Many therapists know they want to get off insurance panels. The problem is, they don't have a clear picture of what "out" actually looks like for them, including their numbers, their caseload, and their real capacity. This worksheet shows you that from a place of solid ground that you can make a decision from.
You're on insurance panels or a billing platform like Headway or Alma
You've thought about private pay, but the numbers have never felt concrete enough to plan around
You want to look at your actual situation clearly before making any moves
You're action-oriented, even if you're being careful about timing
And it's not for you if...You're genuinely content where you are. That's valid; this worksheet will wait. Or if you're looking for someone to make the decision for you. This shows you the picture. The decision is yours.
Your Current Baseline: What you're actually taking home after expenses and taxes. Not your best month, nor your worst; the one that feels like "usually."
Platform Dependency Check: If you're on Headway, Alma, or a similar platform: what are you depending on that you don't actually own? This section surfaces the hidden costs such as the time, the clinical autonomy, and the decisions you've quietly handed over.
Private-Pay Scenarios: Three fee levels. Three different versions of what your caseload needs to look like. You put in the numbers; the worksheet does the math.
Capacity Reality Check: Not how many sessions you can survive, but how many you can hold with steadiness. Your body doesn't think in months; it thinks in Mondays. This section connects the two so the numbers stay honest.
Gentle Transition Target: 10%, 25%, 50% shifts and what each one actually looks like for your specific schedule.
Your 30–60 Day Plan: One steady target. One fee statement. One buffer. One next step you can take in 15 minutes.
You've probably run some version of this math in your head. Rough estimates, best-case hopes, worst-case spirals. But you haven't sat down with a structured tool that maps your actual baseline, what a 10% shift looks like, how many sessions your body can sustainably hold, or where your real gap is.
That gap is almost never where you think it is. Many therapists assume it's a math gap when it's usually a marketing gap. The platform or insurance panel is doing your marketing right now. Before you transition, you need to know what replaces it. That's fixable...but you have to be able to see it first.
This worksheet came out of a lot of conversations with therapists who said some version of the same thing: I want to leave, but I don't even know where to start. I don't know what I'm working with.
So I built them a map.
It doesn't tell you whether to leave, when to leave, or how fast to move. What it does is show you what you're actually looking at: your real baseline, your real risk, your real capacity. From there, you decide.
I get it if this feels like a lot. Use a typical month. Take your time with it. And if you finish it and want to talk through what you found, that's exactly what the Private Pay Readiness Audit is for. (More on that after you work through this worksheet).
— Meg
1. Do I have to quit insurance to use this?
No. This is designed to help you see your options and choose a transition target, even if you're staying credentialed for now. A lot of people use this as a jumping off point before joining my 3 month Private Pay Transition Method Mentorship.
2. Is this going to tell me I can't afford to leave insurance?
Maybe. Maybe not. That's kind of the point. What this worksheet does is show you what your numbers look like so you're not making a decision based on a fear story or a best-case fantasy. Some therapists find the gap is smaller than they thought. Some find it's real but workable. Either way, you leave with a clearer picture than you came in with.
3. I'm on Headway or Alma, not traditional insurance. Does this apply to me?
Yes! There's an entire section built specifically for platform-based therapists (Section 1B). It walks through what you actually own versus what you're depending on the platform for, the hidden time and autonomy costs that don't show up on your reimbursement statement, and what your referral pipeline looks like outside the platform. If the platform is doing your marketing right now, this section matters.
4. What if I don't know my exact reimbursement average?
That's not uncommon. The worksheet shows you exactly what to pull from the last 4-8 weeks so you can calculate a real average.
5. Will this tell me what fee to charge?
It won't pick a number for you. It helps you run three fee scenarios so you can choose a range that matches your capacity and goals and see what each one actually means for your caseload and finances.
6. What format does this come in?
PDF, ready to print or copy to Google docs/or sheets.
7. Is this a sales pitch for your program?
No. It's a worksheet. You can download this, use it, and never hear from me again if that's what you want. I built it because therapists kept telling me they didn't know what they were working with. Now you can.
8. What happens after I download it?
You'll get the worksheet. I'll send you a few emails - genuinely useful ones, about the transition process, not a daily sales sequence. You can unsubscribe anytime. And if you want to talk through what you found, the private pay readiness audit link is at the bottom of the worksheet.