Free Therapy?

Hi Everyone,
Before I moved my friend who's a psychologist commented that she wished I could have therapy for free. She said that often therapists have a couple slots where they can see someone totally free, because they have some other slots where some people pay more than the regular fee or something. Anyway, she said she had a client that she sees for free.
I went on psychology today and found a few therapists that I think could help me. But how in the world do I bring up this free thing? I wanted to ask my friend, and e-mailed her a while ago but she hasn't responded.
Because my other option is to see an intern therapist for like 20 dollars or under. I'd rather see a therapist with more experience and training. Anyone else have experience working with intern therapists? I know the fee is low, but what's the quality of their therapy work like?
Thanks.

My experience with interns from a masters in counseling or MSW program has been good. I've worked with students from USF and UCF. They are updated on new counseling theories and are motivated to practice their new skills. It is true that experience is very important in the craft of therapy. But interns have a lot of enthusiasm. NOW having said that, MY personal therapist is 70 with 45 years of clinical experience

I worked with an intern therapist once. It was the wrong type of therapy for me but she was perfectly competent!

I don't see an intern, but I see a pre-licensed therapist. I've been seeing him for almost five months, and I think he's great so far. Interns are under a lot of supervision, so I would think you would still get high quality work from them. The biggest concern I would have with an intern is how long does their internship last? If you only need something short term then it shouldn't be an issue.

Thanks both of you! That gives me confidence that should I get with an intern therapist, it might work out. I'm still interested in the "free therapy" and whether anyone else has experienced that at all.

I went to therapy through the university's mental health clinic where I went to college. My therapist was a doctoral student. He was amazing and really helpful.

Not all therapist offer free services and I would think those that do would be inclined to offer it to clients they already have who suddenly have a difficulty where they cannot pay anymore. Free services are not a great way to go I don't think because you "get what you pay for" and there are all sorts of things that can be imagined/go wrong when one is receiving a service for free; no one is going to work as hard for something where they get nothing in return; even non-profit association personnel get paid, despite caring a whole lot about their particular non-profit/cause.

Your best route might be to find a intern therapist or possibly find someone at a community mental health center. I have done both & had some success. The tdoc I am seeing now has agreed to see me pro bono right now because I was already an established patient of her's and lost all means of income.

Look for ones that say they have a sliding scale. They will talk to you at the first appointment about your finances.

But, honestly, Perna is right. Getting therapy for free can complicate things. The fee helpd create a balance of power. You seem to just want it for as cheap as possible, but I'd definitely recommend paying as much as you can even if it's $20-30. Therapists train and work hard to be able to offer their service.

here in Canada im freevfor seeing a mental health theriapist. I am lucky feel sorry for others

My T has offered to see me if my insurance stopped paying for my twice weekly sessions. I'm a well established patient and he cares for me very much. I'm also bipolar and he said it would be ethically irresponsible not to.

Hi Everyone,
Thanks for all the responses. I'm glad to hear so many of you had good experience with interns. It's good to know if I decide to pursue it that way.
When I was in the state I moved from and all my SSI money was my own, I could pay for therapy no problem. I couldn't pay like $100, but maybe $75 or $80 a session. That was on the person's sliding scale.
Now almost all of my money is going towards the facility I am living in, and residents only get $90 a month. I have some extra money put aside, but want to use it carefully. I don't want to go as cheap as possible just to be cheap. I majored in counseling in college (now I have my doubts about that being a career for me) but that's to say I know some about the work it takes to be in that field.The reason I said $20 or under is that that's the fee that would make sense for something long-term, and I'd still have some money for other things.
Also because I moved I had to totally re-apply for medicade, and haven't even been able to send in the application materials yet because the woman who did that is out of work at the moment.And it turns out that the psychologists who come to this facility don't take medicade just medicare, so I can't even see them. So things are very complicated.

When I first started with my T I told him I was applying for Medicaid but it would take a few monthes to get started. He agreed to see me for free until I got it started. It took about two months before he got paid. Email a few T's explain your situation and see if any are willing to work with your situation like mine did.

When my wife was an intern (she's now a researcher and doesn't practice psychotherapy, except as a volunteer at a rape crisis center), her supervisor told her that almost all interns become better with experience. He also told her that some interns are better on their first day than experienced therapists are on their last, and that in many ways the quality of the therapy is determined by the fit between therapist and client.

So I would encourage you to give the intern thing a shot, you might find a good fit and someone who works well for you. In our community, the psych clinic (where grad students and interns work), they always have a waiting list because they have such a good reputation for providing quality services. I doubt that you will have luck with calling experienced therapists and asking for free services. I know quite a few T's, and they either volunteer at a free clinic/organization or offer reduced fees to clients they already know. They are not usually waiting around for people to call who want their services for free. Sliding scale is a greater possibility. Good luck.