Therapy is for the elite

amother

OP ↓

Today at 7:35 am

This is a rant. Please don't bash.
I wish it were different. How so many people can afford thousands of dollars for a top notch therapist when there are many who desperately need therapy and can barely pay their rent/mortgage. The therapists who take lower tier insurance are either just starting out or working at a clinic and hoping to go private, and are therefore not that "top notch" quality that many really desperately need! And the fact that so many therapists can go private and make a living makes me wonder how many of us are struggling just to pay for a top notch therapist, how many of us have that extra income to spare, or how many of us prioritize therapy over other things that would be lovely to have, like cleaning help and new clothes.

With that said, is it possible to get high quality therapy without the big bill?

amother

Butterscotch

Today at 7:44 am

I would not consider myself "elite". I've never had to choose between therapy and putting food on the table, but something certainly is being sacrificed when I/we seek out a therapist (it's generally been for marriage counseling) -- which is why we've already been in crisis by the time we get there, instead of going before things completely explode. Therapy is expensive and while I don't expect anyone should work for free, it's a sad reality that our insurance, which we pay something like $30,000 annually for for our family, and B"H, KA"H, don't even use because physically we all are healthy, covers ZERO dollars of mental health related expenses.

amother

Nutmeg ↓

Today at 7:47 am

I found a therapist through Adelphi university and qualified to “only” pay $50 a session. I absolutely love my therapist. It’s a postgraduate doctoral Fellow. I used to pay $245 for my therapist but my husband is chronically unemployed and has $0 to his name. I do miss my frum therapist and found she understood yeshivish nuances, but my therapist now is helpful to me too. But I agree with everything you said.

I cancelled cleaning help so I can afford therapy. I also cut my grocery bill down a bit by not having chicken so much during the week. We have cheap foods to save money

amother

Daffodil ↓

Today at 8:03 am

Mental health issues and poverty/low income is an extremely strong correlation. It’s a tragedy that the ones that need the help the most cannot pay for it. That said, there are incredible therapists covered by Medicaid and if you can find one you can be helped. There’s also a lot you can do on your own reading books and taking courses. As you get healthier, your finances may improve as you’re able to hold a more stable job, take on more ambitious projects, or be more responsible with money. As your finances improve, you may or may not want to switch to a more expensive therapist. Hatzlacha and wishing you the resources for both affordable and quality mental health services as well as financial abundance.

I’ve stopped or slowed therapy at certain points of my life during finances and it was very very hard on me and my marriage and my kids. It’s not a luxury for me, it keeps me capable of being alive. Earlier this year I cried to my parents that I simply cannot afford it. We already tried cutting bills everywhere. We’re doing crazy things to save every bit of money we can. And tuition takes anything negotiable. BH they decided to contribute to the expense for now. I’m grateful and would not be able to swing it without this.

amother

Mintgreen ↓

Today at 8:25 am

The best therapy I ever did was from an online course. One time fee of $2000 and you get to keep the course forever and keep doing the work. That's the equivalent of the cost of approximately 2 1/2 months of therapy. You can look into it at Irenelyon.com

I don't think it's true that there are top therapists. I've gone to very experienced and less experienced therapists and what I've learned is that there are therapists that are good for you and therapists that are not good for you. I've been successful with therapists at clinics. The best kind of therapy is someone being there with you without any agenda.

Imateacher ↓

Today at 8:26 am

There are some clinics that are really good. I have an amazing therapist in a clinic who’s also a supervisor. I even know of a therapist that has his own very expensive practice and spends half the week in the clinic

amother

DarkGray ↓

Today at 8:27 am

amother Mintgreen wrote:

I'm so intriguied - can you give the name of the course

amother

↑ DarkGray

Today at 8:28 am

amother Nutmeg wrote:

How did you get to this therapist. This actually sounds great.

amother

↑ Daffodil

Today at 8:30 am

The best therapist is one who clicks with you personality wise, who is trustworthy and non judgmental and has the right balance between challenging and caring for you. I believe this can be found in any price bracket but could take time and research.

amother

Dimgray ↓

Today at 8:32 am

My wonderful therapist takes insurance and she is highly qualified (and is also a supervisor). I don't believe that cost always correlates with value, based on my own experience with multiple therapists. "Top notch" is often meaningless.

amother

↑ Mintgreen ↓

Today at 8:33 am

amother DarkGray wrote:

I'm so intriguied - can you give the name of the course

I gave the name of the website. Irenelyon.com

She has free resources and 2 courses. One is called the 21 day tune up and the other is called Smart Body Smart Mind. It's based on Somatic Experiencing, Somatic touch work, Feldenkrais and Polyvagal theory.

↑ Imateacher

Today at 8:40 am

amother Tuberose wrote:

I not disagreeing with those that say you can find a good therapist in a clinic (I did). But a lot of those go private after a bit so be prepared that it might not be to long term...

I agree but sometimes they keep a few days in the clinic. It’s not easy to get private clients

amother

Snowflake ↓

Today at 8:50 am

amother Tuberose wrote:

I not disagreeing with those that say you can find a good therapist in a clinic (I did). But a lot of those go private after a bit so be prepared that it might not be to long term...

Or they change their scheduling.

A few years ago, I was in a situation in which I needed to work and couldn't take off a minute and also needed therapy..

Think a scenario where a husband left the wife and now she needs to work 12 hours minimum wage just to feed the kids.
Or husband was depressed. Or whatever.

Point was, I called the clinic and said I needed someone available nights or Sundays. They gave me someone, we clicked and then after 4 months, she stopped working nights or Sundays, only week from 10-3.
They gave me someone else. Same thing, 6 months later

I called the clinic and they told me that once a therapist gains some experience, it's typical and I need to be more flexible and willing to come during the day to prioritize my mental health.
That turned me off.

lorsgr

Today at 8:52 am

I second lrenelyons work. While it has been a slow go, I have been able to heal things I was never able to access with my therapist. Her teaching allowed me to gently work thru difficult feelings without revisiting the old traumas.

amother

Oleander

Today at 8:56 am

amother OP wrote:

There is a company called advanced advocacy. They get Fidelis reimbursement for out of network therapist. They take a fee for every therapy session, but the cost is still greatly reduced.

(845) 781-7325

amother

Iris

Today at 8:59 am

This is just my two cents, YMMV. And I say this even though it kind of puts down my own field.

I have noticed that PsyD therapists seem to become better faster than masters-level therapists. So if you are looking for a therapist who's cheaper because they're still training, maybe try to find a psychologist.
Of course, even in my experience, there are exceptions. A specific LMSW might be an awesome therapist for you.
And I think that once they have 10-15 years of experience, the quality between different credentials evens out.

amother

Springgreen ↓

Today at 9:06 am

Not everyone has Medicaid. We don’t qualify for but don’t have a high income . We live simply and can not afford desperately needed therapy.

One problem is that it’s hit or miss. I spent $600-800 on several sessions only to realize this lady is not going to be the right person to help me.

amother

Yarrow ↓

Today at 9:09 am

Irene lyon keeps getting recommended on imamother. Is it mostly one person who keeps recommending her over and over?

Ive signed up for her 21 day course and its probably worth the about $200, but I would not say jump to say its a replacement for therapy.

If your dealing with trauma /mental health issues its good to utilize multiple tools. Therapy, journaling, courses, books, support groups... I'm not saying you should do them all at once, (don't) but to say this one method was so amazing that you don't need to do anything else and that therapy wasn't necessary anymore, isn't something I believe can be true in 99% of cases.

Childhood trauma is basically always relational trauma and relational trauma needs to be healed within relationship. So while you utilizing many tools is important, please don't believe you can fully heal alone. Your desire to deal with struggles alone probably started in childhood, because you had to. It's a coping mechanism. People need people.

(I'm talking to those of you with serious issues/childhood trauma. Which is probably anyone who would consider Irene Lyons course)

amother

↑ Yarrow

Today at 9:18 am

I was able to find an amazing experienced therapist in a clinic.

Heres some tips

1. Educate yourself on what good therapy looks and feels like

2. Be clear about what you want when you go for intake

3. Be aware that just because you did intake does not mean the clinic will give you a good match. Some clinics are probably better than others at this. Try to do your research on the person they match you with

4. Call relief. Sometimes they do give names of people at clinics, or if you'e assigned someone at a clinic you can ask them if they know about that person.

5. Look at your first few sessions with a new therapist as a test drive. You have absolutely no commitment to them. (Ever) Most therapists are probably not a good match for you, so you will likely need to try multiple.

6. Be willing to get on a waiting list. A good therapist likely has a waiting list.

7. There may be other affordable options outside of clinics, like private therapists who take insurance or sliding scales. Relief told me about a place in the Lakewood area called Lifespan that is subsidized so it's affordable. I can't tell you if it's good or not, but it sounds good.