher level of confidentiality

When a Diagnosis Is Present: The Best Path Is Individual Therapy

Many people experience anxiety, depression, trauma, or other diagnosable mental health conditions—this is incredibly common and absolutely treatable.
However, the most effective and ethical treatment for those conditions is individual therapy specifically designed to address them, not couples therapy. Couples therapy is focused on your relationship.

While EFT can support a partner living with anxiety or depression by strengthening the relationship around them, it does not replace evidence-based, diagnosis-focused individual care. When someone is struggling with:

• Anxiety

• Depression

• OCD

• PTSD or trauma symptoms

• Other diagnosable mental health conditions

…the best outcomes come from working with an individual therapist who can offer targeted interventions, personalized treatment plans, and ongoing monitoring of symptoms—none of which can be ethically documented or billed under couples therapy.

Supporting individual well-being is important, and I will always encourage clients to receive the right form of care for the right issue.

My Commitment to You

I am committed to providing a safe, honest, and transparent therapeutic environment. Not providing superbills for couples therapy is part of that commitment. It allows me to focus entirely on the work that truly transforms relationships, in a way that aligns with my ethics without squeezing relational healing into a medical framework where it doesn’t belong.

If you have questions about this, I’m always happy to discuss them with you..