Can't afford therapy anymore :(

My T had been giving me a discount on my therapy and then after I upset him, he raised his fee to the full fee for me to pay. Then, he was letting me make payments on the therapy. But now, he said he can't see me unless I have the full fee which is $180 for 45 minutes and $130 for 30 minutes.

I feel shattered. It's a bad time for me to be without therapy.

I'm not sure what to do next.

Your T has been very actively trying to make therapy uncomfortable and undoable for you for awhile. My guess is that he doesn't have the gumption to refer you out and terminate with you properly so he's hoping to force your out through discomfort and financial means. Honestly, you seem to need to find a completely different therapist more suited to meet your needs.

Many therapists will see clients on a sliding scale based off the clients income ... If that's still more than you feel you can afford, try your local city, county or state government to see what they have to offer ... United Way can also make some reasonable referrals in your area.

Most private therapists that do accept sliding scale will see you for $35 dollars a session, and when I had to go through the county, weekly sessions and monthly medication refills were only $5.00.

As painful as this is, sometimes a change is good - even if you can't see that right now!

Wishing you the best on your healing journey!

Sincerely,
Pfrog!

Thanks.

I'm just trying to heal. I am so hurt by my T and the way he has treated me.

I need to believe that I deserve better.

I dread the T search though.

He told me he would see me when I had the money to pay for a session. He said that all his other patients pay for their sessions at the time of service but he had made an exception for me and he didn't want to do that anymore. Which I can totally understand. Plus, I was running up a big balance.

I keep crying at random times. I feel like staying in bed and not getting out of bed.

*hugs*. That sounds really rough... I'm so sorry.

You might try this site: Open Path Psychotherapy Collective

Therapists who agree to see clients for a low fee register there. I think you have to pay to "join" the site (a one-time fee), but you should be able to see if there are any therapists listed in your area before paying, and who they are (so you can see if you think they'd be a good match).

I haven't used it at all... just saw it listed somewhere else online. So I can't vouch for it, but it might be worth a try to find someone who can help?

Again, I'm so sorry...

I am so sorry. How hurtful
My ex t did this to me too.
I agree with Lolagrace.

You can also try NAMI. I go to free DBSA meetings.

Can your family doctor help you find a new therapist?

I know you feel comfort with your T, but it sounds like he's trying for force you out. It's like he doesn't have the courage to end the therapy or transfer you.
I think you should take the steps mentioned by other people, (I'm not in the US so in terms of money I'm clueless) but he doesn't sound like he's helping you, it sounds like he's upsetting you more lately than helping you.

Until you find someone new or work out what you want to do, I'll be here so you can vent, rant or message me. I'll always listen x

I used to see sliding scale therapist. I was only making 35k or so and my sessions were $45. You don't need to see expensive therapist. Also do you not have health insurance? I remember you said you have it so it is not covering therapy?

Have you talked to your doctor about it? You said your doctor was sending you inpatient? Did you ever go?

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I haven't been able to pay my health insurance payment this month so my insurance is going to lapse. I wasn't able to go inpatient.

He says he can see me as long as I have the funds to pay upfront.

65 for a 15 minute med check
130 for 30 minutes
and 180 for 45 minutes

He said that his problem in his life is that he has always been overaccomodating to people and that he wanted to charge all of his patients the same.

I don't think he's trying to force me out becasue I just had a 15 minute with him for a med check and he was genuine when he said that it was good to see me. We had a good session. We laughed a lot.

He charges you $65 for a 15 minute check up? Then spends it laughing. What does he do during those 15 minutes that justifies the cost? I am confused. He doesn't have sliding scale? Do you work? Then your employer takes premium out of your pay check? Or are you on disability? Can you apply for government assistance?

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This is all ridiculously expensive. No wonder you can't afford it.
And 65 dollars for 15 minutes??? Seriously? Unbelievable.

He's a psychiatrist so his fees are higher.

I'm not working now and it's so hard.

Those are pretty standard psychiatrist fees. Why not consider a regular therapist? It would be much less expensive, and you might find someone more willing and able to meet you where you need.

The T that I wanted to go see who would take my insurance won't communicate back with me ever since I missed the initial consultation appointment because I was sick with pneumonia. I really, really wanted to see him. We did a phone consultation and he was someone that I felt that I could click with. So I'm kind of disappointment that he won't talk to me even after I explained my pneumonia situation. So maybe that worked out for the best. If he wouldn't listen to me then, then that same thing may cause problelms down the road. I realize that it was an inconvenience to him, but the pneumonia was not my fault.

I probably won't have insurance after this month because I can't afford that either. It's either my car insurance or health insurance. Things are really stressful and discouraging.

I never went inpatient. I was close to it though because I was in bad shape. I was choosing to go there voluntarily. But I changed my mind.

Can you see a t instead not a pdoc?

Are you looking for a job or government assistance? Are you on unemployment ? I work two jobs and make good money yet 65 for 15 minutes isn't something I can afford. How is it even possible.

Are there jobs where you are at? Vocational rehab? Are you in the US?

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I want to keep my pdoc as a T. I'm looking for a job. I'm in the US. I might have a new job coming up. My T usually runs over when he can so I usually get more time than I pay for but it's still expensive. I have no income at the moment so I'm cut off but I have some money from the death of a family member, so I may be going to T on Wednesday. Right now, it looks like I'm only going to be able to go one time a month but I am still struggling with other bills.

Hopefully you can get a job ASAP.

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