Hi MrAbott. Is the $65 a copay with insurance, or 100% pay? If 100% pay, many Americans would see that as a very reasonable price, I'm afraid. That especially applies compared to therapists in my native New Jersey, many of whom don't even take insurance. With insurance, I was paying about $40 copay for 40 mins. As I no longer live in the US, I'll guess the copay would have likely increased by now. 100% pay would have been around $150 for a therapist with just a Master's degree. For a PhD level, even more. Fees do vary a little throughout the US. New Jersey is expensive!

I now live in Czech Republic. A psychologist who accepts insurance requires no copay. Those that don't accept insurance charge around 500 czk ($23) for 50 minutes. When I first arrived in CZ, before getting insurance, even the psychiatrist I went to charged only 1000 czk as 100% pay for medication checks. Now with health insurance, I pay zero copay. Healthcare is inexpensive here in CZ. It's not a perfect system, but better than in the US, in my view.

I've had more therapists in my life than I can even remember. I'd say that 80% did relatively little or even worse. However, 20% offered me at least some valuable tools and support. A few didn't suit me initially, but after a bit, they did. First impressions aren't always on target.