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??

stubborn I think you're right. And glad your head is sorted.

depends on your priorities I guess. Eating out, hobbies, cigs, alcohol, nights out are all pretty costly

I don't do any of these things. So where exactly would i cut back? Don't have Sky tv either...or go on holidays..or buy magazines..or take out coffee etce etc

Thanks for everyone's input.

I see a lot of people can afford it when part of a couple, and actually if I was with my ex we probably could have afforded 2 sessions a month (not that he would have agreed to pay for it but that's another story). We both earn above the average and a lot more than the minimum wage (although not big earners) and neither of us smoke/drink/gamble/waste money. It must mean that therapy/counselling is not accessible for quite a high number of working people whose priorities are housing, food, clothes and transport.

There's obviously another world out there which is hard for me to see (i.e. the people who can afford £40 a week). Maybe those who can afford it don't really get my position in the same way as I can't completely identify with people who need food banks to meet their basic needs (and there are a lot in my area, so i do accept that this is the situation for a lot of people).

The people I know with money to spend generally do it on store cards/credit cards...so they may 'spend' £160 a month on new clothes or whatever but they will be pay it off x amount over so many years.

Oh and the poster who says that self employed pay the same NI as the employed is wrong. For employed people it is 12% over £8k and for self-employed people it is 9% over £8k. (2% both employed/self employed over approx £42k) Also for self employed the amount NI is paid on is AFTER expenses such as travel, using home as business etc. have been taken off earnings.
(see link here: www.gov.uk/national-insurance/national-insurance-contributions-how-much-you-pay)

Also EVERYONE does work they don't get paid for, many teachers probably earn the equivalent of £2 an hour when all the marking etc. has been factored in (I don't work as a teacher by the way). I've also had students loans (who hasnt, even those now working for minimum wage)

My point about the travel costs is that that its an added cost for the client on top of the fee unless the counsellor drives to their house (do they ever do this??)

I'm not saying that therapists should charge less. If the NHS was to be abolished for all health care except say emergency life/death and everyone had to pay privately care to cover routine appointments, prescriptions, treatments, non-life saving surgeries etc, surgeons, doctors, nurses etc would probably command the same salary but it would just be those who could afford that would access it, and those who couldn't would just have to go without.

It's shit that anyone who has a mental health problem should have to pay for their treatment, everyone should be able to have the option of quick access to a NICE recommended talking therapy treatment, be that counselling or something else. Sadly it seems that people in many areas are being denied this.

Private health insurance usually only covers up to 10 sessions a year though, so for anyone needing more than that, even with private health insurance, one would still need to pay.

As a pp said there is a wide range of experience, quality and what is actually being done amongst what is often generically called counselling, which partly explains the range of prices. I know it is all expensive, and for those on lower incomes it is a huge issue that NHS provision is often poor in terms of availability and quantity, as private can be so inaccessible financially. Another issue I haven't seen mentioned here is that "problems in living" (non-diagnosable issues that have a huge impact on quality of life) often can only be treated privately unless they are placed (forced?) under a diagnostic label. I think it is limiting and wrong to be forced to view experiences as illnesses in order to get help. To say this is not to say psychological understanding would not be useful to these circumstances, just to object to the medicalisation of problems in living. It is also not to say that diagnosis and medical ways of viewing things isn't sometimes useful or appropriate.

For what it's worth, in London some psychotherapists charge even more than prices quoted here. I have seen up to £150 quoted. It does seem incredible but people do pay this. Much of what explains this has already been described by previous posters.

Median I do travel to the client sometimes. One of my current clients is unable to travel. This is the client who was finished by the NHS and who I see at concessionary rate. I was the only counsellor contacted who was prepared to travel and of course by doing so I lose a potential other session doing the journey.
I accepted the client because I didn't like to see the struggle to access counselling and I effectively work with that client at a loss. It's not something I could do on a regular basis but I think I've learned a lot from doing the work which has benefited us both and goes beyond money.

And Median I do a lot of work in my day job I'm not paid for and used to be a teacher do I'm well acquainted with the concept.

I wasn't eligible for a student loan either for my studies which is why it's taking me so long to pay the money back.

I don't see how having s go at therapists helps. There isn't the NHS funding available for the posts, it's the fault of commissioners and the government. Mental Health isn't a priority, despite the electioneering bollocks announced by Nick Clegg over the past couple of days.

I charge £240 an hour plus VAT (not counsellor). £100 - 150 an hour and more in London is not a massive rate for hour for a fully trained chartered psychologist. How does anyone decide what something is worth per hour? If I save someone £50m (which may advice sometimes does) is that £240 worth it?

There are free apps and the like on line for those with no money although I am not saying they are as good as the £120 an hour trained psychologists.

The Government is trying to direct more money to mental health - I suspect the Budget coming up will have a bit of a big thing in it about this.

Thanks Random

I do feel a bit under attack to be honest whether or not that's the intention. It's not the fault of private therapists that NHS provision for mental health isn't given priority.
I know how that commissioning works - I spent many hours writing the bid for my charity's funding from the CCG. I'm proud of the fact that my efforts resulted on the provision of free unlimited bereavement counselling in our city. All our counsellors work without pay.

No Jilly I don't think a phone app is generally a substitute for talking therapy...

Or an online app.

I bet a £120 therapist isn't 4 times as good as my £30 one!

My Counsellor gives discounts for unemployed and students. Some do give discounts some dont, check their websites.

MIND give you 6 free sessions but there is a waiting list. When I am working i can afford full fee and once every 2 or 3 weeks.

No Random not automatically so anyway.

I had therapy privately at a cost of £35 per session. It was time limited therapy (24 sessions max) as you are encouraged to work on your issues within that timescale not go on indefinitely and use it as a crutch. It cost around £1000 all in. My reasoning was this was about the same as what I may spend to go on summer holiday, but due to the therapy I would have a real holiday from all the negativity in my life and in my head. If something was wrong with my house and needed fixing for £1000 I'd probably find the money to do it, so why not with my mental wellbeing.

I was a bit worried at first in case I spent the money and it had no effect, but it was worth every penny, really sorted me out.

We find money for whatever is important to us.

I think the differences in charges JillyR2015 was referring to were on the basis of professional background though. Psychologists have to have a degree in psychology then complete a doctorate just as their basic training, that's not saying they are 4 times better than counsellors just that they occupy different professional niches.

I don't think Jilly moves in the same world as normal people anyway.

The last period of NHS therapy I had recently was 16 sessions of CAT with a qualified clinical psychologist, it finished a few months ago. I also had 16 sessions a couple of years ago with the same therapist. I had no idea his rate would be so high! (I live in London). I was referred through my CMHT and wasn't asked to pay anything towards it.

"There are free apps and the like on line for those with no money although I am not saying they are as good as the £120 an hour trained psychologists."

Not as good?! Understatement of the flaming century!

My therapist has multiple qualifications coming out of her arse, she's fantastic, and she's £30 a session. £240 is just fantasy money.

I imagine most people don't realise how much sessions cost, I do wonder whether we should publicise more how much appointments cost. The NHS has a very high rate of wasted appointments that people just don't turn up for. I think that along side the monthly figures for appointment not attended that lots of clinics display there should be a figure for the average cost of those appointments, it might make some people think more about wasting slots which wastes money and pushes up wait times. Just to clarify that is not directed at anyone on this thread at all.

I volunteer in a womens centre as do many other counsellors. The clients get free counselling (or donation if they wish) for however long they need it; either few sessions to years. Yes some people are in training but most are fully qualified. I understand how hard it is paying for therapy as I had to do it for the length of my training.

I felt that too ilovesooty and I became aware I was trying to defend my profession and costs.
I would be more proud of the work I did if I wasn't so restricted, I work with addicts (not recovering full on addiction) on the first step to recovery, sadly with very limited time and funds I would imagine this service will end very soon and our results are limited sadly.
I am proud of my clients though as they have sought advice/means to overcome the addictions.