Transformation
IMPORTANT PRACTICE UPDATES
↑ Expanded and New Areas of Practice Coming in Early 2026! ↑
What's Ahead — Beginning January 2026
Executive Summary
Evidence-based, integrative care for the whole person.
Practice informed by life. Action informed by experience.
I. The Update
What's Changing: I'm going out-of-network with all insurance by mid-January 2026.
Good News: You have options—and for some, costs may actually be lower with out-of-network benefits.
II. The Support
What I'm offering now:
These services can work together or stand alone—you decide what fits your path.
- •Psychotherapy (individual, couples, family, group) — Integrative approaches for discovery, healing, and lasting change—adapting to your needs
- •Life & Spiritual (Meaning-Making) Coaching — Discovering purpose, living authentically, aligning actions with your goals
- •Career & Identity Transition Support — Navigating change when you're in a state of transformation and growth
- •Retreats — Immersive spaces where discovery, healing, meaning-making, and identity work converge for integration and authentic living
- •Deep Insight YouTube Channel (free) — Real conversations exploring paths of discovery, the unfolding process of growth, living in alignment with your purpose and meaning, and creating a life well lived
Cost concerns?
Sliding scale available (especially for current/past clients). Pro bono in certain cases. I want to make sure past and present clients have a path forward for support—let's talk.
III. The Action Plan
What to do:
→ Schedule a Discovery Call or Schedule a Time to Meet on the Patient Portal — Let's talk about how we might continue working together, explore other options, or I am always happy to provide you with personalized referrals.
Timeline (so I can plan 2026 and support your transition):
→ Mid-December: Please let me know your initial direction
→ Late December: Final decision, and if unsure at any point, please feel free to reach out.
The full letter below has all the details—explore as much or as little as you need. Clickable sections let you dive deeper into what matters most to you. Be sure to visit the frequently updated Resources page for additional tools to support and encourage growth and thought.
Thank you for being a part of the Practice Community!
Dear Clients, Former Clients, and Prospective Clients,
If you're seeing this message, chances are we've worked together over the past 10+ years—some for just a few months, others for many years. I've come to value those connections a great deal. For those exploring therapy and/or coaching for the first time, welcome!
There are significant practice changes taking effect on January 1, 2026. I've had many one-on-one conversations about this transition, and I sincerely apologize if this is your first notification. I also want to be transparent: I haven't been as responsive as I usually am in communication. Life circumstances have required much of my attention, and while I'm working to restore a more balanced schedule by year-end, I am committed to making sure you have what you need during this transition. I recognize that many of you are navigating challenging life circumstances, and I am grateful for your patience and understanding.
Practice Informed by Life
The last several years brought experiences that were transformative—both personally and professionally. This period included pursuing training in life and spiritual (meaning-making) coaching as well as taking a 10-month course in psychedelic integration therapy (for licensed healthcare providers only) through the Integrative Psychiatry Institute or IPI. I also had the privilege of traveling to Ukraine to train brave healthcare workers during the war in various trauma treatment methods. These experiences deepened my commitment to evidence-based practice while expanding my understanding of how people heal and find meaning in the face of profound challenges. Collectively, these powerful experiences reinforced to me that life is short, time is precious, and it's not guaranteed. It's now become especially important to live and practice in ways that are aligned with my values—so I can more fully support clients in their own personal journey of self-discovery and alignment.
Action Informed by Experience
This path has led me to make a difficult decision: I can no longer practice within an insurance system that, in my experience, sometimes prioritizes profits over people. When the system restricts the healing approaches available to both patients and providers, everyone loses. I want to be clear: I am talking about evidence-based, research-supported treatments—nothing fringe or unethical.
My core beliefs are these: People have a right to hear ALL options available to them and decide for themselves what's best for them—not me, and certainly not their insurance companies. The healing and self-discovery process is a unique and deeply personal one, and I want to respect the autonomy that each person deserves.
A Note on Meaning-Making
When the term "spiritual" or "spirit" is used here, it refers to the deeply held beliefs we carry about ourselves and what it means to be human—the process of making sense of our experiences, finding purpose, and living in alignment with what matters most to us. This isn't about pushing any particular belief system. It's about supporting each person's unique process of discovering what gives their life meaning—whether that's rooted in religious faith, nature, relationships, creativity, service, or something else entirely.
This framework is based on well-established psychological research (Viktor Frankl's logotherapy, existential psychology, and contemporary meaning-centered approaches) and respects each person's right to define meaning for themselves. It invites curiosity, self-discovery, and personal exploration.
What's Changing & How We Might Work Together
My Practice is Expanding.
I'm now structuring my time across four areas:
1. Individual, Couples, Family and Group Psychotherapy
Ongoing therapeutic support. I work integratively—CBT, DBT, EMDR, IFS, psychedelic integration, among other approaches—adapting to your needs.
A note about my availability: I'm structuring my practice to focus on depth over volume, which means I may have more limited availability. If you're concerned about ongoing support, please schedule some time on the calendar so we can discuss this one-on-one. I want to make sure you have the ongoing resources that you need.
That said, in the event we decide that me acting in a primary role is not clinically appropriate, I'm often available to work alongside a primary therapist as a specialist—whether that's for trauma work (e.g., EMDR or psychedelic integration), specific skills training like DBT, or other areas where I have focused expertise, etc. Let's talk about what's right for you!
→ Learn more at Individual, Couples, Family & Group Psychotherapy: My Approach
2. Life & Spiritual (Meaning Making) Coaching
Growth-focused work on meaning, purpose, and life direction—can look very different from therapy, be more present-focused, not necessarily centered on crisis. Many people work with both a therapist and a coach, or a therapist who does coaching as well. It's entirely up to the client.
If religious trauma is part of your story, this can be a space to reclaim your authenticity and freedom—living according to your own values, free from guilt and shame imposed by others. And, you may or may not want to develop a sense of spirituality at this point in your life that is more in alignment with who you are today.
→ More details at Life & Spiritual (Meaning Making) Coaching
Career & Identity Transitions
Specialized support for professionals navigating career uncertainty, industry shifts, and/or major life transitions that challenge your sense of identity and purpose. This work addresses the deeper question: "Who am I when my role and path changes?"
Whether you're facing organizational restructuring, industry disruption, career pivots, burnout, or simply questioning what's next—this work goes beyond resume updates to explore identity, meaning, and authentic direction.
3. Retreats
Sometimes you need to step away from daily life to do deeper work. Retreats create immersive space for transformation in an environment of safety, growth, and healing—whether you're integrating a profound experience, navigating a major transition, or simply need time to rest, reflect, and reconnect with yourself.
Retreats can be structured with therapeutic sessions and experiential practices, or more spacious with time for rest and personal integration. They can be group-based for connection and shared learning, or individual for more intimate, focused work.
Whether you're in therapy, working with a coach, or doing your own deep inner work, retreats offer something different—sustained time and space for breakthroughs, integration, and growth.
→ Learn more at Retreats: Immersive Opportunities for Learning & Transformative Experiences
4. Deep Insight YouTube Channel
@DeepInsight.LifeWellLived
I've been fortunate to meet remarkable people along life's path—people who are searching, and others who believe they've found what they're looking for and are now living aligned lives. Lives where what they think, feel, and do shows up in their work, how they treat people, how they spend their time, what they dedicate themselves to, and how they navigate fundamental questions of identity—body, mind, and spirit (meaning-making).
These areas of development span: safety, sobriety, sexuality, authenticity, friendship, connection, meaning, relationships, purpose, and so much more. Some examples of individuals I've met include: healthcare workers I trained in Ukraine during the war, veterans, psychedelic researchers and integration specialists, coaches, spiritual teachers, corporate professionals, political activists, photographers, Hollywood actors, professional athletes, volunteers of all varieties, and many others who have something real to say about their life experiences.
These are conversations about living authentically—whatever that looks like for each person. Some go deep into meaning-making and transformation. Others are simply about passion, craft, and doing what they love. And some are about doing what needs to be done—nothing special.
These are not polished "expert interviews" or traditional wellness content—they are honest explorations and real-life manifestations of what it means to live well.
Free for everyone. Whether you're in therapy, working with a coach, or doing your own inner work, these conversations are here. Take what serves. Leave what doesn't. Stay curious in the process.
→ Visit Deep Insight YouTube Channel or find us on YouTube
All these areas—therapy, coaching, retreats, and the YouTube channel—work together, but you choose what fits. We might work in one area or combine approaches—whatever serves your growth. Some people do therapy and come for an occasional retreat. Some work with me as a coach. Some just watch the conversations. What matters is finding what supports your path toward greater integration, well-being, and the life you're building.
Insurance Transition
By mid-January 2026, I will be fully out-of-network (OON) with all insurance plans. Out-of-network means I will no longer be contracted with insurance companies, but you can still use your insurance benefits if you have out-of-network coverage.
To make this transition as smooth as possible, I'm doing everything I can to minimize costs through the end of 2025 into early 2026. Depending on your specific insurance plan and when your carrier went out-of-network, your costs may vary.
Through End of 2025, Early 2026:
Cigna, Evernorth, Husky (already out-of-network):
- High deductible or met deductible: Pay our negotiated rate
United, Oxford, ConnectiCare, UMR, Optum (out-of-network as of November 5):
- Still processing as in-network through January 15, 2026
- High deductible or deductible met: You pay your normal co-pay, practice absorbs the rest
- Good out-of-network benefits: Reimbursement model (minimal/no out-of-pocket cost: insurance company pays you directly, you pay practice directly)
Anthem (out-of-network as of December 5), Aetna, Medicare:
- Still processing as in-network through January 15, 2026
- High deductible or deductible met: You pay your normal co-pay, practice absorbs the rest
- Good out-of-network benefits: Reimbursement model (minimal/no out-of-pocket cost: insurance company pays you directly, you pay practice directly)
Starting January 16, 2026:
- ALL carriers will be out-of-network
- Standard rate: $300/session (this is the rate billed to insurance companies, but can be greatly reduced by good out-of-network benefits and/or we can negotiate an affordable sliding scale fee). I am prioritizing sliding scale fees for clients I am currently working with and have worked with in the past, and I am open to the discussion in general. Under certain circumstances, I do work pro bono. Let's talk!
- Good out-of-network benefits: Reimbursement model (minimal/no out-of-pocket cost: insurance company pays you directly, you pay practice directly)
- Good out-of-network benefits may mean minimal costs for you, and you may actually pay less for psychotherapy in 2026 vs. 2025
- Sliding scale available
- Pro bono available
- Please call your individual insurance company to inquire about your specific out-of-network benefits
I know insurance coverage can be very confusing, and so feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns. Again, if you are unsure about your coverage and costs and would like to discuss options, let's talk. I don't want to leave anyone behind and feeling unsupported.
What This Means for You
Here's what matters most: Nobody gets left behind
As a licensed psychotherapist, my ethical responsibility is to ensure you have continuity of care. Sometimes that means helping you find the right fit, even if that's not me. My goal is to work with you to create a transition plan that puts your needs first.
Your options:
- We can continue therapy if this new method of practice works for you, and is clinically appropriate (using out-of-network benefits with sliding scale available)
- Work with a new primary therapist plus me as specialist/consultant, if this new method of practice works for you, and is clinically appropriate (using out-of-network benefits with sliding scale available)
- Life and Spiritual (meaning making) Coaching may work if your needs have shifted toward a different type of growth and/or if you are located for long periods of time outside of Connecticut. This is different than traditional psychotherapy and it's best to speak one-on-one to see if this is an appropriate fit for you
- Retreats (intensive, immersive experiences)
- YouTube and Resources Page (free access for self-directed work)
- Referral to another therapist (I'm happy to work with you and provide customized referrals where possible to find the right fit) Please → Schedule a Discovery Call
The bottom line: Your wellness is my priority. My job is to help you figure out what might serve you best and make sure you have the support you need—whether that's with me or someone else!
Next Steps
Timelines that help me plan:
- By the middle of December: An initial sense of which direction feels right for you
- By late December: Final decisions so I can firm up schedules for 2026 and/or help you find a new primary psychotherapist
These are guidelines, not hard deadlines. Life happens. If I haven't heard from you by late December/early January, I'll reach out one more time to make sure you have what you need.
Schedule a Discovery Call. We'll discuss any questions you might have, thoughts, what you're looking for, and whether this is right for where you are in life right now.
A Final Word
I'm grateful for the opportunity to work with you, and to have worked with you. The trust you've placed in me isn't something I take lightly, and it's shaped how I think about what good care looks like.
I know these changes aren't always easy to navigate. My commitment is to help you in figuring out what might work best for you—whether that's continuing to work together, transitioning to another provider, or exploring a totally different path forward.
If you have questions, concerns, or just want to talk through your options, reach out anytime. I'm here.
With gratitude,
Robert Romano, LCSW
↑ Expanded and New Areas of Practice Coming in Early 2026! ↑
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