Disclaimer: this information about private counselling prices is correct as of publication date.
Counselling should be free. Let’s get that out of the way. Healthcare should be free for everyone, whatever part of your body it’s directed at. The idea that your mind is somehow “other”, even in a country with an NHS, is wild to me. Wild.
But, whatever, we know that free counselling isn’t as readily available as it should be. Mental health services are overstretched and underfunded.
The difficulty I had accessing counselling
After my abusive relationship ended and my mental health assessment confirmed that I was showing severe signs of PTSD, I waited over 3 years for NHS counselling. I did move in that period of time, so it wasn’t all spent on the same waiting list but STILL. 3 years.
In the end, I accessed counselling via a charity, after being referred to them by my support worker. The charity specialise in working with sexual assault and rape victims and the counselor I have been matched with is amazing, so it worked out well for me. It doesn’t alter the fact though that I could have been doing much better, much sooner, if help had been available.
Here are 10 things I learned in counselling for recovery from trauma.
Private Counselling
I wanted to write about private counselling and how much it costs. Not because I think everyone can afford it or because I think anyone should have to pay for it (I don’t), but because I think having a rough idea of the total cost will make the decision easier and less intimidating for people to make.
I could have paid for counselling when I was first free from abuse. I didn’t know that at the time and I would have probably been very hurt by the injustice of having to spend that money to be honest. But financially, it would have been possible. And I would have been better off for it.
What I looked at to determine the cost of private counselling in the UK
Let me start by saying that I live in the UK and am basing the prices on that. If you live elsewhere, I hope you can find answers.
I’m going to try to give you information that is as specific as possible, because there are some factors that cause the price to fluctuate.
Firstly, the price varies based on the kind of counselling you need/want. The rates I am talking about apply to person centred counselling, I also looked at EMDR rates (although this was harder because fewer therapists offer it) and can tell you that (as a rough guide) the sessions average at between between 150-200% the cost of a “normal” session.
According to the Counselling Directory, most people will need 6-12 sessions. Sessions vary in length between 50 minutes to 1 hour depending on the professional you choose to work with.
I looked at 24 different areas of the UK to try to determine the price range.
I chose specific towns and cities, but they are well spread out, so should give you an idea. They were.
In Wales: Caernarfon, Aberystwyth, Swansea and Cardiff
In Northern Ireland: Belfast, Bangor and Derry
In Scotland: Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Inverness, Glasgow and Fort William
In England: Central London, Brighton, Torquay, Gloucester, Birmingham, Norwich, Sheffield, Leeds, Liverpool, Lancaster, Carlisle and Sunderland.
Private counselling in the UK: how much does it actually cost?
The annoying news is obviously that it varies. Also, there was less choice in professional in more rural areas than in the big cities e.g. only 3 available counselors in Fort William and just 1 in Caernarfon.
The good news is that the price didn’t fluctuate as much as I expected it to. I was happy to see that there were cheaper options <£40 in every area.
The cheapest counselor I found was £32/ hour (in South Wales) and the most expensive was £140 (in Edinburgh) but the overwhelming majority of counselors charged between £38-45 for an hour.
Also worth noting: many of the counselors offer discounts for those on Universal Credit or other benefits. You will need to be able to show proof. The discounts are usually significant.
How affordable is it?
Well, if you could find a counselor in your area who worked for £38 per hour and who worked with clients who had similar needs to you, then you could get those initial 6 sessions for £228. Is it affordable? Well, it depends on how much money you can afford to spend on it.
I wish I had known earlier on in my journey that I could do a full 12 sessions of counselling for £456. It’s more than I can afford right now, but my symptoms have definitely cost me more than that.
It is still a lot of money though. There’s no way to sugar coat that. And, of course, it’s frustrating that anyone would have to pay for something that should be free.
Most of us don’t have that kind of money to spare, but, if you do, then consider investing in your mental health and emotional well-being.
I’m 6 sessions into my counselling now and it has already made a colossal difference to me. I have another 6 to go before I am discharged. I am making it my mission to save just enough money each year to be able to afford 6 sessions, so that I can access the support if I need it.
I don’t ever want my trauma to be the driving force of my life again.
If you do decide to go ahead and access private therapy
It’s fairly easy to access private therapy and there usually isn’t a waiting list at all.
❤︎ Head over to the Counselling Directory website (not an ad)
❤︎ Type in your local post code
❤︎ Browse the list of counselors and choose one that suits you and your budget (scroll down their profile for fees, they are fairly transparent about them)
❤︎ Send them an email* right from the website with your contact details attached
*if you are finding the email itself overwhelming, just a simple “Hi, I’m looking to work with a counselor to move forward in my recovery. Do you have any availability? Thank you” and details is more than enough. You don’t need to go into any memories, events or symptoms at this stage (but feel free to, if you need to).
I really hope that this article might have helped someone in some way. I wish we could all access the support we needed, I really do.
I’d love to know whether you have accessed private counselling and which service you chose to use? I accessed counselling recently via a charity, and it changed my life.
I have a list of 250+ digital mental health resources that could be helpful for anyone who’s interested in learning more about their mental health. You might also like to read about how I build my confidence using a daily self care routine.
