Clarifications on Care Oregon, hiring, United and upcoming Hakomi training
I want to provide some clarifications regarding CareOregon and United clients. These updates are in direct response to the thoughtful questions you’ve raised. I so appreciate your attention to detail and your commitment to clarity as we move through these changes together.
CareOregon Clients
We received confirmation directly from CareOregon:
“This contract decision does impact your ability to continue seeing CareOregon members after October 1, 2025, and you will be exempt from the upcoming changes for non-contracted behavioral health providers. You do not need to transition current CareOregon members to other providers and can continue providing care and being reimbursed for those services after October 1, 2025.”
This means there will be no disruption in care. We will continue accepting CareOregon clients and billing CareOregon for their services after October 1, even if our new contract is not yet finalized. Importantly:
CareOregon clients do not need to pay out of pocket.
CareOregon clients do not need to sign the new out-of-pocket forms Annie provided, as long as they choose to continue using CareOregon coverage with us.
Hiring Update
As word gets out that we have secured our CareOregon contract, you may be approached by other practitioners who are interested in working with MTPNW. I have received countless inquiries even before we secured our contract from people thinking MTPNW was already contracted. For now, we are only considering new practitioners who bring specific skills that match our current priorities. Specifically, we are not hiring anyone who does not offer bilingual services, identify as BIPOC, or have specialized training and experience in eating disorders or working with children under the age of nine. These are the areas we’ve identified as most critical to meeting the needs of our clients and community. We need time to get our bearings and adjust to the expected influx of CareOregon clients. Interns, however, are always welcome to apply plus we are open to new CareOregon client referrals.
United Clients
If you are working with a United/Optum client who is switching to out-of-pocket, they will need to sign our new Private Pay Agreement.
If you’re unsure which form to use (or whether a form is needed at all) Annie is the best person to ask. I can help as well if she’s unavailable, but be prepared that I may need to double-check with Annie before giving you a final answer.
Hakomi Training Timeline
Originally, we were aiming for an October start date for our Hakomi training pilot. However, the uncertainty with CareOregon earlier this summer caused us to delay in order to avoid potential financial losses had we not secured the contract. With the CareOregon situation now clarified, we are shifting our Hakomi training launch to January or February of 2026. The leadership team is meeting regularly with Donna Roy, Jessica Montgomery, and Rick Cummings to move this forward and ensure we are ready to begin in the new year. Stay tuned for more updates.
Thank you all for your patience, adaptability, and commitment during these moving pieces. Please reach out if you have questions. I am back officially today from vacation and catching up on emails. If you’ve messaged me in the past two weeks, please know I am working on getting back to you. Feel free to poke me or email me again if your message is more urgent and needing a reply by this weekend.
Warmly,
Jenn
Jennifer Samsom, MA, LPC, LMHC
Executive Director, Clinical Supervisor,
Therapist, Builder of Practitioners (and clinics)
Mindful Therapy Pacific NW, LLC