Table of ContentsTable of ContentsExpandHow to Find Free Online TherapyTherapy FundsFinding Local Options for Free TherapyA Word From VerywellView All
Table of ContentsExpandHow to Find Free Online TherapyTherapy FundsFinding Local Options for Free TherapyA Word From VerywellView All
Table of ContentsExpandHow to Find Free Online TherapyTherapy FundsFinding Local Options for Free TherapyA Word From Verywell
Table of ContentsExpand
Expand
How to Find Free Online Therapy
Therapy Funds
Finding Local Options for Free Therapy
A Word From Verywell
View All
The United States is facing a historic mental health crisis,and yet, therapy is harder to access than ever before. And if money is one of your worries or one of the things bringing you to therapy in the first place, the last thing you want is for it to be a strain on your resources.
We’ve rounded up some of the best freeonline therapy servicesand therapy funds extending scholarships for free therapy, including some specifically meant for marginalized communities.
Press Play for Advice On Getting Online Therapy
Free online therapy with licensed professionals can be difficult to find—your searches may turn up services that offer peer support instead. While therapy involves meeting with a licensed mental health professional, peer support means talking with another person (who is trained, but not a professional) who has had the same or similar “lived experience” as you; for example, someone who has the same mental illness or who has faced the same challenges in life.
Know that peer support is also valuable, as studies have shown that it can decrease psychotic symptoms, reduce hospital rates, and lower substance use and depression.However, it is not therapy.
Give an Hour
Members of the military and veterans deal with a rate ofPTSDat twice the rate of the general public.Give an Hourprovides barrier-free, one-on-one counseling to active, guard, and reserve service members and their loved ones.
3 Organizations Providing a Free Lifeline for Healthcare Workers
Therapy Aid Coalition
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, healthcare professionals were under increasing pressure with decreasing resources for years, with physician andnurse burnoutand suicides at unprecedented levels.
Medicaid
If you haveMedicaid(a federal program that covers healthcare costs for those with low income), you may be eligible for free therapy. In fact, the program is the largest payer in the United States for mental health care services.
Just as you might search for a therapist with private pay insurance, you can search online therapy directory sites to see which therapists accept Medicaid. Once you make contact with the therapist, you will want to verify that the services are free.
Clinical Trials
If you are comfortable with being part of a clinical trial, you may be able to get free therapy or psychiatry services this way. Ask your doctor, therapist, or psychiatrist if they know of any trials that are recruiting, or you can useclinicaltrials.govto search for trials in your area for your specific condition (such asdepression,anxiety, orschizophrenia) and the intervention you want (such astherapyorpsychiatry).
Also, as it may be provided at a university hospital setting, the treatment you receive through a trial may be more clinical or sterile than regular outpatient therapy. You may not get treatment at all, as some studies may berandomized controlled trial designand need a control group that does not receive any intervention or receives a known intervention as opposed to the one being studied in the trial.
Those interested inpsychedelic-assisted therapiesmay want to look into the many current studies investigating their efficacy. If the treatment is psychedelic or another psychotherapy that includes medication, be sure to consult with your doctor if this is a good idea for you or not.
While these are not services or sites directly providing free online therapy, a therapy fund can be thought of as a scholarship for therapy. If you are part of a marginalized group, there are several options for you.
Loveland Foundation
The Loveland Foundationspecifically works with therapists who charge lower fees so that the recipients may be able to continue after their free sessions are completed.
National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color
The Mental Health Fund for Queer and Trans Black, Indigenous and People of Color(QTBIPOC) was started in 2017 as a response to the increased violence against these populations following the 2016 presidential election.
Here are some other ways for you to find free therapy near you:
Free therapy may be difficult to find, but not impossible. If you are in need of free mental health services, look into these options; they might give you the treatment you need in the short-term and lead to more affordable services in the long-term.
What Is a Sliding Scale for Therapy?
5 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Koonin LM.Trends in the use of telehealth during the emergence of the covid-19 pandemic — united states, january–march 2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2020;69. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6943a3Bellamy C, Schmutte T, Davidson L.An update on the growing evidence base for peer support. Mental Health and Social Inclusion. 2017;21(3):161-167. doi:10.1108/MHSI-03-2017-0014Müller J, Ganeshamoorthy S, Myers J.Risk factors associated with posttraumatic stress disorder in US veterans: A cohort study. PLoS One. 2017;12(7):e0181647. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0181647Amanullah S, Ramesh Shankar R.The impact of covid-19 on physician burnout globally: a review. Healthcare (Basel). 2020;8(4):E421. doi:10.3390/healthcare8040421Behavioral health in medicaid program–people, use and expenditures. MACPAC.
5 Sources
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Koonin LM.Trends in the use of telehealth during the emergence of the covid-19 pandemic — united states, january–march 2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2020;69. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6943a3Bellamy C, Schmutte T, Davidson L.An update on the growing evidence base for peer support. Mental Health and Social Inclusion. 2017;21(3):161-167. doi:10.1108/MHSI-03-2017-0014Müller J, Ganeshamoorthy S, Myers J.Risk factors associated with posttraumatic stress disorder in US veterans: A cohort study. PLoS One. 2017;12(7):e0181647. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0181647Amanullah S, Ramesh Shankar R.The impact of covid-19 on physician burnout globally: a review. Healthcare (Basel). 2020;8(4):E421. doi:10.3390/healthcare8040421Behavioral health in medicaid program–people, use and expenditures. MACPAC.
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Koonin LM.Trends in the use of telehealth during the emergence of the covid-19 pandemic — united states, january–march 2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2020;69. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6943a3Bellamy C, Schmutte T, Davidson L.An update on the growing evidence base for peer support. Mental Health and Social Inclusion. 2017;21(3):161-167. doi:10.1108/MHSI-03-2017-0014Müller J, Ganeshamoorthy S, Myers J.Risk factors associated with posttraumatic stress disorder in US veterans: A cohort study. PLoS One. 2017;12(7):e0181647. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0181647Amanullah S, Ramesh Shankar R.The impact of covid-19 on physician burnout globally: a review. Healthcare (Basel). 2020;8(4):E421. doi:10.3390/healthcare8040421Behavioral health in medicaid program–people, use and expenditures. MACPAC.
Koonin LM.Trends in the use of telehealth during the emergence of the covid-19 pandemic — united states, january–march 2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2020;69. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6943a3
Bellamy C, Schmutte T, Davidson L.An update on the growing evidence base for peer support. Mental Health and Social Inclusion. 2017;21(3):161-167. doi:10.1108/MHSI-03-2017-0014
Müller J, Ganeshamoorthy S, Myers J.Risk factors associated with posttraumatic stress disorder in US veterans: A cohort study. PLoS One. 2017;12(7):e0181647. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0181647
Amanullah S, Ramesh Shankar R.The impact of covid-19 on physician burnout globally: a review. Healthcare (Basel). 2020;8(4):E421. doi:10.3390/healthcare8040421
Behavioral health in medicaid program–people, use and expenditures. MACPAC.
Hannah Owens, LMSW
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