Medical insurance cover

Generally speaking health insurance doesn't cover counselling or psychotherapy in this country. If in doubt I recommend asking, but the reference to not covering psychology can be taken to mean psychotherapy is not covered in most circumstances.

As to the semantics of whether CBT or other forms of counselling would be considered psychology - sometimes they are carried out by a psychologist and sometimes by a counsellor / psychotherapist who is not a psychologist, occasionally by a psychiatrist.

If a policy doesn't cover it being carried out by a psychologist then there is pretty much zero chance that it will cover it being carried out by a profession which is considered a rung below it such as counsellor / psychotherapist.

But ask them, it's the only way to be sure.

I remember hearing or reading (sorry, can't remember where) that you can claim against tax only if you are referred to counselling etc by your GP.

Perhaps give the medical insurers a call and see what they suggest?

Depending on what exactly you are looking for, you may be able to find a low cost counselling centre in your area? You are in Dublin (I think) so there may be a few options. Probably wouldn't provide CBT though so it depends on what exactly you need. Its a shame that the cost is prohibitive.

Some private health policies do give a slight relief (on my own policy it says up to €30 per visit x 12 visits max a year...whatever the "up to" little clause means is beyond me - I'd have to telephone them and ask...)
The treatment has to be from a clinical psychologist registered on the list of psychologists in Ireland(http://www.psihq.ie/MEMBERS_DIV_CLINICAL.ASP) and once they are you can also (as an alternative to claiming from your health insurance, you can't do both) claim back on the Med1 form.

I'm currently looking into it myself so now have to weigh up which is going to be more beneficial to claim back from, my private health insurance, or the tax relief, but you can bet one thing, that at one hundred euro per session for the more experienced psychologists, it's going to cost me either way.

Good luck. B

Took from "Independent.ie": "It's good to talk, but it isn't cheap if it's with a therapist".

<...> may be able to get free counselling through work if your company has signed up to an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP). "These allow employees -- and also often family members -- a limited number of free counselling sessions," said Linde. "They would also organise therapists to be available in companies if there has been a traumatic event."

If you're a member of a corporate private health insurance plan, your insurer may have an EAP in place which you can use.

DOES MY INSURANCE COVER IT?

If you have private health insurance, check if it covers you for therapy. Not all plans cover counselling, so if you haven't yet signed up to one, and if there's a history of depression or stress-related illnesses in your family, it could be worthwhile getting a plan which covers these.

If you're with VHI Healthcare and must go to hospital because of a stress-related or psychiatric illness, you're better off on one of its core plans (A to E) rather than a Lifestage plan. Under VHI's Plans A to E, you're covered for 180 days in hospital if you have a psychiatric or stress-related illness. However, you get cover for only 100 days in hospital under its Lifestage plans.

If you need therapy rather than hospital care, you're probably better off under the insurer's Lifestage plans as you can usually claim back €30 a visit (up to a maximum of 12 visits a year) for "mental health therapy", compared to only €20 under Plans A to E. Under the most expensive Lifestage plan, Forward Plan, you can claim back up to €60 a visit.

If you're with Hibernian Aviva, its "I", "We" and "Total Life" plans provide up to 180 days' psychiatric cover in hospital, but its "Me" plans provide only up to 100 days of cover. These plans also provide some cover for counselling if you're attending a consultant psychiatrist, but you must be referred by your GP to qualify.

Quinn Healthcare plans provide up to 100 days' hospital cover for psychiatric care. However, the insurer doesn't cover private counselling for adults. Quinn covers half of the cost of child counselling (up to eight visits a year) under its HealthManager and FamilyCare plans.

If you intend to claim back the cost of therapy from your private health insurer, make sure the practitioner or therapy centre is approved by your insurer.

Your counsellor may need to be a member of a particular organisation -- for example, if you're a member of Quinn Healthcare and send your child to counselling, you may not be covered if the counsellor is not recognised by the Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy(IACP), the Irish Council for Psychotherapy or the Psychological Association of Ireland.

If you're in any doubt about whether or not your practitioner or therapy centre is covered -- or whether a specific type of therapy or counselling is covered -- check directly with your insurer. Otherwise, you could have to foot a fairly hefty bill yourself.

Last month, Quinn Healthcare dropped its cover for St Patrick's hospital, one of Ireland's psychiatric institutions. However, this cover has since been reinstated after Quinn and St Patrick's "resolved contractual issues".

"Members who underwent treatment at St Patrick's Hospital in the interim period between the termination of the previous contract and the new contract can be assured that they are covered," said a spokeswoman for Quinn.

It's also worthwhile checking whether an excess -- the first part of a claim you must pay yourself -- applies to your private health insurance plan. Even if therapy is covered, if the excess is high and you have only a few counselling sessions a year you may still end up footing the bill yourself.

CAN I GET TAX BACK?

If your private health insurance doesn't cover all or any of your therapy bills, you may be able to get tax relief. If your therapy began last year, you may be able to claim back up to 41 per cent of your bills in tax -- but only for those sessions you attended last year.

Since the beginning of 2009, you can claim tax relief on only 20 per cent of your medical expenses.

Don't assume that you'll qualify for tax relief. You will usually qualify only if your counselling was carried out by a medical doctor or psychiatrist.

"Relief may be allowed if the patient was referred for a diagnostic procedure by a registered medical practitioner, and the claim for relief is supported by written evidence of that referral," said a spokeswoman for the Revenue Commissioners.

"All types of counselling do not qualify for health expenses relief."

Before you book an appointment with a counsellor, therefore, ring the Revenue and check if you'll qualify for tax relief. You should also check that he or she is accredited with a reputable organisation, such as the IACP, the NCII, the Irish Association of Humanistic and Integrative Psychotherapy or the Irish Council for Psychotherapy.