Cost of counselling

leahn

Hey,
i know this isnt a medical forum but i dont think this is a medical question, if it does fall within the catagory then apologies and please shut it down.
i think i may be suffering from some mild depression and i'd like to go talk to someone. i'm having a problem however finding someone, i was going to go to my doctor to get a referal but before i do that i'd like to know roughly how much couselling would cost. does anyone have any ideas? please would love to know as i'm a student and only work part time and also dont want to use my health insurance as my parents pay that and i dont want them knowing about this.
thanks!

Gilgamesh

tbh, sometimes just talking to your GP can help, it is hard to say how much counselling wil cost, as it depends how many sessions you need/want

Mrs.Babalady

I do know someone who is paying E50 for a one hour session & is finding it very helpful. They got the Counselling Centres number form the Yellow pages, no G.P. referral required.
They did check the Centre was registered etc.
Hope it works out for you whatever you decide on.

Bluebells

I know it can cost you about 80 euro but some ppl may give you a cheaper rate if you tell them your situation. You could get it for 50 euro an hour, and usually people go once a week. Have you searched on google, or maybe your collage has a councillor- they can sometimes be just as good and professional. Good luck

Uthur

To see a psychiatrist. :eek:

It is worth the money though - I highly recommend you see an expert if
you feel depressed. You can also get access to psychiatrists etc at free
clinics etc around the place if you are skint.

Victor

Bluebells wrote:

I know it can cost you about 80 euro but some ppl may give you a cheaper rate if you tell them your situation.

About €50+/hour, I think €80 might be a bit high. Sessions are usually an hour and 1-2 times a week. There is no fixed number of sessions, it's between you and the counsellor. Some councellors will reserve a few slots in tehir week for people on low means.

VHI (I don't know about other schemes) doesn't cover mental health issues (they will however cover substance abuse :rolleyes:)

You should be able to phone any GP who should be able to give you the name of someone in the neighbourhood. It's not a formal referral like to a consultant.

You college might provide a counselling service for a minor charge.

Health board counsellors will tend to be over busy and with a waiting list, but usually free.

leahn wrote:

i think i may be suffering from some mild depression and i'd like to go talk to someone.

You could talk to you GP, either before or after seeing the councellor.

leahn wrote:

dont want to use my health insurance as my parents pay that and i dont want them knowing about this.

Is this because you are depressed or because they are your parents? Depression is an illness, its OK to be ill (and even mad ), it doesn't make you a bad person. Would you hide a rash or an infection or a broken leg from them?

And you can always talk here, although it won't be as good and we will occassionally mock / abuse / laugh.

WhiteWashMan

i used to pay about 30punts, but that was a few years ago.

b3t4

leahn,

I was attending a counsellor a number of years ago and it cost around 30pounds if I recall correctly.

Are you in college?? If you are then there may be couselling available on campus for free. I am currently seeing a counsellor at my college and I must say that they are of a high standard and free.

Also, something which a doctor once asked me when I was complaining about the price of doctors was "How much do you spend on a night out?". That really made me think. Just a thought.

A.

Red Alert

Depression (if you have it) is an illness, and is generally treated in a combination of different means. I think you should see your GP first, and it will be a lot easier in the long run if you tell your parents - keeping it from them could only make matters worse.

is_that_so

GP is probably best for starters. Visiting a therapist/counsellor tends to be cheaper than visiting a psychiatrist. €80-100 is not uncommon for psychiatrists.
As others have said the real value is in how it helps you in your life. Best of luck.

Victor

Uthur wrote:

To see a psychiatrist.

A psychiatrist is a medical doctor. A counsellor is more a nurse / technician grade.

Bluebells

There are councillors that only charge 5 to 10 euro or nothing if you cant afford it but as they are not getting payed they tend to be a bit crap, they just listen. Any big collage should have a good councelor that will provide proper sessions. I understand you dont want to tell your parents but only if its because they are the ones causeing you to see the councilor. Otherwise theres nothing to be ashamed of- get the help anywhere you can.

RuggieBear

€60 per hour

Evil Phil

Red Alert wrote:

Depression (if you have it) is an illness, and is generally treated in a combination of different means. I think you should see your GP first, and it will be a lot easier in the long run if you tell your parents - keeping it from them could only make matters worse.

Not if the parents are the cause of the depression. And even if they aren't if leahn doesn't want them to know, then they don't need to know.

As b3t4 said if you're a student then you college should provide a free service.

leahn

wow totally didnt expect so many replies but thanks for everything guys!
you're advice was really helpful, i just wanted an estimate of how much the service would be so i would know what to expect. my college does have a counselling service but i'm not going to be there for much longer so i kind of wanted someone who i could continue seeing over a period of time. since i only work part time i can only afford so much but to be honest i dont spend a lot of money on going out cause i dont go out because of how i feel, so its a big circle.
also the reason i haven't told my parents is that i'm just not ready to have that conversation with them without becoming a complete wreak, they're great people but they may be some of the problem. anyway i really appreciate the help and some of the things people said really were very true.
thanks

neuro-praxis

There are many community focused counselling centres that offer free counselling/counselling based on your income. Could you name the rough area of where you live?

There is an excellent family centre in Lucan that provide compassionate, confidential and (as appropriate) low cost counselling. I can provide you with names and numbers via pm, as some friends of mine work there, if you'd like. They could also recommend where else you could go if Lucan was too far away for you.

Victor

leahn wrote:

my college does have a counselling service but i'm not going to be there for much longer so i kind of wanted someone who i could continue seeing over a period of time.

I don't think theres any harm in talking to them, they won't seek a time commitment from you (beyond the next appointment).

*Page*

the well woman centre has a very good councling service for any needs.
http://www.wellwomancentre.ie/councilling.html

they helped alot for me!

leahn

am actually in cork so unfortunately dont have the same amount of promotion as in dublin for these centres. if anyon eknows of any where good or of a good councellor could you let me know. thanks

b3t4

Hey leahn,

If you are leaving college because you are finished your course, then the following might help.

The couselling service I am attending at my University is also available to graduates. I'm not sure but maybe the college you are attending offer this as well. It would be a good idea to talk to them. If anything they would be able to give you names and details of cousellors that reside outside the college in your area.

I went to two of the colleges websites in Cork notably UCC and CIT.

http://www.ucc.ie/services/studentcounselling/

http://www.cit.ie/index.cfm/action/page/aID/194/level/page/pageid/342/Content_Key/665/type/Page/PaGeName/Counselling.html

nesf

leahn wrote:

am actually in cork so unfortunately dont have the same amount of promotion as in dublin for these centres. if anyon eknows of any where good or of a good councellor could you let me know. thanks

I'm in Cork also, and have been seeing councillers for the past few years. Best route is the GP then Psychiatrist who can then refer you onto a Counciller. However thats not always available as an option to people who want to get councilling.

If you want, you can PM me and I'll send what details I have, but all my councillers have been private and are a bit on the expensive side, and specifically they deal with people with major depression, or other more "severe" mental conditions, you might prefer to deal with someone who is less "intense" or just have someone to just talk to. However I can do a bit of research and find some who are doing their service for a reasonable price who practice in a manner that suits you if you wish. It can take a while to find a counciller that suits you I will warn you thought. I went through a string of 4 different ones before I found one that suited me. Although to be fair if they can't do anything for you they generally don't charge for their time from what I've seen. They just refer you onto someone they think is more suitable.

Regardless, best of luck, hope you feel better soon. If I can help in any way just give me a shout, and if you ever need to just rant at someone feel free to PM/email me

Edit:

Right forgot to mention, www.aware.ie is a website that you should take a look at, they have regular meetings in Cork if you feel the need for a peer support group.

Also, the black dog link in my signature, also has alot of good information on depression, and links to good sites on depression in it. It's primarily aimed at men, but that doesn't make alot of the information any more valid.

Btw, you've overcome the hardest part, admitting that you need to talk to someone about it. Now all you have left is to start doing stuff about it!