Money matters



Psychotherapy: Publicly funded services and private practice service


Psychotherapy services are provided by professionals who have been through years of training, and typically comes with a considerable cost. We believe that publicly funded psychotherapy should be made more available to the large number of people who need the service; and considering the large amounts of people who actively use the service! The current reality, however, is that publicly funded services are usually not sufficient, and there are often long waiting lists. In some cases, services do not meet the specific needs of the client because of barriers related to language, culture, sexual orientation, and specific experience of the service user; and those related to the nature of the issue, and other personal circumstances.


When publicly funded or subsidized services are not available, private practice service becomes a major option. It is quite interesting to note how most people think about the cost of psychotherapy. According to research, most kinds of conditions requiring psychotherapy take less than 30 sessions; with a significant proportion of them taking less than 12 sessions. In Canada, psychotherapy for most conditions would cost less than CAD $5,000; keep in mind this cost is for all the sessions which occur over time.


Is psychotherapy costing too much? Think of what are the costs of not getting treatment?


A popular response is: “Wow! It’s a lot of money.” But considering the long term and multifaceted effects of mental and psychological problems to a person’s life, this investment is worth it. We are investing in our own personal well-being and life long satisfaction. Without treatment, a person may go through personal suffering (e.g., long term effects of trauma, insomnia, loss, grief, anger, humiliation, hatred), impoverished relationships, compromised performance at work and school, lower quality of life, decreased capacity to enjoy life, and diminished self-esteem, etc. In more severe cases, untreated conditions may result in tragedies such as permanently damaged relationships, loss of employment and/or other valuable life-chances (admission to a university program, promotion, opportunity to develop an intimate relationship, etc.), neglect of self-care leading to major health problems (obvious examples include addiction and pathological gambling), chronic personality and behavioral problems with social consequences (e.g., shoplifting, aggressive behavior, impaired driving), other forms of self-injurious behavior, including anorexia and suicide which can sometimes lead to death.


If we examine our past spending retrospectively, $5000 may not seem that much compared to the amount we paid on fixing cars, fixing roofs, renovating homes or furniture, dental care, designer clothing, cosmetics, jewelry that does not really help our sense of self, expensive audio-video equipments and health and fitness products of variable effectiveness. If we start to recognize the importance of mental health, our scale of what is expensive and what is not is likely to change.


We therefore invite you to seriously consider if you would be willing to spend what actually is a very small portion of your entire asset on yourself. We cannot think of many other spending that can bring such direct and significant benefits to you. Successful psychotherapy could have the following benefits:



Another important fact considering the cost of psychotherapy is its effectiveness. According to research, the majority of people who received psychotherapy has made significant gains and is satisfied with their progress. This includes studies done in clinical settings and surveys of consumers who used the service (Consumers Report, 1995).


It can actually be argued that the money you put into psychotherapy is not just spending. It is investment. Think about this: In a very real and substantial way, you are going to make a lot more out of life with successful psychotherapy. You are investing in yourself and you are the motor that drives your life in specific directions!


Taking up psychotherapy may well be the best financial investment you make in your entire life!