Welcome back to Therapy 101 where we work to make therapy and other mental health services more accessible for everyone.
This week we’ll be tackling one of the biggest hurdles in beginning your mental health journey: paying for it.
Mental health treatment is notoriously expensive and out of reach for most people. We’re here to breakdown how you can find affordable, comprehensive mental health services without paying through the nose.
Mental health providers, in particular therapists, usually fall into one of two categories. Those that accept insurance and those that do not, or private-pay. Frankly, most therapists do not accept insurance plans, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t an option to consider. Below are a few avenues to evaluate if your health insurance does not cover mental health services.
If your desired therapist does not accept insurance there are a handful of ways to pay. The first being through an HSA or FSA plan. HSA’s, or Health Savings Account, and FSA’s, Flexible Spending Accounts, are money you set aside, pre-tax, from your paycheck to be used strictly for healthcare related expenses. There are restrictions on what you can spend HSA or FSA funds on so be sure to check with your insurance provider and your desired clinician prior to your appointment to ensure there are no issues with using your HSA or FSA account.
The next option for private-pay therapists is what’s called a “sliding scale” fee structure. A sliding scale is set by the therapist for specific individuals who may not be able to afford their providers full hourly fee. Check with your desired clinician about how their sliding scale works and what fee would be appropriate for you.
Another common option to afford therapy is utilizing an Employee Assistance Program through your work benefits. Companies often provide services to their employees in their benefits package such as free estate planning or low-cost mental health services. Check with your human resources department to see what benefits may be available to you and how you may be able to use them to offset the cost of therapy. Some EAPs have restrictions on which providers you can see so double check before seeing your therapist.
Charitable and religious organizations will often offer assistance with mental health services to their members or congregation. There are numerous programs set up by charitable organizations for members of specific groups, i.e. veterans, those experiencing homelessness, those experiencing domestic violence, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, to make mental health services more attainable for some of the most vulnerable in our community. The best way to see if you could qualify for local public mental health services is by reaching out to your state’s mental health organizations. There are also a few different hotlines that may serve as a good jumping off point such as the Suicide and Crisis Hotline, Veterans Crisis Hotline and Youthline. If you are religious, you can also seek out guidance from your trusted spiritual leader. While we do not suggest seeking out mental health services from your religious leaders directly, they may be able to point you in the right direction in terms of finding a mental health provider. They may also offer financial assistance for members of their congregation to receive counseling services.
Lastly, you may be able to find mental health services through university clinics. Universities will offer free or reduced cost therapy as a part of their graduate program to ensure interns are able to reach their required clinical hours to become fully licensed after graduation. It should be noted that while these therapists may be less experienced, they are supervised by a fully licensed therapist.
Having the courage to start your mental health journey is a feat of bravery. Finding a way to pay for therapy is a feat of patience. It may take a minute to situate how you will be able to pay for therapy, but rest assured it will be fully worth it.
As always, we are here if you are local to the Phoenix metro area (Scottsdale, Gilbert, Mesa, Chandler, Queen Creek, Tempe) if you would like to schedule with one of our therapists today please click on the SCHEDULE NOW button in the top right hand corner. We offer a variety of avenues to finance sessions and make therapy more affordable. We offer discounted rates with intern therapists, sliding scales proportional to your income, we accept several different insurance plans and we are also willing to work with religious organizations and clergy to pay for sessions.
If there is a specific way you’d like to pay for therapy that is not mentioned above, please feel free to reach out to us and we’d be happy to discuss.
Check out the article below to learn more:
