Therapy is wildly unregulated in most
places. There are people who work for free or very low fees and others who charge a fortune.
We’re all careful with money, right? So you would be sensible to ask, why pay for therapy at all?
#1 Expertise Takes Training = Expensive. I’m a level 7 registered counsellor and psychotherapist, which is about the highest you can go; only a PhD is higher at a level 8.
My training consists of a Bachelor's degree, and a Master's degree. Aside from the classes, the Master’s degree included over 1,000 hours of unpaid internships, including 300 hours of therapy work supervised by other level 7s.
The training takes 6 to 7 years, and it costs a fortune. Part of the fees you pay goes to recoup my investment in my training. I also need to eat!
The upside for you is this: quality.
Many charities and services offer mental health services but don't actually have anyone who is properly trained. As most countries allow anyone to practice, terms like 'our trained therapists' may mean someone who's read a book or taken a weekend course.
Of course, some of these people can be very helpful some of the time! But there's also a dangerous downside. As they aren't trained, they will have trouble identifying issues and identifying evidence based best practice approaches.
Think of it in terms of plumbing. If you want to change a tap, you might be okay with a mate who has a spanner and who can read an instruction pamphlet. But would you let them install a new bathroom? Probably not.
I’m a quality plumber. The kind you trust to put in the bathroom complete with jacuzzi bath and fancy sink.
#2 There’s Prep. You talk for an hour and stop. I put the notes together, invoice, and before we talk next time, I read the notes and prep. It takes time.
There’s other admin that comes with running a business, like doing my taxes, keeping my professional paperwork going and more, so your fees also contribute to paying for those overheads.
My professional memberships alone cost me £350 year, so the first 100 hours I work I don’t see a penny. I could drop them, but then it makes connecting with new clients harder.
#3 Training Never Stops. Every job involves constant learning but psychology is particularly intensive.
I do constant journal sweeps as well as
reading new publications, attending lectures, and taking short courses. It
costs money to stay current.
OK, So Why Are You Cheaper Than Your Peers?
Level 7s typically charge £70 to £100 for 50 minutes so I could charge a lot more and work fewer hours. Sadly, I have this pesky vision that mental health services should be reasonably affordable.
Therefore, I work on McDonald’s economic principles: lower margins but more people. It means I work a bit more but I like my work so that’s okay.
I keep costs down by working online from home. I don’t have extra rent, a personal assistant, and I do my own marketing too.
When I’m older though, I plan to put up my prices and work a lot less. So hire me while I’m affordable 😊
