What do you think is a fair price for a therapy session?

Clearly depends on what type of therapy and also length of session

In our area there seemed to be a shortage of counsellors and the university were running courses so I signed up.
I completed the first part of the course but from the first day I felt that counselling was just a way of prolonging the problem. Talking over and over about the same issues keeps them fresh in your mind.

If this is therapy for depression etc you may get it free if you see your doctor.

I'm a CBT therapist and l would totally agree with '. Twiceasnice. A good therapist has good working boundaries and never gives a client more sessions than they need. If you get a 50 minute session for £50.00 I'd say that's a good price. Some therapists charged £100.00 and over for a session. Try and get recommends if you can or a therapist with good reviews .

What type of therapy are you looking at Marythebookeeper?

My friend is a psychotherapist and charges about £60 for 50mins. However, she also sets aside time and has a slifing scale for a few low income clients and can charge as little as £10.

120 is expensive lots of good advice given .

I see that I am undercharging @ £45.00 per 1 hour session and
£50.00 per hour for supervision.
We must also bear in mind people's ability to pay in these difficult times.
Do remember though that counsellors and psychotherapists are required to pay for their own supervision usually monthly, insurance and membership of their professional body, i.e. BACP. Add to that premises, overheads etc. and a lot of money has to go out before any comes in. On top of this there can be clients who simply do not turn up for appointments. Yes you can still charge for missed appointments but generally they will not pay and they won't come back for further sessions.
The most abusive thing of all is clients who get counselling via a charity or GP where they don't have to pay. The counsellors are often giving their time free as a way of putting something back. These clients think nothing of not turning up, perhaps every other week sometimes, wasting hour after hour of the therapist's time and the therapist knows that if they were paying for it their behaviour would be very different.

Thanks Gillybob. My concern is that anyone can set themselves up as a therapist and charge what they like. Not everyone enquiring would understand what to expect. There are varying waiting lists according to the service/speciality but you can get free appts on the NHS and voluntary sector. Cruse for example does very good grief counselling all over the country

I agree with the comments re qualifications, several therapies are not well regulated . Check the person on BACP, if hypnosis the NCH has a register and the national complementary care council (CNHC) has a register that covers many complementary therapies.. Prices do vary depending on where you live and where they practice. but as others say be wary and check qualifications

I agree completely with all the other therapists replying on here

I pay £50 for an hour with a psychotherapist who specialises in my problem. I have a therapist friend who charges £35.
I've seen counsellors, not therapists, who charge much more... I think you need to shop around and find someone who will work with your budget. Having said that, if what I need gets fixed so I can move on, I don't really care what it costs.

It depends what therapy you were hoping to have, how long it takes, how qualified your therapist is. Yes, rent, what equipment they have, etc. I used to do complementary therapy, I ended up working from home because of people who didn't turn up leaving me to have to pay for the accommodation. Decent essential oils are expensive. It also varies from area to area. Harrogate properties are expensive so such things are priced accordingly. If you feel you are being charged too much, find someone else to do the therapy.

It all depends upon the level of expertise and experience, and regrettably, there are many people who consider themselves to be 'therapists' based upon some rather vague private college qualification. We paid for our son and it cost £125 for an hour with a very well qualified, experienced man. Those suggesting £60 or less need to check what you are getting for that, my hairdresser charges more than that for an hour in the chair getting a colour and trim.

Also. there is a world of difference between a nice visit to an aromatherapist and a psychologist or psychotherapist or psychiatrist who has done years of post doctoral qualifications. If I needed a hip replacement, I would wish to use an orthopaedic surgeon who had spent years qualifying, not a nice chap from St.John's ambulance.

@Harrigran.

I agree completely! Counselling for any mental health problems is highly problematic and can make the problem worse as I have seen in two cases. It is almost impossible to know when you start whether you have found the right counsellor for you, dare I say if indeed you really need one

@TwiceAsNice

"it’s not open ended there has to be a professional boundary."

This is not the case in traditional psychoanalytic psychotherapy or psychoanalysis. There wouldn't be a number of sessions specified - it would be open ended.

"A good therapist will always structure the session so the client leaves feeling in a good place."

Also not always the case, depending on the therapy. For example a Lacanian therapist might end a session at a particular point for emphasis. It might not leave the patient in a good place but the theory is that it is a marker and an indication of an important place being reached.

My chiropractor charges £40 per session which is for around 30-40 mins. But he books only one patient per hour so if your problem requires more time it is available at no extra cost. This is a reasonable cost but when it is weekly it is a fair amount to budget for. For me, his work is invaluable to lessen the pain of a herniated disc - worth every penny. However, if I didn't suffer pain I would see any kind of massage as merely therapeutic and not be willing to spend as often on it.

If it’s massage type therapies you’re interested in have a look on Groupon, I’ve just had an email off them with deals for this on!

I pay £40 and would expect to pay locally between £40 and £60 I paid that sort of money years ago for a Harley street counsellor. X

I went to some sort of therapy thing, about 3 years ago, (pulling a funny face cos I have lost track of time) hypnotherapy,,, coming back to me as I tell y`all about this..

she was o.k. sort of relaxing, talking,,, and after about 2 or 3 sessions,, I let slip that my beloved pet dog and died, and she sort of remonstrated with me, that I should have told her earlier, (I think I admitted something, that I couldn`t relax or something or other)

anyway, I thought it strange that a therapist,, why do we go to therapists? cos we CAN`T talk about difficult things????

I thought it strange that she expected me to come to her, a perfect stranger and just pour out all what was currently disturbing me!!

I stopped going,,
so 3 years ago,, £60 an hour...

and of course, since lockdown has eased, people/business`s are having to recoup their lost income, so costs/prices have and will increase.

depends what we go to therapy for?

wow! just read up back.

GillT57, what a good point!

I have paid around £50,000 for the 5 years plus training to be an an Accredited CBT Therapist.
Not only course fees for 5 years, but Supervision at £75 per 6 hours of clients, personal therapy compulsory in training/ongoing . Professional indemnity insurance, hire of premises, ongoing Professional Development courses to maintain accreditation, professional fees BABCP & REBT per year, and British Psychological Society.
Maybe this helps explain the fee structure?
But, make sure your therapist IS fully qualified & accredited as some aren't & the U.K. has no licensing regulations.
Anyone can post an advert to say they are a counsellor & some do just that.
Mental health is very important & you need to work with a fully trained & qualified professional.
Would you a physiotherapy session or body massage from an untrained 'therapist' ?
What do you pay for those services?

All private therapists regardless of modality, are free to charge what they like. I am an holistic therapist and charge £55 for the first 90min session and then £40 for any follow ups, for an adult. I would say that’s on the low side. You just have to shop around until you find what you want. I don’t think fee level necessarily reflects competence or experience.

You don’t say what sort of therapy you require.