Are you struggling mentally but cannot afford regular therapy?
Affordable Therapy
Do you have limited insurance or none at all?
Is financial stress part of your mental health struggle?
You likely have a limited budget already, adding something like therapy might feel out-of-reach or almost luxurious right now. This is only more true since the start of the pandemic when economic gaps widened and work became more precarious. But likely, your mental health suffered during the pandemic and your need for support increased with the uncertainty, fear, financial stress, health anxiety and isolation.
Affordability is a common obstacle for seeking support
Cost is listed as one of the most prevalent barriers for Canadians thinking about therapy. Your mental health matters and if you feel like therapy would be a good step for you but affordability is an issue, then there are options. Affordable therapy is a great option if you’re thinking about seeking support but can’t commit to full therapy fees. Most affordable therapy is about 50% less expensive than regular priced therapy!
Therapy at 50% of the cost?!
That’s right! It’s possible to speak with a warm, empathetic and skilled therapist without the crunch on your wallet. Affordable therapy is offered by therapy interns who are completing their final requirements of their Masters of Counselling degrees. These interns are supervised by a skilled and experienced therapist to ensure that you get high quality care throughout your therapy journey. They are well trained, fresh faced and eager to be the therapist that you need.
Commit to regular appointments (affordably)
You probably know that 1 or 2 sessions with your therapist likely won’t be enough to get to the root of what brings you in AND to make meaningful change in your life. But you might feel rushed to get to the point, or only work on limited issues if you are paying full price. The beauty of affordable therapy is that you can set a pace that feels supportive and commit to it without it becoming a financial burden. You can address all of those issues of mood, emotion regulation, self-image, anxiety, relationship issues etc., and take your time to really resolve unhelpful patterns and practice your new skills. That’s one of the keys to having a successful therapeutic experience!
Start on your terms, not the insurance company’s
Do you feel like you’re playing the insurance game sometimes? Do you wait to start treatments so you don’t max out your benefits too quickly? Or maybe you worry about waiting too long so that you have enough time to use all of the benefit within the year? It’s exhausting. With affordable therapy, you don’t have to worry about this game as much. Counselling that’s affordable means that you are less tied down by the terms of your benefits package. You can make it last longer so holding off on therapy is not necessary. Because affordable therapy is 50% less expensive this means you get more sessions covered (usually DOUBLE!) so you don’t have to wait to start.
Affordable Therapy Means More Support for You!
Therapy interns are skilled at addressing concerns like depression, anxiety, struggles with life transitions, stress, self-esteem, relationship issues and more. It is important to note that cases of complex mental health, severe trauma or ongoing abuse are outside of an intern’s scope and would benefit from a fully licensed and experienced therapist. If this comes up in therapy and the intern has concerns around their ability to provide you appropriate care, they will address this with their supervisor and then come up with an alternative plan with you. You will never be dropped by your therapist without reasonable effort to find you a good option to try out.
It’s like 2 therapists for the price of 1
Because your therapist is directly supervised by another more experienced therapist, you will have 2 heads and hearts working with you. But, the supervisor will never attend the sessions with you and your therapist, those will remain one-on-one. Their supervision will come afterwards and be a continual conversation about what your therapeutic care could look like. The steps of your journey will ultimately be your choice because therapy is a collaborative process between you and your therapeutic team.
Addressing concerns with your intern therapist
You might experience challenging growth in therapy, a feeling of being pushed past your comfort zone and some folks really dislike this feeling. This kind of concern is part of the therapeutic journey and could be addressed directly with your therapist. Wonderful things can happen when you speak about your discomfort, resistance or feelings of being stuck in therapy. But there are times when there might be a real clash between you and your therapist. Something that feels beyond the process of therapy and more like an issue that a supervisor might need to deal with, and that’s exactly one of their roles. If you need to address a clinical concern about your intern therapist or to provide some positive feedback, their clinical supervisor is available to you by phone and email during regular business hours.
What’s still getting in your way?
There are some common fears or obstacles that people experience when thinking about affordable therapy. Do these sound familiar to you?
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All of these interns come with previous university degrees, usually in a related field like psychology plus they are trained for 2 years in a Masters of Counselling program specifically geared towards developing fantastic therapeutic skills. But beyond that, we screen, interview, and check references for each of our interns. Through our internal processes we ensure that we are hiring competent, warm and receptive interns that will provide you with amazing support.
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All interns spend approximately 8 months completing this portion of their degree requirement. Most people find that they can make amazing changes in 8 months and are happy to end their journey there. Other folks prefer to continue their therapeutic relationship with the intern and that’s possible too!
You can either follow them to their next clinic (if they don’t stay with us) or continue your care without interruption if they do stay with Access Therapy. But, once they are fully licensed their fees do increase to meet industry standards.
If you’re unable to commit to their new fee then we are happy to supportively transfer your care to a new intern on the team that will have the affordable price tag.
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In comparison to the typical $150-160/hr. rate intern therapist rates are more than 50% reduced.
Affordable therapy at Access is $75/hr.
Sliding scale options are also available for folks that exhibit a need for a further reduction.
Plus, each intern has 1 pay-what-you-can slot for folks in significant financial need, like those in precarious housing, or newcomers with few resources as examples.
Are you intrigued by the idea of Affordable Therapy?
There are some optional steps that you can take right now to start that journey.
You can simply open our online booking system and choose a time that works best for you for a FREE 30-minute consultation. We will get to know you and your needs and set you up with the best fit on our team.
Or
If you still have questions we can connect you with our dedicated Client Care Lead who is happy to offer support as you decide on your next step.
Meet the Interns
Alexandra Myers, (she/her)
Areas of Specialty: ADHD, Depression, Suicidal Ideation, Anxiety, Parenting Struggles, Relational issues, Loss, Prenatal and Postpartum Mental Health Issues, and more.
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