Finding Mental Health Care When Money Is Tight

[GaryQ]

It’s the internet you can pretend anything you want. They STATE that but it could be some uneducated kid in India responding. I liked the APA advertising removal link you posted was a good read

As Lit used to say: “I call bullshit on this one”

 

[Daniel E.]

Well, to "see" your therapist, the price goes up for live video "therapy":

LiveTalk Therapy Ultimate: $79/week for text, video & audio messaging + 4 Live Sessions/month. Your therapist responds to messages daily, 5 days/week. (Billed as $316 monthly)

How much does Talkspace cost? Talkspace - FAQs

I think they are hoping people in the McTherapy/journal/maintenance $49 plan will upgrade to something like that at some point.

Same reason McDonalds makes money with $1 value items, hoping for volume and an order of large fries.

 

[Daniel E.]

As Lit used to say: “I call bullshit on this one”

You and Dr. Baxter may be right about the fishy part. People's biggest complaint is feeling abandoned with only getting canned, short responses. The word "scam" is also used in some reviews. So it seems like luck of the draw as there are also very positive reviews for the app service.

Of course, I can't imagine using this service when I was first diagnosed with OCD!

And the optional add-on video sessions at Talkspace are only 30 minutes each. Therapists in my area charge as low as $60 or so for sliding scale for 50 minutes or so.

So $240 a month for in-person weekly therapy vs. $196 for what one reviewer called "10 sentences" a week from their Talkspace therapist.

 

[Daniel E.]

Their competition, BetterHelp, gets similar negative reviews. Same basic complaints of generic responses that make people wonder if the therapists are even reading everything they are writing.

But BetterHelp has many more positive reviews, with a 3.9 out of 5 rating at Google Play compared to 3.5 for Talkspace.

 

[David Baxter PhD]

Maybe they're bots. They've done some research on "AI" bots as therapists.

 

[Daniel E.]

They should call it BetterCopy&Paste or PasteSpace.

 

[Daniel E.]

Just to give a sample of prices in my town:

Sliding scales usually start as low as $60 (USD) per therapy session. Some of the therapists also run groups.

And I know of one therapy intern who only charges $25 per session. She is a PhD student who is supervised by a psychologist.

 

[Daniel E.]

Toronto / GTA:

Lower Cost and Affordable Psychotherapy Options in Toronto

Skylark Youth - For Children, Youth & Families

East Metro Youth Services

 

[Daniel E.]

For those in the US, Toronto, etc:

Open Path Collective

• Find therapists for rates that range between $30 and $50 a session (between $30 and $80 a session for couples & family counseling)
• In-office (or online) treatment from a vetted Mental Health Professional
• Your lifetime membership ($49) will allow you to see anyone in our network for the rates listed above, at any point in time. This is our guarantee.
• Open Path is a recognized nonprofit leader in helping people access affordable, high quality psychotherapy services

"Open Path operates a sister site named Being Seen, which can connect you with a therapist who accepts insurance-based or full-fee clients." [Beeing Seen also lists those who accept sliding scale.]

 

[Daniel E.]

Free Crisis Therapy -- Thero Directory

Locations (U.S.):

LAS VEGAS, NV

PARKLAND, FL

THOUSAND OAKS, CA

GILROY, CA

EL PASO, CA

AURORA, IL

DAYTON, OH

(There are also other cities that have something similar.)

 

[Daniel E.]

walk in mental health clinic near me - Google Search

free mental health clinic near me - Google Search

 

[Daniel E.]

US:

Federally-funded health clinics (also links to county resources such as mental health clinics)

 

[Daniel E.]

Canada:

Where can I find free or low-cost counselling? | Here to Help

 

[Daniel E.]

United Way:

Crisis | 211.org (US)

Community and Social Services Help Line (Ontario)

Help Starts Here - 211.ca (Canada)

 

[Daniel E.]

I noticed today that the author of the The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook has rates that are comparable to some sliding scale rates:

Telephone Consultations with Dr. Bourne

Phone sessions are available for one hour ($90) or one-half hour ($50). The initial evaluation session may run 75 minutes and cost $100. The cost of sessions is kept reasonable because HMOs and insurance companies usually do not cover the cost of telephone consultations, and Dr. Bourne is dedicated to making therapy available to as many people as possible...

During the initial phone consultation, Dr. Bourne will review the history and current status of your problems with anxiety and related problems such as depression or relationship issues...

Basic Treatment Program for Anxiety Disorders

The sessions after the initial evaluation follow The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook and generally address the following areas, though not necessarily in the order given below:

• Relaxation and abdominal breathing exercises
• Aerobic exercise
• Strategies for coping with panic attacks
• Setting goals and hierarchies for facing phobias (exposure therapy)
• Working with fearful self-talk and underlying core beliefs that drive fearful self-talk
• Looking at personality issues that underlie fear, such as the excessive need for control, excessive need for approval, perfectionism, etc.
• Working to reduce life stresses that aggravate anxiety problems, such as job stress, marital and family stress, health issues, and/ or other stressors
• Nutrition, diet and supplements
• Medication (your need for it or a review of what you are currently taking)

...The course of treatment is generally brief (i.e. six to twenty sessions), unless we have to address and work with deep seated personality issues, such as dependency, low self-esteem, excessive need to please, perfectionism, and so on. In some cases counseling could go on for longer when you've had a very traumatic history.

 

[Daniel E.]

Canada:

"In crisis? Please call 1-833-456-4566 toll free (In QC: 1-866-277-3553), 24/7 or visit www.crisisservicescanada.ca."

 

[Daniel E.]

Crisis Text Line | Text HOME To 741741 free, 24/7 Crisis Counseling

In a crisis?

Text HOME to 741741 to connect with a Crisis Counselor

Free 24/7 support at your fingertips

US and Canada: text 741741

UK: text 85258 | Ireland: text 50808

 

[Daniel E.]

California OCD and Anxiety Treatment Center

Several states have added provisions to their laws that allow for online therapy [from other states], however each state is different and has their own requirements and limitations.

These states include:

• Alabama
• Indiana
• Florida
• Kansas
• Idaho
• Arizona
• Wyoming

[I put the most populated states in bold since it was hard to see my state, Arizona, in the list.]

 

[Daniel E.]

An app for those in the US like myself who have to file out-of-network claims: Reimbursify

(The in-network therapists especially tend to be booked more than usual during COVID-19.)

Regarding cost:

"The app is free to download and for new users, the first claim you file with Reimbursify is always free. After that, the cost to file a single claim (one visit with a provider) is $1.99."

 

[Daniel E.]

Sanvello offers a 2-week free trial of online mental health coaching, including one-on-one online messaging and live group coaching. After that, it is $50/month or $350/year.

Reviews of Sanvello's app, which previously offered only mindfulness and CBT tools:

Sanvello | Anxiety and Depression Association of America, ADAA

Targeted to help those with anxiety and mood disorders and stress, this app teaches deep breathing, behavioral exercises, excises and identifying cognitive distortions (negative thinking patterns), and learning how to replace them with positive thinking patterns. It’s also good for those...

adaa.org

Let's Get Technical: Choosing the Right CBT App for Depression and Anxiety

In this installment of 'Let's Get Technical,' our panel of experts reviews Sanvello, Moodpath and Moodtools.

www.apaservices.org