“Go to therapy” is the advice everyone gives and almost nobody costs out. If the price is the reason you have not, these are the routes people most often do not know about.
Ask about a sliding scale
Many private therapists keep a number of reduced-fee places and do not advertise them. You have to ask, and the question is simply: “Do you offer a sliding scale, and do you have any lower-fee slots?” The worst answer is no. Enough say yes that it is worth asking several.
Training clinics
Universities with counselling or clinical psychology programmes often run public clinics where trainees see clients at a fraction of the usual fee, supervised by experienced clinicians. The supervision is the part people miss — your sessions are being reviewed by someone senior, which is not true of most private therapy. Search for the psychology department of any nearby university.
Check what you already have
- Employee assistance programmes. Many employers pay for a handful of free confidential sessions and never mention it beyond an induction pack. It is usually a phone number on an intranet page. Your employer is not told you called.
- Health insurance. Mental health cover is often included and often unused. Ask specifically what the behavioural health benefit is.
- University or college services. If you are studying, counselling is usually included in what you already pay.
- Unions and professional bodies. Several run free confidential support lines.
Community and non-profit services
Community mental health centres, charities focused on a specific issue, and faith or community organisations often provide free or very low-cost counselling. In the United States, findtreatment.gov and SAMHSA’s helpline (1-800-662-4357, free, 24/7) will point you at local services. In the UK, your GP can refer you into talking therapies at no cost, and in England you can refer yourself.
Free things that are actually evidence-based
Not everything free is filler. These have genuine support behind them:
- Self-help CBT workbooks. Guided self-help is a recommended first-line treatment for mild to moderate anxiety and depression in several national guidelines. Libraries carry them.
- Behavioural activation. Scheduling small, specific activities, done consistently. Simple, unglamorous, and one of the better-supported approaches for low mood.
- Support groups. Peer groups, in person or online, moderated ones especially.
- Crisis and listening lines. Not only for emergencies. Several will talk to someone who is simply struggling.
We looked at the app side of this separately in mental health apps and AI therapy chatbots — useful as a supplement, not a replacement for care when you need care.
What to be careful of
- Anyone promising a cure, or a fixed number of sessions to fix everything
- Unregulated “coaches” charging therapist prices for therapy-shaped conversations
- Subscriptions that are hard to cancel
- Paying for assessments you have not been advised to have
If the wait is long
Get on the waiting list anyway, today, and use the free routes while you wait. A long wait that has started is better than a short one you have not joined. Ask to be told about cancellations — people often get seen far sooner that way.
If things feel worse than tired
Burnout and low mood overlap, and sometimes what looks like exhaustion is something that needs more than rest. If you are having thoughts of harming yourself, please reach out now rather than waiting:
- US: call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline), or text HOME to 741741
- UK: call 116 123 (Samaritans), free, any time
- Elsewhere: findahelpline.com lists services by country
- If someone is in immediate danger, call your local emergency number
This article is general information, not medical advice, and we are not clinicians. If this has been going on for weeks, a doctor or therapist can tell you things an article cannot.