5 Ways to Access Therapy When You Can’t Afford It
“I can’t afford therapy, but I need help.”
I hear you. It’s no surprise that the healthcare system, including mental health care, is flawed. It’s hard to find a provider that meets your needs, you can afford, and has availability. I’ve struggled with this process, and I know that so many others have as well.
As a therapist, I want to support you in accessing therapy services. My hope is that these tips make the process a little bit easier for you and take away some of the hurdles when it comes to connecting with a mental health care provider.
1. Sliding Scale or Reduced Rate
You can start by searching for a therapist who meets your needs clinically, regardless of their listed fees. Many therapists offer a sliding scale, and sometimes it may not be listed on their website. Typically, a sliding scale means that the therapist offers a reduced rate oftentimes based on your income. Some therapists will have a limit as to how many spots they reserve for sliding scale clients, so it's best to ask about this prior to getting started with a therapist. You can ask if they have a sliding scale, if there are openings on their sliding scale, and if you qualify for using the sliding scale. I encourage you to consider how much you would be able and willing to pay prior to meeting with the therapist. Most therapists offer a free 15 to 20-minute consultation, which is a great time to ask these questions.
One place to look for a reduced rate therapist is Open Path. Open Path is a therapist directory where you can find a list of counselors in your area who have agreed to take on clients at a reduced rate. At this time, in 2023, the rate for individual therapy through Open Path ranges from $40 to $70. This is a great place to start if you know that you want individual therapy and that you absolutely could not pay more than $70 for a session.
2. Group Therapy
Group therapy is typically less expensive than individual therapy. For example, an individual session might cost $160, while a group session for the same amount of time might cost $65. Of course, these rates vary depending on the therapist, the group topic, duration of the session, and many other variables. Many people are hesitant to consider group therapy because it can feel intimidating to be vulnerable with a group of strangers. However, group therapy is often just as effective as individual therapy for many presenting concerns*. Sometimes people will participate in only group therapy, or they will participate in group therapy in addition to individual therapy. The need and frequency of each depends on your goals and recommendations from your therapist. I delve into the benefits of group therapy in another blog post linked here.
3. Out-of-Network (OON) Benefits
If you have health insurance, you may have out of network benefits. In your search for a therapist, you may have found that many therapists do not accept health insurance. While there are many reasons for this, it can be frustrating to not be able to use your insurance for a health-related service. However, some insurance plans offer out of network (OON) benefits, which means that you can submit a “superbill,” or itemized receipt, to your insurance for reimbursement. This may allow you to access services from therapists who don't accept insurance or who appear to be outside of your budget at first glance. You can ask a potential therapist if they will provide a superbill after sessions. If they do (most therapists will provide superbills), working with a therapist using OON benefits may turn out to be more affordable for you.
4. Employer Assistance Program (EAP)
Employer Assistance Programs, or EAP's, may be offered through your employer. They might provide you with a variety of services including mental health care. Typically, there will be a limit to the amount of sessions, but you may be able to access reduced rate or even free sessions with the therapist. A consideration for this option is that you would only be able to choose a therapist through that EAP, so the therapist would have to be a part of that specific program. If you end up using all of your free sessions and would like to continue therapy, you could ask that therapist for referrals in your area to continue outside of the EAP.
5. Intensives or Extended Sessions
Intensives or extended therapy sessions are individual sessions that usually run anywhere from 2 to 4 hours, sometimes even longer. These sessions can occur at the same frequency (weekly, biweekly, etc.) as the more standard-length sessions, but you may choose to space out sessions to allow for more affordability. Longer duration sessions tend to allow for deeper work, which leads to working toward your goals more quickly than the standard length sessions. Because of this, your overall cost may be lower than it would be otherwise. This option assumes that you are willing and able to pay the higher cost upfront, knowing that you may save money in the long run. You might also ask the therapist for a payment plan if they offer it. Intensives are sometimes offered as a group therapy option, which may help with affordability as well.
Bonus Tip: What to Look Out For
In searching for a therapist, you’ll likely come across advertisements for companies that promote affordable mental health care and subscription-based therapy services. Tread carefully when exploring these large “mental health” companies. While, there may be individuals who have positive experiences with these services, many therapists find these platforms problematic for a variety of reasons. Typically, the therapists employed by these companies are very underpaid and overworked, which oftentimes contributes to lower quality services. Additionally, the screening process for hiring therapists at these companies may not be as in depth as it should be, meaning, you may be connected to a therapist who appears to have proper training but does not possess the appropriate skills to be effective and ethical in their work with clients.
“How do I choose my therapist?”
So, you know what type of therapy you’d like to pursue and where to look, but how do you choose the actual therapist to work with? There are so many factors to consider when choosing a therapist. Some of those might include cost, location, credentials and experience, and their specialty. You can explore more of these considerations and tips on how to choose a therapist here. You can also reach out to me with specific questions, and I’ll do my best to answer them!
References:
https://psychotherapy.psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.20200031
