Can anyone tell me how much a private psychologist costs?

[stoviesfortea]

I recently saw my GP for anxiety that is taking over my life, I was in a car crash a few months ago and I feel like my life has just disappeared now. I can't do anything anymore and I just feel terrified all the time. My GP said the wait to see a psychologist is a year (!!!!) and there is no way I can wait that long. I am thinking of trying to go private but I am worried about the cost or how to go about it. I just need to be seen soon or I'll go crazy.

Has anyone gone private and how much was it? Did it help? What do they do? How long does it take? Thanks

Don't know about a psychologist, but in Wiltshire counsellors are about £40 an hour.

Same price here £30-£40 an hour, i went private for CBT therapy and it did not help and it cost me a fortune, i then managed to see someone on the NHS which has helped slightly.

I'm so sorry you went through such a auful expereance, my dh was in a car accident a few years ago and it took him a while to get over it, you are bound to feel anxious, it will get better in time (i know thats not much help now).

have a look at BACP - they give you a list of people in your area and iirc they put prices on there as well. Some of them also put that they will give discounts for those on low incomes.

I am doing CBT for anxiety and it has made a huge difference (whereas talking therapy did nothing for me). I got it on the NHS but it was a much shorter waiting list time as not as well known.

Sometimes there are local charities that do it for free or at a reduced price.

I saw a psychotherapist/counsellor for post traumatic stress after I had a prem baby whose complications led to surgery and 18 months of uncertainty about what would happen. Luckily all is ok now but I got stuck in a loop reliving what had happened and thinking about it ALL the time.

Found a lady nearby who looked nice in her photo (lots of research there then) and it cost £39. She did say it could be £25 in some circumstances.

I saw her 8-10 times and basically talked about everything that happened. She talked a bit but mostly it was just me. It really helped. My family and friends were great but to be able to talk to someone objective lifted a huge weight off my chest. Everything that happened is in proportion - it was terrible and life-changing but no longer overwhelming.

DD saw someone near here for £40/hr but friend's daughter was referred to someone at The Priory who charged £100!

Spoke to someone at work recently OP who was very impressed by The Linden Method. I don't know much about it but it might be worth googling. She was very positive about it.

Would recommend finding a therapist who offers EMDR. This technique helps your brain process trauma and is fairly quick. Just 4 or 5 sessions should help. I paid £70 for 1.5hrs. Worth every penny.

Has your GP discussed medication with you? No waiting list and cheaper than private psychology.

link here:
www.emdrassociation.org.uk/home/index.htm

You need a psychotherapist rather than a psychologist as it sounds like you need therapy to recover from post-traumatic stress.

They cost anything from £25-60 a session depending on your income and your area.

CBT will help you re-train your thinking and change your core beliefs. In the case of trauma CBT will probably be far less effective than EMDR, integrative or person-centred psychotherapy, as it's more about processing the trauma than changing your underlying beliefs and meaning-making process. IMHO CBT is more suited to generalised anxiety, eating disorders, addictive behaviour, that sort of thing.

Hope you find some help soon. The BACP and UKCP websites have counselling directories. Make sure whoever you choose has some kind of professional membership (either of the above is a good starting point) as it is an unregulated profession and basically anyone can set up a website calling themselves a "counselor" etc.

Psychologists can do CBT too, it doesnt have to be done by a psychotherapist, just someone trained in CBT, who may be from a variety of different professional backgrounds.

I think that your GP should be able to make a private referral to a counsellor or psychologist. You can then discuss cost at the initial consultation.

Also, don't know your circumstances but if you're employed then your employer may have access to a counselling service at a reduced or employer funded rate. And, sorry you probably don't want to think about the accident, but if you have been able to/will be able to claim for injuries then you could be able to add the cost of psychological treatment to that claim.

Been seeing therapist for 4 years after losing my son at 21 weeks - £55 per session. Depends if want to deal with stress of accident or anything deeper that underlies how you reacted to it

Has anyone here had a positive experience with EMDR? I don't know much about it but find the idea unsettling.

What is EMDR? I am getting a bit confused by some of the posts to be honest. The one giving you info on BACP and UKCP directories is a helpful post. Posters are talking about counsellors, therapists, psychologists etc and to a large extent these are all professionals who offer counseling or therapy (same thing really) Do you think you have PTSD - there is a MN poster who has suffered from this (her nickname is Madmouse) and I'm sure she will be on soon to help you. Mind she was very lucky she got some good counselling/therapy on the NHS.

Someone has said they had CBT and this worked better than "talking therapy" but that's what CBT is.

You ask what they "do" and "does it help" - the most important thing in my view is that you feel safe and comfortable with the counsellor/therapist and feel you can confide in him/her. Most therapists don't stick to one particular method anyway, they usually have knowledge of several methods an use them dependent upon the client and her needs.

You must remember that it is not a case of what they "do" - they are there to manage the therapeutic process and you form a therapeutical alliance with the therapist. You set the agenda, that is you talk about what is troubling you and a good therapist will gently guide you to maybe think whether this is an echo of something that happened in childhood. This is psycho dynamic counselling, with a lot of attention on your childhood and the way you were parented and how this might be affecting you in the here and now.

At the other end of the continuum is CBT which is not about the past, but is about helping you to manage difficutlies in the "here and now" - it is quite a simple theory and really is about changing negative thoughts into more balanced thoughts, and understanding how our thoughts affect our feelings and our behaviour and we can end up in a downward spiral that is unhelpful.

You ask "does it work" - the answer as you can see from the posts is "it depends" - if your are able to find the right therapist and you feel comfortable and have faith that the therapist can help alleviate some of your difficulties (no magic bullets unfortunately) there is more chance of it helping. Sometime you have to try a couple of therapists before you find someone who is right for you. You must never feel that you have to stay with one therapist if you don't feel comfortable and safe. Mind therapy is often uncomfortable - you know - "no gain without pain" but you must feel safe enough with the therapist to confide in him/her.

YOu ask how long it takes - again - "it depends" - some therapists like to agree 6 sessions and then review to see where you are going .......it is in your hands really and your pocket if you are paying! I think you need to make sure that whoever you see has some expertise in your particular difficulty. Don't be afraid to ask them about their background and expertise. Remember you are the customer.

Payment varies - in the Midlands where I live it tends to be between £40 and £55 pounds per hour, or 50 mins, so not cheap.

Do hope you get the help and support you are looking for.

I posted a link to the emdr association further up the thread that has loads of info Nananina.

Guildenstern, I had EMDR as part of my therapy - my psychotherapist used a range of ways of working with clients. This was the one that I found helped me process trauma.

Hi Sunshine - I can't open the link, but will google it. thanks.

Dear StovieFortea,
I am sorry to hear that you are struggling. It sounds like you may be suffering from symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. The NHS recommended treatment for PTSD is cognitive behavioural psychotherapy, which you should be able to access locally. I know that the cost can pose difficulties but it is worth it as some people may suffer from symptoms for decades (e.g. war veterans).

What I would recommend personally is for you to see a BABCP accredited psychotherapist instead of a counsellor as talking about it at length will not necessarily make those upsetting symptoms go away.

The difference between a typical course of CBT versus PTSD tailored CBT is that sometimes PTSD can go away in less than 20 sessions, in my experience sometimes it can reduce significantly in 10 sessions or so.

In regards to the post that mentioned that CBT was not helpful, I would stress the importance of finding a therapist whom you trust before embarking on a course of therapy. Many therapists online may offer initial sessions free of charge, to give clients the chance to see if they feel safe with their therapist (which is essential).

Hope this helps,

Good luck with everything and hopefully you will be able to recover soon!

Mona

I see a psychotherapist privately and it costs £50/session. Some therapists offer reduced fees, but my only advice is to ensure that whoever you choose is appropriately qualified. UKCP is a good start point for finding therapists

go back to your GP and demand to see someone, you shouldn't have to wait a year!

The NHL can refer you to someone who is a qualified counsellor and not just a psychologist. Counsellors are likely to have a shorter waiting list. Often offer 6-8 sessions.

The current NICE guidelines recommend Trauma focussed CBT or EMDR for the kind of trauma you describe. The guidelines are research based, which is both great, and a bit of a problem. A problem in that not all trauma oriented therapies will have been able to resource good research.

In the complicated world of the therapies research is very difficult indeed.

In your shoes (I've worked in the field for nearly thirty years) I'd go for EMDR or Trauma oriented CBT. (This latter is a specific add on training to standard CBT) or newer, gentler approaches such as Sensorimotor Psychotherapy or Somatic Experiencing. All the approaches named above have many elements in common, all involve paying close,mindful attention to the bodily parts of trauma induced anxiety as well as feelings and beliefs.

Prices vary, as others have mentioned. (It's a serious investment of time and money to train in these approaches.)

Best of luck! and try and find someone your comfortable with!

I am an NHS Clinical Psychologist who also offers private therapy. Some of the messages abone are helpful, but some are misinformed.

The price of therapy can vary depending on who is offering the therapy. Cheaper is not always better but also expensive does not mean the best.

I would not expect to see less than £40 an hr for a fully qualified therapist (either a Psychologist or other form of qualified therapist). Counselling can be very broad some being very well qualified and some only having done a short course.

As suggested in other messages I would look for a therapist registered with a professional body. HCPC for a Psychologist but you can search on the BPS website or BABCP or UKCP.

The evidence for treatment of many conditions is in favour of CBT including for PTSD although EMDR also had good evidence for PTSD. The comment above saying CBT does not work for PTSD is way out. You can check research advice by NICE

Zombie thread

I need a CBT therapist urgently to assist me with my 25 yr old daughter and her asking for help with Bulimia please. I cant afford £100 p/h but think £40 to £50 is realistic and affordable.