Let’s be honest, therapy can seem expensive. When your daily living expenses are what they are now, it can seem impossible or even indulgent to start therapy sessions. For many people, the hesitation isn’t just about the cost, but about the value, uncertainty, and emotional risk. In this blog post, I explore why private therapy seems expensive, what you’re really paying for, and address 5 of the most common cost-related doubts people have about therapy. 

 

Why private therapy seems expensive

Why do private counsellors keep their prices so high? 

Counsellors are at a minimum paying for insurance, regular supervision, a professional membership with an accredited membership body, a data protection fee, advertising, and room fees if working in person. These costs are necessary for us to work legally and ethically, and provide a good service to our clients. 

 

What are you really paying for when you pay for private therapy?

• The ability to choose a therapist who you feel a connection with, based on age, gender, life experience, or other factors, as opposed to being matched with someone randomly. Research suggests that the relationship or connection is the most important factor in the success of therapy, so having the choice can really help.
• The ability to choose a therapist who is trained in a particular modality, if this is something you care about or if you want to try a particular style of therapy. Maybe you’ve had therapy before and you know what works for you.
• The ability to get seen quickly, as opposed to being on a waiting list.
• The ability to have sessions as frequently as you feel is necessary. Whether that’s weekly, biweekly, monthly, or ad hoc sessions. You’re in control.
• It has been suggested that when you pay for therapy, you’re more engaged and committed to change and progress. Therefore, you may be more likely to see positive results. 

 

Common concerns about therapy costs

It’s worth acknowledging some of the common concerns people have about the cost of therapy. I’ll address a few of them and give you my response in this section. 

You might be thinking…

 

“How can I justify the cost when I’m not sure if I’m “bad enough” to need therapy?”

You don't need to be on the brink of a heart attack to join a gym or start eating healthier. You do it to feel better, prevent problems and invest in your future wellbeing. Similarly, therapy can prevent bigger problems in the future, and help you develop habits that support your mental wellbeing in the long-term. You can gain all sorts of skills through therapy such as boundary setting, emotional regulation, and self-compassion which all have lasting value. 

You also may not realise the physical and emotional toll of what you may consider smaller problems. For example, lack of sleep, relationship difficulties, or poor work performance can result from anxiety, stress, overwhelm, and not addressing your past relationships or behaviour patterns. 

 

“It feels selfish to spend that much money on myself”

Think of therapy as an investment in yourself, your relationships, and your future. Remember that you deserve help. If you’re someone who thinks of others first and looks after everyone else, think of it this way; You can’t be helpful to others if you’re not doing okay yourself. If you’re driven by your work or career, you can’t keep that up either if you’re becoming burnt out and overwhelmed with the stress and pressure of your work. 

Mental health is just as important as physical health. If you would spend money on a gym membership for your fitness, or on medication for a health problem, why wouldn’t you invest in therapy to look after your mental health too? By spending money on therapy, you prioritise yourself and show yourself that you’re worth taking care of. 

 

“What if I start opening up old wounds and end up feeling worse? And I’m paying for that”

Whether you realise it or not, you’re being impacted by old wounds, trauma, and past experiences. It’s true that you can feel worse at first as you feel your emotions and the pain of what you’ve experienced. However, this allows you to let things go and start to heal. 

If you don’t address things, you’ll still pay for it in other ways. For example, you might repeat unhelpful relationship patterns that come from your parents or from past relationships. You might unfairly blame your partner for something they did that triggered you, causing your relationship to suffer. Or you might find yourself in an unhealthy relationship with someone who mistreats you, because it was a familiar pattern and you didn’t know what a healthy relationship looks like.

You might already be spending money on various things (drinking, smoking, shopping etc) to numb your emotions. Therapy can teach you healthy ways of coping and address the root of the problem, which saves you money in the long run. Most people won’t need therapy forever. What’s the cost of numbing yourself and suppressing your emotions? 

 

“What if I spent all this money and nothing actually changed?” 

You don’t have to commit if it doesn’t feel right for you. If the therapist isn’t right for you, and you stop after a session or two, you’ve still gained something from it. You learnt something new about yourself, decided what you don’t need, took control and made a decision for yourself. 

On the other hand, if it goes well, you could learn new skills, understand yourself and your patterns better, feel seen, understood, and validated. With long term therapy you’ll often find that your relationships improve, confidence grows and you feel motivated to keep moving towards your goals. 

 

“I don’t want to start something I can’t afford to keep up”

Most private counsellors offer open-ended counselling, meaning you can decide how long you want to attend counselling. You can always have a break and pick it back up later if you want. With most private counsellors (myself included), there are ways to make it more affordable such as by having biweekly or monthly sessions. Some therapists offer a sliding scale or concessionary rates. Often if you bring up your financial concerns, there are various options that can be discussed. 

 

Making the right choice for you

Private therapy isn’t always going to be the right fit, and that’s okay. But if cost-related concerns were causing some doubt, I hope this post cleared up the value that therapy can offer. For many people, the best investment you can make is the investment in yourself. 

If you’re still unsure, or need some time to decide, check out my other blog posts and my instagram account for more free mental health resources.

If you’re interested in counselling sessions with me, you can book an introductory call or ask any questions here.