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Payment for treatment

  • Thread starter Deleted member 44579
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Deleted member 44579

Hi, I was thinking wondering what do you guys do in America or other places where you have to pay for therapy, and you can't afford it?....

In this country we have free treatment.. Which I'm very, very lucky to have... Usually some kind of waiting list.. But there are other agencies that can help in the meantime.....

What do you guys do?... And when you are paying for treatment, do you think you get a better service?....
 
I’m in Canada (Ontario) where a lot of medical expenses are subsidized, but not all, and wait times are loooooong.

When it comes to a psychiatrist, you need to pay out-of-pocket unless you get a referral by your GP. That means sometimes having to go back to your GP more than once to request a referral, then you wait possibly 3-6 months before an appointment.

For talk therapy, there are free services in some areas where you can be put on a wait list just by asking the facility. In my experience, the therapy has been a shorter wait. There are also support groups that are not run by professionals.

I have paid for therapy with a MSW and received free therapy from an MSW and the treatment I got was essentially the same. I liked both of them, they listened, and they had time for me. Once you are a patient/ client, you’re treated the same as a paying customer would be.

That’s my experience, I am looking forward to hearing others’ and I hope you are all getting the treatment you deserve
 
I am in the UK and paying for my own treatment. I don't feel like I have a choice in that if I actually want to get better. I know it's a bit of a postcode lottery and some people are able to access the support and services they need via the NHS or charities, but it's sadly not the picture everywhere and hasn't been for me.

I know that I am lucky that I am able to pay for my therapy, many people simply aren't in the position that they can. I honestly think I would be dead now if I had had to rely on the NHS for adequate help. So yes, I do think I'm getting a better service (for living where I do anyway).
 
I have lived several places in the US. There are in many places free mental health services either through Community Mental Health or Charitable Social Services. However, in my experience access to those free services are entirely income based so I have never had access as I have worked since I was 14 often 2-3 jobs at a time but often without health insurance. I currently have health insurance which I have to pay for and pay for my Pdoc and therapy but it is at the expense of other items in my life. I can't say that for pay services are better or worse than the free services but I do know that some pay services are better than others.
 
I'm in the uk and pay for my therapy. I'd wait forever for the NHS and then have make my way through all the tiered services and still not get what I really need so paying privately makes sense.

I have used counselling services provided by my employer. In each case they filled a need at the time and were quick to access. In paying privately I can choose who I see, how often and for how long each session. I'd never get that on the NHS.
 
I am from the UK and I see my psychologist on the NHS.I do believe in the UK it varies from country to country and from region to region.
I have lived in two different places within the UK and both areas are very different,one was in a very busy area and the other is in a small town.
For me the NHS was my only option as I can't afford to go privately and I honestly can't praise my psychologist enough , if I could I would give him every award under the sun because I know how hard he works , I also know it can't be easy him working on a limited budget and time and I will always be grateful towards him.
 
I pay for psychotherapy and feel I get much better treatment. It is long-term and goes at my slow speed over many years. Agency help is usually time limited with less experienced therapists. I'm in Ontario also. My psychiatrist is payed for by the province. I only get 20 minutes with him.
 
Yes I forgot to mention that. The free services that I have had do have time limits. The last one I was at had a 44 session limit and I have to wait another year to reapply for the wait list
 
I got extremely lucky in finding a trauma therapist who used to work at Sheppard Pratt and she takes my insurance so between both of my insurance policies I pay nothing. Most trauma therapists in my area don’t take insurance simply because they don’t have to.

It’s hard to find a good psychiatrist in my area so I pay out of pocket $175 a session. Fortunately I only see him every 4 months or so. He’s worth his weight in gold.
 
wondering what do you guys do in America or other places where you have to pay for therapy, and you can't afford it?..

The simplest answer = no therapy, same as medical treatment you can’t afford.

The more complicated answer = a helluva lot of legwork, and no small amount of luck, in attempting to find resources.
 
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