What to Do if You Can’t Afford Therapy

When you’re struggling with your mental health, it’s easy for people to suggest getting help — but what’s to be done if you can’t afford therapy?

The affordability (or lack thereof) of mental health services is a huge barrier to entry for many people, especially in the U.S., where even if you have insurance, it’s not always clear what kinds of help they’ll cover. And if you don’t have insurance, the costs are often unbearable.

Of course, ‘affordable’ is a subjective word. Some people can afford a $20 weekly copay if their insurance covers therapy, and others can afford to pay out of pocket for an expensive expert based in a major city. Some people have insurance to fall back on and others are at the mercy of whatever they can manage on their own.

Especially if you’re already feeling stressed or down, it can feel impossible to jump the hurdle of cost and get into the therapy routine you need, but we want to help. This article will focus on three potential solutions for concerns about the cost of therapy:

• How to make traditional therapy more affordable
• Other types of therapy that are more cost-effective
• Free or low-cost resources you can access to get you through

How to make traditional therapy more affordable

When most of us think of therapy, we imagine going into an office and talking to a licensed specialist with a Ph.D. or master’s degree — that’s the traditional therapy model, and it can cost anywhere from $100 to $500 per session if your insurance doesn’t cover it.

But there are ways to access this treatment, even if you’re on a tighter budget:

Other types of care that are more cost-effective

If you still can’t afford — or just don’t want — to see a licensed mental health professional one-on-one in their office, the good news is that there are other options. The even better news is that they’re frequently more affordable than traditional therapy services!

Whatever your budget or needs, you deserve affordable mental health treatment. Therapists created Youper to make mental healthcare accessible to everyone. Youper is a mental health chatbot that guides you through interactive CBT Therapy exercises to help you calm anxiety, improve your relationships, be more productive, and improve your mood. Youper is available on your own time and schedule wherever and whenever needed.