mdolla: How Much Does Therapy Cost and How to Choose It Well

Are you considering visiting a therapist but not sure where to start?

Mental and physical therapy is offered across the world by hundreds of thousands of therapists. However, choosing a therapy type and therapist is no easy task. Nevertheless, this article will give you all the basic information you need to connect with a licensed therapist.

Firstly, let’s take a look at how much therapy costs.

How Much Does Therapy Cost

While there is no set industry standard, the cost of therapy sessions normally falls within the $75 to $150 per hour range. However, in places like New York, it’s not uncommon for therapists to charge more than $200 per hour.

Fortunately, many health insurance plans cover specific therapy sessions such as psychotherapy. This means that the cost of the therapy session will only be a copay or deductible payment.

If the hourly prices listed above appear too costly for you, then you may wish to consider online therapy sessions. (You can read more about these later in the article.) Online therapy session prices start from as low as $25 per hour, which puts therapy into a much more affordable bracket.

Recommended Therapy Sites

There are thousands of websites advertising therapy sessions, but to save you time and effort, here are some recommended sites where you can see the costs and make bookings.

Good Therapy (Worldwide)

Network Therapy (U.S. only)

Psychology Today (U.S. & Canada)

By perusing these sites, you’ll be able to quickly determine average therapy costs for your area. You’ll also be able to see what types of therapy are available local to you.

Top Tips for Choosing a Therapist

If you’ve never visited a therapist before, then it can be a daunting prospect. However, if you follow the tips below, you’ll be well prepared to choose a therapy type – and a suitable therapist.

Decide if you are looking for general therapy or a specific therapy.
Pick the therapy type that you believe will be most helpful to you. (This site will help you choose.)
Set your hourly budget.
Use the recommended sites listed above to search for a therapist in your area.
Choose a therapist. (Before contacting them, check that they are currently licensed.)
Contact the therapist, and explain your needs and expectations.

Once you’ve completed all the above steps, you’ll be ready to book your first therapy session.

Therapy Sessions Are Now Available Online

You may be surprised to hear that many therapists now offer online therapy sessions.

Online therapists use tools such as: video chatting, texting and voice messaging. Therapy offered in this manner has been found in studies to be a viable alternative and supplement to in-office therapy. ^[1]

Therapy delivered online (or via phone) offers several benefits over traditional in-office therapy:

Lower prices, making it more affordable. (Online therapy sessions can be as low as $25 per hour.)
No traveling required, as sessions can be conducted from your home.
More discrete than visiting a therapist’s office.
Shorter and more frequent sessions can be arranged.

If online therapy sounds of interest to you, then take a look at sites BetterHelp and Talkspace, that offer thousands of licensed online therapists.

Whether you decide to go down the online therapy or in-office therapy route, the key is to find a therapist who you can develop a professional and beneficial relationship with. Someone who understands your needs, and knows exactly how to help you.

Mental and physical therapy helps millions of people to improve their lives. It may help to improve yours too.