To wonder how people afford counselling privately?

[MedianRange]

Counselling where I live starts at £40 per hour 50 minutes with some charging £50 or £60. Concessions for unwaged are minimum £35 per hour.

The average salary where I live is £19k.

How do people afford it??

I am unsure how much benefit people get if they are not working but I'm pretty sure they are unlikely to have £35 left over a month let alone each week or fortnight.

I'm also thinking that most people who would require counselling have had life issues that has probably impacted their earning potential.

But then if the counsellors get very few clients at these rates, it would make sense that they would charge less so I am honestly confused.

Any ideas anyone??

yanbu. I had 8 free sessions with a wonderful counsellor a couple of years ago. (was refused on nhs).

she cost £45 a session so I just have to put up with feeling awful. imagine £180 a month! I'd have to stop eating and get rid of the car.

I suppose for the majority it's a temporary thing. Most people go for a few weeks/ months surely rather than years. Those needing years probably use NHS counselling

I had counselling on the NHS. in our area you get 8 sessions maximum free. 8 is just not enough.
My counsellor said I needed more, but her hands were tied. She referred me for CBT so I would not be just left. I got 8 sessions of that (but it was of little help for my issues) and that was that.
I couldn't afford to go private, so I was right back at square one.
I am having therapy now, but only because it is offered to people who have been in ICU (as being in ICU can cause issues emotionally - I suffered horrifying nightmares and hallucinations thanks to the medications). This will stop soon though as the system is meant to be short term.
I can't afford private help, so unless I can reapply for counselling I will have to go without help again.

If you really need counselling and can't get it what choice do you have? People find the money for addictions like gambling, drinking, smoking Etc. That are probably much more expensive than £35 - £40 a week. It's too simplistic to say 'it's too expensive' if it's a priority you find a way, and for many seeking therapy it's got to be the priority.

I'm imagining people needing years of counselling have quite significant issues and have been referred by a psychiatrist or are seeing a psychologist. I saw a psychologist for a short while but that was through the NHS.

I'm currently having CBT and counselling through my university, which I'm aware I'm very lucky that it's free (I did have to wait 7 months for it though). I think most counselling is short term, about 6 sessions which I guess is why some people can afford it.

Those needing years probably use NHS counselling

daisy I don't smoke, drink, gamble, have pets, go on holiday, have sky or socialise. I still don't have £45 a week spare for counselling.

I charge £45 for individuals - £35 to my one concessionary client and £55 for couples.
I do all my counselling in the evenings, driving a fair distance after work and I really can't and won't charge any less than that.
Out of that I have to pay room hire, professional registration, CPD, supervision etc.
I have some short term clients and some who come for longer.

depends on your priorities I guess. Eating out, hobbies, cigs, alcohol, nights out are all pretty costly. I'd pay for private therapy if I had to rather than wait forever on nhs list. Lists where I live are very long unless you want 6 sessions of CBT! Anything more complex-childhood abuse/trauma/emotional regulation you'll wait about 2 years. Horrifying :(

Nuts isn't it?

I pay £35 for 50 minutes once a week. And that is the cheapest I've ever seen. It's cheap because it's not his main job. I was lucky to find him.

I've been in therapy almost 3 yrs. I certainly wasn't referred by any pysch, in fact, despite having PTSD, I have been on a waiting list for therapy/ help for years.
I am fortunate to have the money to take matters into my own hands. It's worth every penny, it's changing me and my life for the better.. but it isn't fair.
It isn't fair that only those who can afford it, get help. I didn't ask to be abused, the failings of Police, Social services etc, are why I was in it so long and why I need this level of therapy. Yet, I've had to pay thousands in therapy to function, to handle life and to heal.

Without my husband working full time and me working too, we couldn't afford it.

Have you tried charities? I had some counselling with a charity working with survivors of abuse for a yr or so a while back.

I don't think it's as simple as "if it's priority you find a way". Not when you live hand to mouth- not when your money goes on rent and food.

If it were not for my husbands wage, we could not afford my therapy. Alone, I could not afford therapy.

I laughed at that too FatCunt

Mine charged £30 p/h.

I agree that it's not something that people would need to pay for years, but 6 sessions (5 hours) is not a lot in my opinion and I wonder how people afford it even if it is only 6 sessions - if they haven't got £40 spare a week/fortnight then how would they even have 1 let alone 6??

People who have addictions often have issues problems with money and will incur debts to pay for gambling/drinking, so its not like they have the money to pay if that makes sense. Although I have not considered the possibility that people get into debt to pay for therapy?

My monthly income is above average for my area and after I have paid for house bills, car expenses, food, clothes, gym membership, I have little left over maybe £50-£60 a month. I like to have a little in the bank for unexpected one off expenses e.g. car repairs. I like to treat DD sometimes to afternoon in play centre when its raining, or a day out to zoo. I don't smoke or drink (or gamble for that matter). I am very sensible with money, shop around for best deals on energy/insurance etc. I buy clothes for me and DD from Asda and I carefully plan food so I don't waste any and take advantage of deals. I make lunch for me and DD everyday. I guess I could save some money by only buying Smart Price and never taking DD anywhere but that would not free up £40 a week/fortnight even in the short term.

I agree that it's not something that people would need to pay for years, but 6 sessions (5 hours) is not a lot in my opinion and I wonder how people afford it even if it is only 6 sessions - if they haven't got £40 spare a week/fortnight then how would they even have 1 let alone 6??

People who have addictions often have issues problems with money and will incur debts to pay for gambling/drinking, so its not like they have the money to pay if that makes sense. Although I have not considered the possibility that people get into debt to pay for therapy?

My monthly income is above average for my area and after I have paid for house bills, car expenses, food, clothes, gym membership, I have little left over maybe £50-£60 a month. I like to have a little in the bank for unexpected one off expenses e.g. car repairs. I like to treat DD sometimes to afternoon in play centre when its raining, or a day out to zoo. I don't smoke or drink (or gamble for that matter). I am very sensible with money, shop around for best deals on energy/insurance etc. I buy clothes for me and DD from Asda and I carefully plan food so I don't waste any and take advantage of deals. I make lunch for me and DD everyday. I guess I could save some money by only buying Smart Price and never taking DD anywhere but that would not free up £40 a week/fortnight even in the short term.

I have done some of the training to be a counsellor which entailed having weekly psychoanalysis for at least two years and that was at the reduced rate of £36 when I was in training. Unfortunately most counsellors don't get paid anything for the counselling they provide whilst training and it takes several hundreds of hours of clinical experience to become qualified. If you are lucky you can find charities who will offer counselling for a greatly reduced fee but you have to negotiate that with them. What most clients don't realise is that your counsellor may not be fully qualified and might not actually see any of the money you pay them, it may all go to their training agency. So, if you see someone who is qualified, and works for themselves they have gone through years of unpaid work to get there. They may be able to reduce the fee but it still has to be reasonable enough for you to value what you are getting. Too cheap and you won't take it seriously, too expensive and you won't be able to afford it, it depends on how much worth you place on them and on yourself.

Obviously it's not part of my remit to ask how people afford the sessions. My concessionary client is on benefits and has been terminated by the NHS but my clients are mostly working and I assume prioritise their spending weighing up need.
I forgot basic rate tax and NI contributions and Web site upkeep, plus marketing costs. People do tend to think all the fee goes on the counsellor's pocket though I appreciate the client still has to find the cash. It's rare though to hear people ask how people afford things such as hair styling, gym membership, and other things which are arguably luxuries.

Those needing years probably use NHS counselling

Are you taking the piss?! There's no such thing. You get 8 sessions if you're lucky, more likely 6, and you have to wait months and sometimes years for it. It's pathetic, and frankly the counselling I did get after such a long wait was crap, because there isn't any time to either build a rapport with the counseelor or get deep enough into the issues to solve them.

NHS counselling is crap and pointless; a superficial box-ticking exercise (in fact, you have to fill a form in every week and tick boxes so they can judge you against some bullshit "criteria" and say you're all better after six weeks) and often makes you feel worse than you did before you went.

hartic so glad you are have found a way to fund the therapy, and thanks for understanding my frustration.

Luckily I do function without it but feel as if I am not really living if that makes sense, and worry about my future and that of DD.

I have tried the charities but they only have trainee counsellors available and even then its £20 an hour. Because I have history of trauma and abusive/dysfunctional family I wouldn't be confident a trainee would be deal with it appropriately if that makes sense.

The p who charges £45/£55, would you mind me asking what area you are from? Also do you have a full book of clients i.e. enough people can afford the rates. I can understand the costs with rooms, driving etc (although the counsellors who do it from home or even on-line don't charge any less).

Absolutely Ardha
Nearly five years post qualification I'm still paying off my training fees. I went into debt to qualify as I'd never have been able to pay up front.

To add you'd be very surprised at how much you can actually get with 6 weeks of intense therapy with the right counsellor, all my initial work is 6 weeks.

With the outlay as said above we still need to make a living, supervision alone (any good therapist has supervision) can be anything from £100 per month and that is if you haven't many clients, add room costs (if not lucky enough to have a therapy room in your home), travel.

A counselling hour is 50 mins.

I keep 5 sessions a week available for low cost counselling. 3 of them right now are trainee counsellors and 2 are on very low wages. They definitely appreciate it and most importantly is that the ones I have counselled who were trainees have also gone on after qualification to offer some hours of low cost therapy as a way of paying back.

I always negotiate fees as well and have been very lucky that Ive never had anyone take advantage and that it's never gone over half my client hours so that I've always been able to pay my bills.

It's rare though to hear people ask how people afford things such as hair styling, gym membership, and other things which are arguably luxuries.

My hair costs about £45 to have done but about every 5 months. My gym membership costs £25 a month and pretty vital to my mental and physical health. (And yes I could just go running for free but pretty crap in rain/snow/cold). Even if I went without these 'luxuries' I still wouldn't have enough to pay for therapy.

Median I'm in West Yorkshire. Yes, I do have a steady demand and as I work full time it's obviously in both my clients' interest and mine that I don't overstretch myself. I do have some niche areas of expertise and have never been without work since clients started to come along about a year after I qualified.
I counselled on a voluntary basis as a trainee to do my required hours and for the first year post qualification. I'm now management chair of the charity I trained with, which is unpaid.

Really pleased to hear all that ils

I need to find a counsellor for children and I suspect that is going to be ruinously expensive; DS is worth it though :)

I pay a reduced rate of 30 every year other week, so have to find a spare 15 a week to cover it, which I do because I think it will be so beneficial to me and the DC.