[joshwendt]

are there psychologists/therapists that dont cost a lot of money to see? I dont think that my parents want to pay for me to see a psychologist (even though I need to).

Josh, some health clinics include free therapists through their community health team as support for their medical patients. Check that out. It seems to be a new thing that most people are unaware of. Blessings.

[InRealLife45]

Originally Posted by joshwendt

are there psychologists/therapists that dont cost a lot of money to see? I dont think that my parents want to pay for me to see a psychologist (even though I need to).

how old are you? you can probably qualify for low income/sliding scale services from therapists in training.

[Argonautomobile]

Hi Josh. There's no doubt about it that therapy can be very expensive. That said, yes, there should be affordable options out there. I wish I knew more about the system in Australia, and hopefully someone here knows more about it.

I don't know how old you are, but I get the impression that you're young--still at school. If so, that would be one place to start. Is there a counselor there you can talk to, or someone who can give you a referral?

General health practitioners can also give referrals and look into any medical causes of psychological issues. You can always run a google search for psychologists in your area and see if any have sliding-scale payment options. Maybe there is even a free/cheap clinic that'll pop up if you google something like "free counseling services Brisbane"

Above all, though, I think it may be time to talk to your parents about this. No, I don't expect it will be easy or fun. But, hey, you've got to do what you've got to do to get the help you need.

I wish you the best of luck.

I see you are in australia go to your gp and ask for a mental health care plan and you get 10 medicare rebated sessions its not a lot but it helps

[RedSun]

Certainly in the UK there are mental health centres which have volunteer therapists, usually trainees getting their hours to qualify. Not psychologists though, but if your issue is not medically or cognitively based then a psychotherapist would be great.

It's worth googling training colleges for psychotherapy and emailing to ask where their students go on placement, because those places should be very low cost. Same for counselling, which would not be as in depth or theory based as Psychotherapy (and is also for short term issues not ongoing problems) but might be really helpful even as a stopgap.

[ThingWithFeathers]

Originally Posted by Bipolarartist

I see you are in australia go to your gp and ask for a mental health care plan and you get 10 medicare rebated sessions its not a lot but it helps

Yes, this. I see a psychologist for 10 sessions a year. If you have special needs (for example csa, dv, aod, or a disability) there are not-for-profit organisations that can provide more sessions as needed. I see a t who specialises in csa, sa and dv once a week, as well as a psychologist and Mental Health nurse. All are free.

[Mygrandjourney]

I'm not sure how your health care systems differ from those in the US, but there are various options, including the ones that have already been suggested, such as looking at graduate programs in clinical psychology, counseling, social work, in your area. There is a program here (not sure it's available in other countries) called the Open Path Collective in which therapists have all agreed on a charge of $50.00 USD per session. I know that might be expensive, but it's much less than the typical rate a therapist will charge in private practice. Good luck getting your needs met!