Cost of therapy

LegacyUser

Whey are therapists so bloody dear! anyone i ring is about 70/75 quid. robbin bastards!
is there anywhere one can get cheaper therapy. around 50 quid or so. jaysus!

mercer

you can get counselling sessions from the HSE for free but you'll be on a waiting list. i wouldn't call them robbing bastards by the way, it takes a good 8-10 years to study to do that job so what they put in they get back when they finally finish college. i know cos thats the situation i'm in now

tinkerbell

What kind of therapy are you talking about?

I thought the norm price was around €150 for first consultation and prob less thereafter.

Lux23

Try here OP. http://www.accesscounselling.ie/?gclid=CLXNy4SHvKQCFU9h4wodvB3RRw

LegacyUser

Hi OP,

Thats fairly accurate for a qualified psychotherapist and it was worth every penny to me, the investment i made in my mental health with a true professional helped me to grow out of my depression fast and i am recovered and happy today. And i was a young girl then on my own on he dole at the time but i always found the money somewhere, and the therapist would let me pay a wek late if i needed to, the vincent de paul helped me and the welfare gave me some money toward it because i needed it to get through after i got into college to keep my head sane. I used a lot of the free places that are government funded but many of those people only have a 6 month counseling cert, there are good and bad people everywhere so search out your local counseling place which is government funded and see what it is like. If you go and get a massage these days it can be 60-70 quid, Paying that for someone to hear and listen and analyze you professionally is a small cost IMO. If you look at it as scabby you will resent it try and value it more so you can feel good about going.

Lux23

http://www.pcicollege.ie/Counselling/82

Heres another one.

davyjose

Snookii wrote: »

Hi OP,

Thats fairly accurate for a qualified psychotherapist and it was worth every penny to me, the investment i made in my mental health with a true professional helped me to grow out of my depression fast and i am recovered and happy today. And i was a young girl then on my own on he dole at the time but i always found the money somewhere, and the therapist would let me pay a wek late if i needed to, the vincent de paul helped me and the welfare gave me some money toward it because i needed it to get through after i got into college to keep my head sane. I used a lot of the free places that are government funded but many of those people only have a 6 month counseling cert, there are good and bad people everywhere so search out your local counseling place which is government funded and see what it is like. If you go and get a massage these days it can be 60-70 quid, Paying that for someone to hear and listen and analyze you professionally is a small cost IMO. If you look at it as scabby you will resent it try and value it more so you can feel good about going.

It's a pretty big cost if you can't afford it, though. I understand these guys need to make money, but I can see where the OP is coming from.

I genuinely don't think anyone who needs therapy, would skip it in favour of regular massages either.

LegacyUser

davyjose wrote: »

It's a pretty big cost if you can't afford it, though. I understand these guys need to make money, but I can see where the OP is coming from.

I genuinely don't think anyone who needs therapy, would skip it in favour of regular massages either.

Think you misunderstood me there, i was making a point that people pay 60-70 quid on massages to show what people are prepared to spend money on, i wasnt suggesting therapy be skipped in favour of regular massages??

Have you any experience yourself of going to any therapists? I am speaking from someone who has been through the experience that it was money well spent, it was the best investment i ever paid, i went through the government free ones but didnt find them professional enough i found a trained psychotherapist who had experience in my area and it was worth the money.

There are cheaper options out there and places where you just make a donation, but if you want an experienced pro you have to pay for it. I also said i am someone who was on the dole trying to pay for it, i came from a very poor backround and am on my own since i was 17 it was a struggle but it was a major priority for me and if you want something bad enough the money comes, i dont think that it is too much money- 60 a week was what i paid, and i feel that people are prepared to pay for a massage or their hair done for a similar costs.

Esoteric_

Well are you looking for a psychiatrist, to be diagnosed and given a treatment plan, or for a therapist like a counsellor or behavioural therapist?

Behavioural therapy - that price is cheap by most standards and you'd be hard pressed to get it cheaper.

Psychiatry - you can get it for free through your GP, usually about a 6-8 week waiting list.

Counselling - try places like Aware, Access and Target. They do fees on a sliding scale.

Oroel

Actually any therapist worth seeing should be able to operate a sliding scale.

The first thing on their mind is the patients welfare. Anyone who says, 'well those are the prices, goodbye', are not worth thinking about. In this case, it isn't a case of 'you get what you pay for'. Experience does not equal higher prices, that is ridiculous.

Your GP can recommend a therapist that would do this for you.
Good luck.

LegacyUser

Oroel wrote: »

Actually any therapist worth seeing should be able to operate a sliding scale.

The first thing on their mind is the patients welfare. Anyone who says, 'well those are the prices, goodbye', are not worth thinking about. In this case, it isn't a case of 'you get what you pay for'. Experience does not equal higher prices, that is ridiculous.

Your GP can recommend a therapist that would do this for you.
Good luck.

Mmm you obviously have never been to a therapist or a counsellor before, no one works for nothing, therapist want to make a living too they dont just offer a sliding scale option because they feel sorry for you, thats ridiculous, anyway i have never met a therapist who did not value themselves and feel deserving of the money they make, they have the utmost of self esteem remember!!, they work at something that is fulfilling but they want to earn a living too, my point is how come people will pay 60-70 quid for a massage or their hair done but not value the experience of a therapist?

As i said before Counsellors and therapists are different but you will have to pay more for a more qualified therapist IMO, and it was the best money i ever spent.

up for anything

Here is another link.

Low Cost Counselling


I find the cost of counselling like many other therapies very off-putting, especially if you are on a low income, because the process is so open-ended.

LegacyUser

I have to say I think it is way too expensive expecially in times like this to charge 60-90 euro an hour. Its only an hours work, there just be tax relief or something with it. An normal person on a wage of 500 a week cannot afford to pay this weekly while paying other bills also.

I have experience of going to therapists and paying this and still not getting anything out of it. So I feel I have wasted 100s of euro already on trying to get help. Forget aabout doctors most are no help at all and just want to medicate you.

I am now in touch with a behavioural therapist with the HSE which is still not much help. I have only got to see the person twice. It has been a year since I went to my GP for help.

I think having a mental health issue is such a lonely thing, there is very little help out there. We are not allowed to recommend therapists which I think is ridiculous as we have to waste a couple of 100 euro first to find a good therpist that has experience in the area you need help with.

It sounds to me like some of the posters here are therapists especially if you think that 60-90 isnt a lot of money to the average Joe!

LegacyUser

hard to get the help you need wrote: »

It sounds to me like some of the posters here are therapists especially if you think that 60-90 isnt a lot of money to the average Joe!

Where did the 90 euro spring from, 60 euro is what i paid for myself and it was 80 euro when i went with my BF for the two of us, 60 euro is satisfactory to me, i am not rich and and i have done a lot of therapy and counseling, i am not a therapist of any sorts, i am an artist, my income is all over the place, my reasoning was that i needed help in healing from physical and sexual abuse as a child, i spent the 60 euro for 2 years, i didnt drink our go out much during that time because it was very emotional, i recovered, gained confidence, got great results in college and now i reap the benefits every day of doing all that work because my baggage is resolved in me, 60 euro is not too much IMO and i had a trained professional i could trust which meant a lot to me.

Oroel

Snookii wrote: »

Mmm you obviously have never been to a therapist or a counsellor before, no one works for nothing, therapist want to make a living too they dont just offer a sliding scale option because they feel sorry for you, thats ridiculous, anyway i have never met a therapist who did not value themselves and feel deserving of the money they make, they have the utmost of self esteem remember!!, they work at something that is fulfilling but they want to earn a living too, my point is how come people will pay 60-70 quid for a massage or their hair done but not value the experience of a therapist?

As i said before Counsellors and therapists are different but you will have to pay more for a more qualified therapist IMO, and it was the best money i ever spent.

Thats all well and good. Two people in my family are therapists and I have been to therapy for about three years on and off up to maybe two years ago. There are many free/sliding scale therapists out there I promise. It's quite difficult to find them but they are there. I have a contact for one very busy woman who runs her therapy from the city centre, but she can offer a sliding scale. I'll ask my dad aswell and pm you with any details I can get from him. mental health is like any other sickness, it should get taken care of, regardless of if the person can afford to pay for it or not. Years ago i saw someone for 25 an hour. i was a student at the time and couldn't afford his usual 50 euro rates. as i said before, i'll see it again, ANY therapist WORTH it WILL negotiate a sliding scale with you. If they are too busy then they will recommend another therapist that will do the same thing. I give you my word on this. it isn't about 'feeling sorry' for anyone, it's about the integrity of the job they do.

LegacyUser

Oroel wrote: »

Thats all well and good. Two people in my family are therapists and I have been to therapy for about three years on and off up to maybe two years ago. There are many free/sliding scale therapists out there I promise. It's quite difficult to find them but they are there. I have a contact for one very busy woman who runs her therapy from the city centre, but she can offer a sliding scale. I'll ask my dad aswell and pm you with any details I can get from him. mental health is like any other sickness, it should get taken care of, regardless of if the person can afford to pay for it or not. Years ago i saw someone for 25 an hour. i was a student at the time and couldn't afford his usual 50 euro rates. as i said before, i'll see it again, ANY therapist WORTH it WILL negotiate a sliding scale with you. If they are too busy then they will recommend another therapist that will do the same thing. I give you my word on this. it isn't about 'feeling sorry' for anyone, it's about the integrity of the job they do.

Im sure they cant do it for everyone though? i am speaking in general terms, therapy is becoming more widespread and there are general costs, for someone like myself trying to find a therapist from word of mouth or an organization they usually have set costs, how is someone supposed to find someone who may give them a discount you were lucky you knew someone....

my therapist allowed me to pay late but i always had to pay and i felt it was only right .... as i said there is counseling that you can get cheap that is an option for anyone who hasn't got the money, i just felt in my experience and i have done a lot of counseling and therapy that the donation counseling was not as good as a trained psychotherapist that had 15 years experience who charged 60 euro, im not trying to argue im just speaking from experience, it may help people to know, because i felt i waisted a lot of my time trying to find the right therapist and i had very bad experiences with many of the donation places. Its a very delicate thing to go into especially when your young, the therapist has to know what they are doing. What kind of therapists are the people that you know and how much training do they have, what would they charge an average person for a session as a matter of interest?

LegacyUser

I paid 70 euro which he did bring down to 50, I went for 6 months and never felt near to feeling any better about my issue. Actually felt a bit worse for it. I have looked into cbt therapy and seen 90 euro quoted, its actually getting ridiculous!

They are only therapists, it is not fair to charge this. People feel they have no choice as there is so little help out there. I agree that the counsellors out there that are low fee probably arent the best and do not have the training. Seems like if you dont have the money you just have to go broke to get the help you deserve.

Really wouldnt wish 'mental' problems ( if thats the right word! : ) ) on anyone, really is such a difficult thing as you feel you are completely on your own.

Totally disillusioned with GPs and psychiatrist on the HSE as all they want to do is give you medication, they cant even be bothered asking you anything about how you are feeling but will write out a presription just like that!

Its really opened up my eyes to mental health issues in Ireland. I feel I am quite a strong minded person who is determined to get help for this, but I can only imagine how many others, who might feel less confident, would feel when trying to get help. No wonder really that there is such a high suicide rate in Ireland!

One thing that should be allowed is that people should be able to recommend another therpist and say for example so and so helped me with anxiety/depression. I really do not see the harm in recommending someone. It would save people a lot of money and time. Maybe put a stop to rubbish therapists practising!

2tens

I am at a point now where I think I need to have a chat with someone about my life and future. Other than €100k negative equity most people would be envious of my life but I seem to want my bread buttered on both sides.

I need to thrash these issues out in the longterm interests of both myself and my family.

So I'm looking for someone good. Could anyone PM me with details.

cheers

Esoteric_

hard to get the help you need wrote: »

It sounds to me like some of the posters here are therapists especially if you think that 60-90 isnt a lot of money to the average Joe!

I'm an "average Joe" and get a couple hundred per week. I pay 130 euro per half hour session with my psychiatrist. that's the going rate if you go privately.

60-90 is a lot of money, but it is the GOING RATE for mental health treatment unless you go through the public health system. Nobody's saying that the doctors deserve so much money or even agreeing with the charges, but 60-90 per hour session would be considered very decent.

LegacyUser

Sorry LyndaMcL but by saying 60-90 is decent is saying you agree with it. Thats why they get away with charging such high rates.

I really think there should be more help with the payment, even tax relief or something to make it more accessible to everyone not just the wealthy!

I cant believe you pay 130 for a half an hour not even the full hour. Unbelievable! How do you have a regular life and pay your bills when you are paying that every week?

Smallbit

Oroel wrote: »

Actually any therapist worth seeing should be able to operate a sliding scale.

The first thing on their mind is the patients welfare. Anyone who says, 'well those are the prices, goodbye', are not worth thinking about. In this case, it isn't a case of 'you get what you pay for'. Experience does not equal higher prices, that is ridiculous.

OP, some therapists (me included) will either do some pro-bono work or give discounts. Ask and you might be surprised.

@ Oroel: I disagree you on two main points:

1. A therapist 'worth' seeing can generally charge the going rate which is €60-90. Why is there a link to their willingness to give you a discount? Therapy may be a vocation, but it is also pays the bills for most practitioners. I have a mortgage. I can't afford to lower my prices for everyone just because they can't afford therapy. I do as much as I can to help people in difficulty and give of my time, but there's only so much I slide my scale.

2. In my experience as a therapist, you do generally get what you pay for. I am good at what I do, and could quite easily set my price high. If a counsellor such as myself refuses to give a discount it's probably because they already have a full appointment book, and have already given a certain amount of pro-bono hours.

Of course there are exceptions, but you need to be careful to check why your counselling/therapy is cheaper, or free. In many cases, newly qualified counsellors will work with various agencies to accumulate the requisite number of hours practice to allow them to be accredited with an official body like the IACP. In such cases you must check that they are supervised by a senior counsellor. 'Supervision' is a therapeutic process required by accreditation bodies and all counsellors/therapists are required to log a certain number of hours supervision where they can discuss their case-load with a more experienced counsellor qualified in Supervision. BTW, these sessions cost us at least €70 a time.

If you're going to make general statements like the above, you might research the issue a little better.