How do people pay for therapy?

Lots of therapists have a sliding scale for people without insurance- also, people licensed as PhDs charge much more than professional counselors, mental health counselors, or social workers. Those people often have the same education level as PhDs, and just didn’t pursue the higher level of licensing.

A PhD is a different degree, not a different license. It takes clinical psychologists about 6 years to complete that degree, whereas social workers and LMFTs and similar usually have a Master’s degree, which is usually a 2 year degree. So PhDs do technically have a higher education level. That doesn’t necessarily mean they’re better counselors, though. To get the most of out of therapy you need a good match with your therapist.

To answer your question: yes, it is expensive without insurance, so most people who go regularly are insured. For people without insurance, you can make use of sliding scales or sometimes meet with people who are students in a clinical psychology program and need to complete many hours of practica.

Some counties have systems in place to help people who need therapy and can’t afford it. If this is your situation, check with your county or your local chapter of NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness).

@nikipedia- does that PhD licensing thing go by state? I work in mental health credentialing, and a lot of people in my state (OR) are actually licensed as PhDs, and here it is a higher level of licensing- at least insurance companies pay them more. My company is mostly active here, though, so I’m not very familiar with the rules in other states.

A PhD is an academic degree, not a license. Having a PhD doesn’t necessarily mean you’re licensed to practice, as most states have distinct licensing requirements.

They pay for it with there lunch money