Bills of Disappointment: Why is Therapy So Expensive?
Support only the wealthy can afford.
Author — Athena Zhuang
Editor — Joyce Li
“I recommend you to visit Doctor Brown. He is a renowned psychologist who is able to help you get through this difficult part of your life.”
If only it were this easy. Many individuals have wondered what it would be like to have someone to talk to during a rough patch. It may be difficult to speak openly to friends and family, as it feels like a “burden” to dump problems onto them. Thus, people turn to psychologists for assistance. However, it is not as simple as it seems.
Therapy is costly. The average fee of one session, lasting from 50 minutes to one hour, is $200-$300 USD in New York City. Assuming weekly visits, the expense quickly adds up to exceed more than one thousand dollars each month. With one in five Americans experiencing mental disorders, this is detrimental for the wellbeing of society.
Why is it incredibly expensive to meet a psychologist?
Insurance — Client
Workplaces rarely cover therapy in insurance. Society, currently, fails to identify mental health as a serious concern (for example, it is deemed “unacceptable” to miss a day of school or work because of a panic attack). Physical wellbeing, on the other hand, is generally supported. The key differentiator between physical and mental problems is objectivity. In terms of being sick, such as having the flu, the patient receives direct medication and heals within a time period. In contrast, mental health is less tangible. It values constant communication, prevention plans, and satisfaction maintenance. It is difficult to identify how fast someone is able to be “cured”, as it depends on a number of personal elements that may be unidentifiable. Additionally, emotional suffering is less visible and problems are often suppressed because of fear of vulnerability. Thus, it may take numerous therapy sessions until a person feels comfortable in opening up to a doctor.
Insurance — Psychologists
Therapists hardly ever take on insurance — only 55% of them accept plans, in comparison to 89% of other health care providers. This is because they simply are unable to afford it. Reimbursement rates are significantly lower than their typical charging fee. According to Candice Ackerman, they may only receive $50, in contrast to their usual $140. While the typical charge initially seems high, psychologists have a number of expenses that they must pay, particularly those in private practices.
Professionals take years of school and training to perfect their skill. The majority of them have PHDs, meaning they could have studied for as long as fifteen years. Thus, it is obvious that many of them have accumulated student debt up to six figures. Throughout their education, they need 2000 to 4000 hours of supervised counseling to gain experience. When added together, the amount of work and the monetary, physical, and emotional impacts of the years validates the high counselling fee they charge. Moreover, training does not stop after graduation. Psychologists must continue investing in books and courses to update their knowledge to help their audience.
Once they are qualified to work, they may become private practitioners. With this comes having additional expenses: renting a space, office equipment, business and malpractice insurance, marketing, and many more. These costs accumulate, and for those working independently — as hiring assistants is expensive — it becomes necessary to charge large amounts of money.
There are particular psychiatrists that accept insurance. First, they are able to have lower fees but accept more clients. Second, patients may go to their own insurance companies to be referred to a therapist. Through this, professionals receive effective marketing and a continued flow of customers.
Consequence of High Costs
Most people are unable to afford therapy. It is unrealistic to pool thousands of dollars every year into the system. To some, it has become “choosing how you suffer” rather than “having to suffer financially”. With 450 million people experiencing mental health issues, this is a significant problem. In particular, students, who represent a large amount of those in need of assistance, cannot schedule meetings because of cost and time. It is difficult to access help, worsening problems. If aid was available at cheaper prices, perhaps suicide rates among teens and young adults would decrease.
Additionally, those with lower incomes are less likely to reach for help. They prioritize spending their money on other things: ie food, homes, etc. Issues related to mental health are diminished and deemed as “minor” in contrast to financial hardships. As such, this particular group is disproportionately harmed by the high therapy costs.
Alternatives
Technology has grown to become more accessible and popular. Mental health assistance, as a result, has also moved online. There are sources, such as Talkspace and BetterHelp, where individuals receive unlimited messaging therapy for $50 USD a week. Here, they can contact therapists via text at any time and receive a response. Solutions like these are changing the approach to emotional wellbeing.
As awareness for mental health increases, our lives are changing. To create better societies, we must address how we have dismissed illnesses beyond physical ones. Psychologists help identify problems and overcome barriers. It is necessary for all individuals to have access to such help, no matter what their financial status is. Arguably, it is important to have “yearly check ups” to ensure good health. From a business perspective, therapists need to charge large amounts to balance out their expenses. However, from a personal perspective, it is next to impossible to throw large sums of money into this system. We need to change — and we need to prioritize our wellbeing, no matter if it is emotional and physical.
Works Cited
Härtl, Gregory. “The World Health Report 2001: Mental Disorders Affect One in Four People.” World
Health Organization. World Health Organization, September 28, 2001.
“Mental Health By the Numbers.” NAMI. Accessed July 1, 2021. https://www.nami.org/mhstats.
Pajer, Nicole. Why Is Therapy So Expensive? HuffPost, September 5, 2019.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/therapy-expensive-insurance_n_5900048ee4b0af6d718992e7.
Rauch, Joseph. “How Much Does Therapy Cost? (And Why Is It So Expensive?).” Talkspace, September 2,
2020. https://www.talkspace.com/blog/how-much-does-therapy-cost-and-why-is-it-crazy-e
xpensive/.
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