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

Psychotherapy is more expensive than counselling, but well worth paying the difference if you can afford it.

+ ps when you can't be sure your advice will produce the results they need.

Thanks to Jane and LOB.
I'll have to read, learn and inwardly digest. And try to drag myself uptodate.
While working I did use a form of CBT, and learned from a colleague the principles of Rogerian therapy which pushes the responsibility of solution back onto the client.
I just don't like the idea of making money out of other people's pain.

Strange comment QQ. Although I agree that a walk can help clear one's head, I find it rather weird that you advise doing that walk with someone else who may be bereaved or dealing with a difficult situation in order to make oneself feel better, or have I misunderstood? Should I interview them to ensure that their situation is worse than mine? Hmm.

Maybe quizqueen but I wonder if you read what I wrote. I find myself thinking that in the short time I've been on GN, I've noticed the somewhat sharp comments you make, I hope those walks sustain you because, as I said, if you don't look at your own pain then you end up inflicting it on others in myriad ways.

The best therapy is a nice walk in the countryside or on a isolated beach or spending some time with someone who is in a far worse situation than yourself to put your life in prospective-both come free!

janeainsworth I do agree with what you've just posted.

Fennel you just said: I don't trust the various psyco therapies at all because I grew up in an era when you had to accept all the bad/sad things life threw at you and make the best of it. Using your own resources.

But, just because that was how things were in the past doesn't mean that they can't change for the better and you know, not everyone has enough resources to cope. There are many, many people who struggle desperately and who end up homeless, in prison, on drugs, as alcoholics or who overeat and so on and they do these things because they don't have the resources to cope otherwise.

It seems to me that some people are naturally more resilient than others and some people have terrible, terrible childhoods, perhaps you can't imagine what happens to people.

I certainly had some difficult times as a child and a few years ago I was fortunate enough to be able to afford therapy and I found it literally life changing. As someone else has said, the trouble with confiding with friends is first the trust issue and secondly, that friends often expect that, having listened to or helped you, to be paid back in kind and you might not have the resources to do that!

A good therapist with whom you build up a good relationship can help to heal the past and help you move on. If you don't have good enough resources yourself, sometimes that means you repeat the past, damaging other people in the process. I think psychotherapy is worth every penny though there are many kinds now and you do have to find the person and the style of therapy that answers your needs.

Fennel I think there has to be a balance between self-reliance, and over-dependence on others to sort out one’s difficulties.
In the past, accepting all the bad things life threw at you, and blaming yourself if things didn’t work out, perhaps led to too much suppression of emotions and acceptance things which shouldn’t be accepted, leading to both mental and physical ill-health.
But maybe things have swung too far the other way, and people aren’t willing to accept the rough with the smooth, and that their happiness doesn’t depend so much on what happens to them so much as how they deal with them, and how resilient they are.
Hope that makes sense.

jane wrote
"Surely that applies to therapists as much as doctors, nurses etc?
It doesn’t apply to friendships and therein lies the danger and unwisdom of offloading onto friends. Apart from anything else it can place a burden on the friend."
That's true Jane.
I'll have to think more before replying.
Basically ( I hate that word) I don't trust the various psyco therapies at all because I grew up in an era when you had to accept all the bad/sad things life threw at you and make the best of it. Using your own resources.
I know that doesn't apply now.

Fennel - I’m not sure if you’re agreeing or disagreeing with me!
I think one of the things about a relationship with any professional is that boundaries are implied and usually set by professional bodies.
Surely that applies to therapists as much as doctors, nurses etc?
It doesn’t apply to friendships and therein lies the danger and unwisdom of offloading onto friends. Apart from anything else it can place a burden on the friend.

Iam -
"Woody Allen is a good example imo, of someone who has had years of psychotherapy -to what end?"
Exactly.
In America I think these days talking about your therapist is a badge of honour.

Like a number of posters I've worked as a therapist. The two year University course included engaging in therapy as well theoretical and practical training.
Working with a good therapist has no comparison with talking about problems with friends. A good therapist won't allow sessions to go over and over the same ground and won't commit to open ended therapy.
Woody Allen is a good example imo, of someone who has had years of psychotherapy -to what end?

Jane - it's not the same. Not in my experience anyway.
With other professional relationships there 's usually a practical solution to the problem. Even with psychiatric problems physical tests can reveal a cause, and tablets often work well.
With emotional/relationship problems the therapist needs to guide the client to work out their own solutions, often by trial and error.
I think the expression now is empowering.

studies show that what is most important is the quality of the relationship,how can it be anything remotely like a relationship if you have to pay for it?!
Presumably it’s a professional relationship, similar to the professional relationship people have with their doctor, dentist, solicitor, child’s teacher or any other professional person.
If I were having emotional problems I would far rather confide in a professional whom I could trust to maintain confidentiality, to look at my problem objectively & not be afraid to challenge my mindset.
Friends/family would always be biased by their own perception of whatever the situation was.

Good points red1.

I once worked as a therapist/counsellor,studies show that what is most important is the quality of the relationship,how can it be anything remotely like a relationship if you have to pay for it?!
In my life ive found good friends are far more beneficial when difficult times come along,there seems to be some sort of idea that therapy is magic in curing all life's dilemmas,its not! There are so many different models of therapy which is the best/right one?
Gransnet is a good place too for getting different viewpoints.

You should be able to access CBT or similar free on the NHS. Do a search for IAPT in your local area. If they feel that you need a different type of therapy, that may also be available on NHS or alternatively may be able to suggest charitable organisations able to offer the type of help you need at a far more accessible rate.

The therapists on this list are registered.
www.hgi.org.uk/find-therapist
How a human givens therapist can help
Human givens psychotherapists offer practical help that deals with mental and emotional distress in the here and now. They do NOT waste time just endlessly listening to you or attempting to dredge up real or imagined miserable memories from the past. Nor do they deal in time-wasting so-called voyages of 'self-discovery'.

Their training ensures that they have a sound body of scientifically-based knowledge and the proven skills to help people as quickly as possible (both adults and children) with a wide variety of emotional and behavioural difficulties, including the following. .....

How human givens differs from other therapy approaches

The human givens approach – which was developed 20 years ago – derives from the understanding that, when essential emotional needs are met and our innate mental resources are used correctly, a human being will be emotionally and mentally healthy. Essential psychological needs identified over decades of work by health and social psychologists include needs for autonomy, sense of control, security, connection, attention, achievement, status and meaning. Innate resources, much studied by neuroscientists, include our abilities to learn from experience, plan, judge, imagine, relate one thing to another, empathise, develop a moral sense, remember, etc.
It is when emotional needs are not adequately met, or are met in unhealthy ways, or when innate resources are damaged for any reason, or are unintentionally misused, that undesirable mental states such as anxiety, anger, depression, addiction and psychosis develop. For instance, misuse of the imagination – to conjure up worst possible or threatening scenarios – is a common feature of all these states.

What makes the human givens approach different from other therapy approaches is that its therapists look to see what is missing, or being misused, in clients’ lives, with the aim of helping them find ways to better meet their needs.

BGB31 Lancanian psychoanalysis is a very niche therapy, it is hardly what most people would opt for. Some therapy can go on for years and is more open ended in that people have committed to long term therapy and that is their choice but all therapy ends at some point very few people are in therapy all their lives and if they are something is not working somewhere.

I also personally feel if you leave a client at the end of a session feeling bad for them to notice something where is the beneficence to the client in that. That smacks to me more about practitioner power I’m afraid. My clients have had many “aha” moments with me over my years of practice I haven’t had to make them feel bad to achieve it

omegal - I SO agree with you.
As a retired psychologist with qualifications and many years experience in the public sector (free) I could probably make a fortune if I went private.
The trouble is - it's difficult to find a true friend these days, and families have spread so much that support has gone.
That's why we're lucky to have Gransnet.
Therapies for physical things are a different matter, more worth paying for.

No wonder NHS are overloaded with waiting lists for therapists . A loy of people cannot afford those prices.

What do you pay your hairdresser or nail technician I wonder?

Therapy is an expensive business as it is usually ongoing for a long time with no real progress being made. You would be better off talking to close friends who you can trust or a vicar who is trained in dealing with peoples problems and has years of experience. You could also look at charities such as MIND

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

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.