Finding the right therapist is a big step towards your mental health care program. But just finding the therapist may not be enough. Unlike other physical health issues, mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, and mood disorders can take time to heal. Hence finding an affordable therapist in your state who can provide the best mental health care service at an affordable rate is the key to a final cure.
It is seen that most people seeking mental health care services need to attend multiple sessions and meet with their therapist at frequent intervals. According to the American psychological association, where some people may find quick improvement after a few sessions, others may need six months to notice results. Furthermore, for some serious cases, several years of counseling may be required to get results.
What this means is, mental health care treatment requires both patience and commitment depending upon the severity of your condition. But sometimes the treatment may be costly when you are depending on your health insurance coverage or otherwise. Also, having health insurance does not guarantee that you won’t need to pay upfront.
Luckily, for people who can’t afford to spend huge amounts on their therapy, cost-effective services are available too. Here we have provided a few affordable mental health care options to get started if you are short on money.
Sliding scale therapists
The sliding scale therapists are both psychotherapists as well as social workers who don’t have the sole motive of earning money but are willing to help others through the service. Hence these therapists offer more affordable therapy sessions to their clients. All the therapists offering the service are well-trained professionals to treat various mental health conditions like anxiety, depression, adjustment disorders, etc. If you are on a tight budget and your insurance plan doesn’t meet all your expenses, this can be a good option to get the right treatment at an affordable price.
Low-income or free mental health services
In case you neither have medical insurance or could afford to pay for the sessions out of pocket for in-person mental health therapy, a low-income or free mental health clinic can provide you with the help you need.
These clinics provide mental health care services through student psychologists and mental health counselors who have not yet started a private practice and are under the supervision of experienced and licensed senior professionals. It is for this reason that the services are offered at a very low cost to the clients.
Support groups
If you are seeking help for mental health conditions like substance use disorder, postpartum depression, eating disorder, grief, you may get help from support groups. The groups are available both online and offline depending upon your needs. But the outbreak of the recent pandemic situation has gained online support groups more popularity over the offline mode.
Unlike individual in-person therapy, support groups allow people to contact others going through similar mental health issues. Hence there remains a scope to share each other’s experiences and opinions. While individual therapists focus on giving direct advice to the patients that may sometimes make the patients feel overwhelmed.
Hearing other people going through a similar condition can leave a healing effect as it reminds you that you are not the only one experiencing the pain. But there are other people like you who are trying to cope with various mental health conditions.
Therapy apps or online therapy
Online therapy or e-therapy is a popular psychotherapy service offered over the internet. The therapy is equally effective as in-person therapy. The online mode allows Various experienced professionals and licensed therapists to offer online counseling services to their clients at an affordable rate from the comfort of their homes. Many clients find this therapy extremely helpful and appealing because it allows them to consult and talk to the therapist from anywhere and everywhere. However, finding the best online therapy in 2021 may sometimes be a challenging task. It is because a few online counseling apps may have hidden or additional subscription fees. Therefore, it is necessary to perform your research and shortlist the best online therapy service available at an affordable price.