Can I Talk to a Therapist for Free?

Finding ongoing therapy for free is not easy, though local support groups, city or state or non-profit organizations do offer options. Contacting your local city outreach or searching the internet using local search terms might help you locate some free or low cost therapy options.

Free Immediate Help

If you need to talk to someone right now there are a number of great options. The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is free, available around the clock, and you can call or text it for any kind of distress, not only a life-threatening emergency.

The Crisis Text Line is another option. Text HOME to 741741 from anywhere in the United States – 24/7, free, confidential. Crisis Text Line is here for you. A live, trained volunteer Crisis Counselor will receive your text and respond with care and compassion. They’re here to listen, support you, and help you move from a hot moment to a cool calm.

SAMHSA has a list of help lines around mental health and substance use. Their suicide and crisis lifeline can be reached 24/7 by calling or texting 988.

Community Support Groups

There are options for local community based help groups as well. The National Alliance on Mental Illness has support groups that you can join. You can search by state and find something near you. 7 Cups offers free chat with what they call active listeners who are volunteers, not therapists. There is also a community group where people connect online. Additionally, they also have is paid therapy available. I do have to say I have heard very mixed reviews of the site.

Low Cost Ongoing Therapy

For some other options for ongoing care at low or potentially no cost, look at community mental health centers, university training clinics where supervised graduate students see clients on a sliding scale, and Open Path Collective, which connects people with therapists at reduced rates. If you have insurance, check your benefits before ruling out paid care. Your actual cost after coverage is often lower than the advertised rate suggests.

Traditional Therapy

Finding the right therapist for you can often be free. Many private practices, including mine, offer a free consultation. Mine is 20 minutes, and it’s a conversation about what’s going on and whether we’re a fit, not a therapy session.

Many psychologists, therapists and counselors will offer sliding scale rates for some individuals, so its worth asking about that when you contact someone. Ever wonder what the difference is between the different types of therapists? Here is an article on the difference between a psychologist and a therapist.

Here is an article that covers what you should consider talking about during therapy. The article includes some tips on what topics to bring up especially if your feeling stuck and what you should and maybe should not talk about during therapy.