Why I am closing my counseling practice...

What I plan to do instead.

It is with a heavy heart that I announce the closing of my private counseling practice, Corie Weathers, LLC.

In 2016, I opened my private telehealth practice as a way to create continuity in my career with our constantly changing military life. It was simply too stressful to find a group practice, integrate, find and serve clients, only to leave shortly after. It was not fair to the group practice and definitely not fair to clients who needed stability themselves.

I also have an entrepreneurial spirit that invented something great within every group practice I joined. I realized in 2016 that I was basically running my own practice under someone else’s. So, I launched Corie Weathers, LLC and began an ongoing battle with Tricare contractors as a provider in order to serve this amazing community I live and work with.

As many of you know, that battle went public in 2019 when I made my Open Video to Tricare- expressing my overwhelming frustration at trying to credential, add additional states to my practice using telehealth, and change addresses as needed. That video went viral, and unbeknownst to me, went to the Senate floor to help pass a bill supporting military spouse licensure portability. I will never regret that decision, nor the pain that I went through, which encouraged me to become a voice for military spouses.

I am so glad I did not know back then that I would go on to fight Tricare again (and the Texas state board), to get and keep the practice up and running to file claims and receive payment. The fact that I fought so hard for this little practice is part of the reason why I haven’t wanted to close it.

However, while all of that was going on, I traveled, taught, and consulted on amazing projects. I went on to write another book that I am immensely proud of and built Lifegiver, LLC into what it is today. For the last five years, consulting, teaching, and coaching have become thriving ways to serve the community in meaningful ways.

I have incredible guilt for closing my practice, and even more impactful to the community, for no longer taking Tricare. With a massive provider shortage causing a mental health crisis, I wish nothing more than to help rather than add to the problem. However, like many other providers, the current climate is making it nearly impossible to do what the system was created to do- connect providers to beneficiaries that need help.

Here are a few of my reasons for making this decision:

1. The recent contracting transition to TriWest is more than a nightmare, it is FUBAR. Normally, I would be out there advocating and be a voice for change on this debacle. Thankfully, there are people like Courtney Barber (The 2024 Military Spouse of the Year) and my friend and colleague Jamie Howard, who are doing an amazing job at this. It is simply time for me to pass the baton of advocacy to those who are in the fight, day in and day out, living and trying to keep their own thriving practices afloat. Humana East has also experienced significant issues, causing many providers like me to go for months without pay, claims denied, no customer support, forced to recredential and start over, and so much more.

   For me, this came to a head this week when I was reported to TriWest for fraud by another clinician, simply because the claim I filed in the new system was accidentally filed under the wrong address. The situation is now resolved, thanks to the fraud investigator (thankfully) being a military spouse and everyone working together to get the addresses corrected for each clinician.

   However, I simply do not have the bandwidth (energy or time) to fight to resolve something that is this shamefully dysfunctional. It hurts my heart too much when my talent and energy can be of better use in other ways.

2. My perspective on the medical model of mental health has changed. After being in this field for more than 20 years, supervising the next generation, and running my own practice, I see things differently than I did when I began.

   Let me say upfront- I still believe there is a use and need for the clinical field. There is a time and place for diagnostic labels, medical care with a multi-disciplinary team of mental health professionals, and medication management. Yet, there is a small percentage of people who need those services and are desperate to get into see providers who have no availability. Why? Because a vast majority of people are flooding the mental health field/Tricare system for non-medical help and support.

   I used to be one of the providers who encouraged it.

   Need marriage counseling? No problem! Let the military spouse make the appointment, I’ll give him or her the diagnosis (Adjustment Disorder), and tell the service member to “tag along” to the session. Voila! Marriage counseling that Tricare will pay for!!!

   Yet, the truth is… so much of this business (and I mean business) comes down to money. For very good and valid reasons, everyone wants to know how the services will be paid for and by whom. The client needs financial help, and the provider needs to get paid what they are worth. Mental health providers do not come into this field to build wealth. In fact, it is one of the lowest-paying careers, right next to pastors. We come in to help people, but eventually are taken advantage of and, in some cases, forced to take advantage of the system.

   We are taught throughout school to look for symptoms in our clients that meet a certain criterion, to give a diagnosis. This field was built on the assumption that people are coming in with symptoms that prevent them from functioning in their daily lives. Relationships are failing, work or school is failing, and they are having a difficult time functioning as a normal, healthy individual would, and there are very real consequences that are building in their life, and they are looking for help.

   A diagnosis is beneficial for clients who need this level of support. It may lead to medication management, relief of a label that normalizes the dysfunctional patterns, and treatment plans that help them learn to manage or heal. It is also helpful when a client needs insurance to help cover the costs of long-term or inpatient care that may be required to help them function fully again. But not everyone needs or requires a diagnosis. Some people, most people, just need support and help to get “unstuck”.

   But regardless of whether the presenting issues are clinical or life stressors, if the client wants to use their insurance to pay, clinicians are trained to give a diagnosis. Anxiety, Depression, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, PTSD, and Adjustment Disorder are given out like ibuprofen to soldiers. I’ve especially seen this to be true from civilian providers who hear about military-connected life stressors that might seem extreme to them (yet unfortunately normal for our world). I have also recently seen military kids given a diagnosis for normal life stressors that later prevented them from joining and serving in the force themselves (i.e. a depression diagnosis rather than bereavement).

   For many years, many of us (providers) have been willing to give Adjustment Disorder for anything that seemed more like a life stressor, just so insurance would pay and reduce the financial strain on families. Yet, to work with Tricare, providers are asked to take steep discounts in what they are paid in the name of serving the military (then get paid even less than Medicaid). After years of this, providers are finally saying it is not worth it when we also must fight the system itself to get that minimal payment.

   I simply want to serve with more integrity.

   Tricare has long said that marriage counseling is not covered, because there is no way to diagnose conflict, the consequences of destructive behavior, or personal goals as a couple. These are not medical issues (whereas PTSD, or depression caused by years of being a caregiver, could be). So many people come to me for “anxiety” and/or “depression,” but are struggling instead with understandable worry, stress, and valid reasons to be situationally affected.

   However, I don’t want to give people a diagnosis that is not true or accurate, just so money can be exchanged. I do not want to fight a system that does not care or want to change. Believe me… I have fought and sought understanding and wisdom all the way to the top, where the answer is to simply “kick the can”.

   I am also seeing my profession overdiagnose, and it is not helping people. The number of people I have had to correct a diagnosis for, just to tell them:

   “No, you (or your kid) do not have ADHD.”

   “No, this is not depression- this is grief.”

   “Anxiety? You have been through 7 PCSs in 10 years, have spent half of those years without your spouse, your kids are struggling, and you don’t know what you want to do when you grow up. Of course, you feel this way… let’s work on getting some order back into your life.”

3. The issues most people are bringing me are less clinical and more normal (yet distressing) life issues. Again, using Tricare (or another insurance company) requires me to give a diagnosis and make it a medical/clinical issue. This means the problem is severe enough that it requires my clinical wisdom, HIPAA compliance, and the state board governing how and where that service is being provided, and how it is provided. This means I cannot help anyone outside of the states where I have a license. All (usually) because of a financial need to pay for it. I get it. Please do not hear judgment from me. I have also used Tricare myself as a beneficiary for the same reasons. But as a provider, I must consider the ethics involved.

   Like I said before, I am all for clinically-based mental health care- it is still very much needed. If you are unsure of whether you or your child needs a diagnosis, that is a perfectly good reason to seek professional help, in case a diagnosis, medication, treatment plans, and/or support could be exactly what you need. I have colleagues who would love to deal with less life stressors and more evidence-based trauma work, mental illness, and those struggling with daily functioning. For me, as a current active-duty military spouse, I do not have the stability to provide that level of care in the way these clients deserve.

   Instead, I have found that I am best at working with high performers in need of short, solution-focused care. Those with moderate to mild life stressors (especially service-connected) and marriage issues. I have so enjoyed coaching couples through the healing process of betrayal recovery, the transition into retirement, parenting, and individual pursuits of career advancement and conflict reduction. I now understand that my strengths make me more of a coach/teacher, and I LOVE seeing my clients make progress and journeying with them through those difficult seasons.

4. Finally, it is just time to simplify. I was recently introduced to the term “mental load” when I interviewed Zach Watson for the Independent Wellness Summit. I’ve held on to my practice because it initially cost so much blood, sweat, and tears to set up that, frankly, I wanted to keep it as backup in case I ever needed to return to clinical work. However, I am walking in faith that God’s hand is more evident in my work with Lifegiver (coaching, teaching, and training).

   *Remember, Military One Source, MFLCS (Military Family Life Counselors embedded in your unit), and chaplains are your go-to resources for non-medical support. Unfortunately, many of those counselors are often the same counselors who are in the Tricare pool. Which means, if they have no availability, they are full across the board.

What does all of this mean?

I’m still here. I’m still available and ready to serve you. I will keep doing what I have been doing for the last decade. I am holding on to my licenses in Virginia, Georgia, and Texas. I will continue to earn CEUs to keep my mind fresh on the ethics and differences between coaching and counseling.

I am still a licensed professional counselor and will use that expertise in my coaching, teaching, and consulting through Lifegiver. It just means that I will put a pause on counseling in my private practice and not take Tricare. I will consider joining a group practice if I decide to come back to it.

What does this mean for you?

If you are a client or potential client:

If you are in need of medically-based mental health care (or are unsure of what you need), there is no judgment if you need to find someone who takes Tricare. In this case, I will refer you to the incredible network of military spouses and culturally competent colleagues who have the stability to provide that level of care. I will never coach someone who would be better served with counseling.

Others of you think you need counseling, because that is what we have always called it, but you really need the support, motivation, the strategic solutions to move through whatever you are stuck in. Coaching can be the answer- no diagnosis, still confidential, and with someone who knows the difference in case a referral to counseling could be better. You can also take the following quiz to help you decide:

The downside? Coaching is like a concierge service and is private pay. Honestly, 99.9% of my clients don’t ask to use Tricare anyway. Some want support under the radar, are in need of long-distance support, don’t want a diagnosis, or just know that coaching is what they need. Most only need around 5 sessions- that’s it. Have a bigger life stressor? You may only need a couple of sessions a month or even quarterly as you move through that season. I also have packages to help reduce the cost as well.

We must be honest with ourselves. If we are seeking a counselor because we are lonely, we need community and friends, not a counselor and maybe not even a coach for that. We might need help becoming more vulnerable with our spouse. If this is you and you are seeing a counselor for that reason, let them help you shift your treatment goals so you can finish. Then release that counselor to work with those in desperate need of help.

If you are a part of a non-profit/organization:

Consider partnering with me or other clinicians/coaches to help reduce the cost of sessions. When you support the community in this way, clinicians may not have to give unnecessary diagnoses.

If your programming does not provide support internally, consider paying for 5 sessions as your constituents transition out of your program. It makes your organization less liable and is a warm handoff. This helps reduce the financial burden families feel and addresses the mental health crisis by reducing the demand on the mental health community. Now that we have successfully reduced the stigma associated with getting help, more people than ever are asking for sessions (for both mental illness and general wellness). Providers are oversaturated, and we cannot keep up with the demand while also fighting insurance companies.

Reply to this email if I can help you navigate whether this is a good direction for your organization.

Finally, thank you for letting me serve you and being your advocate. I will continue to advocate for the quality of life issues, morale, and retention of the amazing people in this community. I remain here to breathe life into you and your family.

---

New Leadership Series on Substack- Good Humans Under Great Pressure

A weekly series for military and family leaders navigating rapid cultural shifts, institutional strain, and the weight of responsibility. Get an email every Tuesday motivating you to lead with integrity even when you are under a lot of pressure. An optional faith-based supplement is available each week as well.

---

A New Corie Weathers Podcast Episode is Out!

“Oh the Stories We Tell- Graves and Gardens” is out now and available! Listen in as I share how the narratives (or stories) we entertain and believe can either be destructive or lifegiving- and what you can do about it. Based on the following quote :

“Stories are like shovels- they can be used to dig graves or gardens.”

---

Share your feedback!

An anonymous survey, where you can tell me how you are during a time when the military climate is uncertain: