Therapy on a Budget
Unpopular opinion: everyone needs therapy. Popular opinion: not everyone can afford it. Therapy is freaking expensive. Even if you have insurance, you can still end up with a ginormous bill after just one fifty-minute talk sesh. Big Yikes. But therapy is also incredibly important. So, what are you supposed to do when you want to up-level your mental health, but you don’t have money to spend?
Try an app. Or a few of them!
And no, I’m not getting paid for listing any of these apps in this article, in case you’re wondering.
Chances are, if you’ve even so much as thought about seeking mental health support, the social media algorithms have flooded your timeline with ads for all the latest therapy apps. You know what I’m talking about. (Like the time you were on a taco-and-margs date with your BFF and she said you should get a cat, and then the next time you opened up Facebook there were a bunch of ads for that fancy litter, those adorable little vest leashes, and paw print Christmas tree ornaments . . . IYKYK, am I right?) So many options, not so much time.
Amy Morin, LCSW, wrote a great review of the best mental health apps for verywellmind.com. They researched and tested apps to find the best options out there for depression, ADHD, PTSD, symptom tracking, BIPOC-specific support, therapy, and more. Best overall was awarded to Moodfit for its offering of the greatest range of support available for free.
Here are a few more apps that didn’t make it on their list that totally deserve to be mentioned.
Sober Grid: a free app for tracking and sharing progress on your sobriety journey. They recently added 24/7 live peer coaching, which takes this app to a whole new level.
Calm Harm: a free app geared toward teenagers who self-harm, using principles of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy.
Clear Fear: another free app created by the maker of Calm Harm, geared toward teenagers who experience anxiety. This one uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help app users face their fears.
While technology is great, apps aren’t always sufficient and certainly do not replace the benefits of working directly with a mental health expert. If you’ve decided technology isn’t gonna cut it for you, don’t worry. You still have options, so keep reading.
Connect with a therapist or counselor at a free, low-cost, or sliding scale clinic near you.
Kells McPhillips at Well + Good got the hook-up from an actual therapist, Minaa B, LMS, with 4 tips for getting access to therapy on a budget:
Ask for a (possibly free!) consultation.
Ask about sliding scales.
Find out what your insurance company might pay toward your therapy.
Know that you can walk away from a therapist anytime.
Nothing beats an “in” from an industry professional. Now you just need to know where to find one, which brings us to NeedyMeds, a national nonprofit organization on a mission to make healthcare affordable for everyone. Their website lets you search by zip code or state for medical, dental, mental health, and addiction clinics near you.
So search away, and remember to ask about free consultations and sliding scales when you call to schedule an appointment!
Get a job working for a company that offers therapy as a benefit.
What’s better than cheap therapy? Free therapy. Businesses are finally realizing that the health of their organization depends on the health of their employees, and they’re offering well-being and mental health benefits to their employees.
Ernst & Young offers some of the best benefits out there, including their “Better You” program, which includes up to 25 free visits per year (or per issue) with a mental health clinician.
Chipotle has made the news several times with ground-breaking benefits, one of the most notable offerings being its tuition assistance program. They also offer free 24/7 access to counseling for all their employees (andemployees’ dependents!) through the Employee Assistance Program.
PwC is offering emotional health coaching through Ginger, a company that offers 24/7 support through chat format on their app.
Amazon recently established a program called Resources for Living, which includes free one-on-one counseling sessions for employees, their families, and anyone living in their homes.
Obviously, this is a short list, but you get the idea. There are companies in a variety of industries offering mental health resources as part of their compensation packages. And, because of peer pressure and labor shortages, more companies are sure to jump on the bandwagon. (If Amazon’s doing it, everyone else is soon to follow, right?)
Unlike the return of mullets and puffer jackets, mental well-being is a trend we can all get behind. Thankfully, therapy is becoming more accessible and affordable, so you can get that fancy litter for the cat your BFF talked you into and still fit therapy into your budget.
