Unfortunately psychotherapy can feel costly especially when the therapist is out-of-network with your health insurance carrier. In the DC metro area many therapists will be out of network because becoming a participating provider means taking a significant pay cut: the medical model does not support providers without an MD. Unfortunately this often means that mental health care is luxury rather than standard. Many therapists attempt to make up for access discrepancies by providing pro bono appointments to the under-served.
Average Cost of Therapy By State
As discussed on the “Finding a Therapist” page, different therapist license levels will have different price points associated with them.
I try to think of the other services and items that we often allow ourselves to spend money on without batting an eye: coffee at the local coffee shop, take out/delivery, a night out at the bar, weekly alcohol consumption- and then compare it to the cost of therapy. It can be expensive but it is also an investment in your health. We’re hoping you see a return on that investment with increased happiness, productivity, and self-actualization.
The fee is also actually part of the motivation for treatment. There are 168 hours in a week and you get to see your therapist for only one of those hours. The magic really happens in the 167 hours you are not in your provider’s office. The fee hopefully motivates you to practice what you learned in session out in the real world. We’ve actually found that when fees are waived or significantly reduced, so is motivation for change and the therapy hour can feel like a waste of time.
Some people chose to space out appointments, coming in only once or twice a month to save money. I would challenge you instead to attend therapy more frequently, double down on your efforts outside of session, and complete therapy in less time rather than reduce frequency and drag it out.