How to Incorporate Holistic Methods into Your Practice

January 2025

Every Issue we ask a counseling student or new professional to pose a career-related question to another counseling professional who has experience in that topic. This month, Sabrina Rodriguez, LPC, a counselor at Open Door Counseling Center in Clinton Township, Michigan, asks Nicole Kratimenos, EdD, LMHC, about incorporating holistic methods into practice. Kratimenos is assistant professor of counseling in the College of Health and Wellness at Barry University in Miami Shores, Florida.

Question:
More and more therapists seem to be diversifying what it means to be a counselor, incorporating methods such as meditation, reiki, nutrition and other integrations of health into their practices. How can we implement that into our practice, and will insurance cover it?

Answer:
Today’s therapists now understand the mind-body connection and seek to offer clients an approach that considers their entire being, not just their mental state. It is a well-researched fact that there is a strong mind-body connection when it comes to staying in good health. There are steps that counselors can take to ensure a well-rounded practice that insurance companies would cover.

First and foremost, any holistic practice counselors include must conform to their licensure and ethical guidelines. So, if they offer mindfulness practices, nutritional guidance or reiki, they may require additional certification or collaborating with another trained professional. Counselors often consult with outside specialists to provide an integrative approach to their practice. Becoming certified or collaborating with other providers ensures that they are staying within their scope of practice.

Next, it is imperative that counselors document the therapeutic benefits of their work. When creating an environment that supports the use of these holistic methods it is necessary to keep track of how they are working together with the goals for treatment.

Insurance Coverage

Evidence-based practices are covered by insurance companies, and, hence, documenting progress and outcomes can help legitimatize these options. The strategies implemented in the sessions may or may not be covered by mental health parity laws, but most insurance companies will cover wellness practices if they are included as part of evidence-based therapy (such as cognitive behavioral therapy with mindfulness approaches).

On the other hand, reiki and independent nutritional counseling might be harder to justify professionally for insurance. A safeguard to this would be to be cautious of billing codes. For example, if mindfulness or meditation is part of an existing session, counselors may be able to bill using standard therapy codes. However, clients typically cover non-traditional methods, such as reiki, out of pocket.

Additionally, there are some wellness services and treatments that may not be reimbursable through conventional insurance, but clients can explore options such as health savings accounts to cover some of these expenses if they do not wish to pay out of pocket for those services.

Using integrative approaches in mental health counseling has been a growing trend. If counselors are cautious to incorporate these practices within standard mental health counseling practices, they ensure the validity of using billable codes and, as a result, getting adequately compensated by the client’s insurance company.