If you are Uninsured

While it is easy to assume that not having health insurance would automatically make therapy too expensive for you, that may not be the case, and it is important to explore all of your options:

• Group therapy can be an excellent way to keep therapy costs down, especially if there is one specific topic that you would like to address in therapy. Group therapy typically consists of one therapist and a group of patients who meet to discuss a shared concern, whether that is managing anxiety, recovering from addiction, coping with post-traumatic stress disorder, or finding ways to deal with insomnia. To access Psychology Today's directory of Support Groups, click here.
  
• Try consulting a Training Clinic. Training clinics are facilities where graduate students training to be social workers, counselors, or therapists practice therapy under the supervision of someone who is licensed, typically on a college or university campus. Depending on the program, you may be able to access no-cost or low-cost services. The Association of Psychology Training Clinics maintains a list of training clinics across the United States, which you can find here.
  
• Community Mental Health Clinics, run by nonprofit organizations or the state in which you live, can be quite affordable. The New Jersey Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) provides directories to local screening centers, county mental health administrators, community mental health services, and more.
  
• Sliding-scale Services: many therapists offer their services on a sliding scale, meaning that you can speak to them about your income and financial responsibilities, and they may offer their services at a lower cost to you than they ordinarily would.

Resources to try:

• AYANA Therapy: Online Therapy for Marginalized and Intersectional Communities
  
• BetterHelp offers access to licensed, trained, experienced, and accredited psychologists, marriage and family therapists, clinical social workers, and board licensed professional counselors. All BetterHelp sessions are virtual, using text chatting or video chatting, depending on the plan you choose.
  
• The National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network (NQTTCN) is a healing justice organization committed to transforming mental health for queer and trans people of color (QTPoC). NQTTCN envisions a world where all people have access to healing resources rooted in social justice and liberation to recover from trauma, violence, and systemic oppression. They specifically acknowledge the harm and violence perpetuated by the medical-industrial complex and actively work to both intervene directly on this system as well as create new systems of care for communities.
• Open Path Psychotherapy Collective: a directory therapists who provide sliding scale therapy sessions ($30-60 for individuals and $30-80 for couples and families) for low-income people with no health insurance. Note: a lifetime membership fee of $59 is required before connecting with a therapist
• Psychology Today Directory: can be used for finding therapists, psychologists, support groups, treatment centers, and teletherapy
• The Secular Therapy Project: Join a network of clients seeking therapists who use state-of-the-art, non-religious methods.
• Talkspace: All Talkspace sessions are virtual, using text chatting or video chatting, depending on the plan you choose.
• Therapy for Black Girls is an online space dedicated to encouraging the mental wellness of Black women and girls. It hosts a directory of Black women therapists across the United States
  

If you are Insured

Your insurance provider's website will have many resources to help you understand how you can access therapy and other mental health resources. Many providers also have phone numbers you can dial to find out the same information. You can often find lists of in-network therapists and details about what services are and are not covered by visiting the provider's website or calling the provider.

Sometimes, you may find a therapist or other mental health provider who does not accept insurance. Even so, some health insurance companies will still reimburse your payments if you fill out the appropriate paperwork. Check your policy to find out whether this applies to you.

Resources to Try:

• National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network (NQTTCN) is a healing justice organization committed to transforming mental health for queer and trans people of color (QTPoC). NQTTCN envisions a world where all people have access to healing resources rooted in social justice and liberation to recover from trauma, violence, and systemic oppression. They specifically acknowledge the harm and violence perpetuated by the medical-industrial complex and actively work to both intervene directly on this system as well as create new systems of care for communities.
• The Secular Therapy Project: Join a network of clients seeking therapists who use state-of-the-art, non-religious methods.
  
• Psychology Today Directory: can be used for finding therapists, psychologists, support groups, treatment centers, and teletherapy
• Therapy for Black Girls is an online space dedicated to encouraging the mental wellness of Black women and girls. It hosts a directory of Black women therapists across the United States
  

Therapy Modalities

A therapy modality is a type of framework or set of strategies that mental health professionals use to treat their clients. A therapist might specialize in one or several different modalities. Some of the most common modalities today are cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), internal family systems therapy, and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, but there are many more. Some modalities are better for certain conditions, and some people simply have a preference for certain modalities over others. If you want to learn more about modalities, visit Psychology Today's Types of Therapy glossary. 

Things to Remember

• Therapy is strictly confidential. In general, it is illegal for your therapist or other licensed mental health provider to share any information about what you discuss in your sessions and or even to verify to someone else whether or not you are their client. You can always feel free to ask a current or potential therapist more about their policies. There are a few situations where a therapist may have to break confidentiality:
• If the client may be an immediate danger to himself or others
• If the client is endangering a population that cannot protect itself, such as the case of child or elder abuse
• To share diagnosis information as necessary to obtain payment for services
  
• If you are seeking telehealth or virtual therapy, it is important that the platform that your therapist or counselor uses is secure. Many telehealth platforms are encrypted or otherwise protected. Be sure to ask your provider how they protect your data if your therapy is taking place over the Internet. 
  
• It is reasonable to switch therapists if you would like a better fit. Sometimes, even when the client and the therapist are trying their best, there can be a mismatch for a number of reasons. In this situation, you can directly bring up your concerns to your therapist and request that they refer you to another provider.
• "8 Subtle Signs Your Therapist Isn't A Great Fit for You"
• "The Hero's Journey: Finding Therapy that Fits"
  
• Conversion therapy, or therapy meant to stop someone from being lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender, is recognized as a form of abuse and is not grounded in science. Several states and jurisdictions, including New Jersey, have banned conversion therapy for minors, with the District of Columbia being the only jurisdiction that also bans conversion therapy for adults.
• Boy Erased: A Memoir of Identity, Faith, and Family by Garrard Conley
  

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