Between the recent news of several celebrity suicides, a new CDC report that found an over 25 percent increase in suicides since 1999, and the at times overwhelming state of our current world, the topic of mental health has been on a lot of people’s minds recently.
In 2015, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) reported that nearly one in five Americans struggle with mental illness each year, with numbers much higher for vulnerable groups including LGBTQIA+ individuals, people of color (especially Indigenous folks), veterans, and people with disabilities.
Still, of the entire American population, only 41 percent of those struggling with mental health concerns received treatment or services according to that same NAMI survey. One of the major reasons for this disparity is the lack of affordable, accessible mental health services and health care in the US.
With the average therapy session running at around $150-200 per hour for people without insurance, it’s not surprising that so many people are not getting the care that they need.
Fortunately, there are a number of different free and lower cost services available to help people struggling with mental health issues get access to the care they need and deserve. Here, we’re going to explore some free and low-cost options for mental health care and services.
This is what you’ll get in this guide:
4 of our best tips for accessing mental health care
55+ free or low-cost options for getting support for your mental health concerns
Essentially, some therapists and counselors will give you a reduced rate based on your income, which can be extra helpful if you don’t have insurance coverage or if your copay is too high.
For some, speaking with peers rather than-- or in addition to-- traditional therapy can feel especially comforting. Check with your local church, LGBTQIA+ center, or other neighborhood organizations to see if they offer any type of free support groups.
Check with your local or state health department to see what services they provide for mental health and substance use. You can find a directory of state health departments here.
See if there are natural treatments that you can use to supplement your current treatment or to support you through a difficult time. Yoga, meditation, and breathing are all great and typically free or low-cost ways to fight anxiety and depression. Natural supplements like St. John’s Wort, fish oil, and CBD products can also be helpful.
One of the more recent interventions in mental health care is the increasing availability of text, phone, chat, and video counseling. These services are not only less expensive because they require less overhead, but are also a flexible solution for people who have a hard time getting to a brick and mortar office every week. Check these out:
Betterhelp users get matched with a counselor who can provide live phone or video sessions as well as unlimited text messaging. Unlike normal therapy sessions, you pay a flat rate of $35-80 per week (in-person therapy typically runs from $150-250 or more per session) and have unlimited access to your counselor via text with no additional charges based on how often you message.
Betterhelp also offers these platforms with same rates and terms tailored to your specific needs:
MyTherapist: Connects users with board-certified therapists for sessions and unlimited text messaging.
Regain: A service that focuses specifically on couples and relationship therapy.
Pride Counseling: Betterhelp’s platform with counselors who work with the LGBTQIA+ community.
Faithful Counseling: Offers online and phone counseling for people of the Christian faith.
Talkspace offers a very similar service to Betterhelp and MyTherapist, giving you unlimited text access with once-daily responses from your counselor. You get matched with counselors based on your responses to an initial survey, then choose a plan from $49-79 per week, with the most expensive plan getting you four live 30-min counseling sessions per week.
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Online-Therapy.com is a platform that connects users with an online counselor, a daily journal and activity plan, tests to track your progress, and a chat forum to talk with other users. Like the previous programs, you sign up for a subscription plan that ranges from $39.95-79.95 per week billed monthly and gets you daily communication and unlimited messaging with your counselor. Get 20% off your first month when you sign up.
Users can sign up for Live Health Online and select either a therapist or psychologist to meet with online. Their rates are range from $80-95 per 45-minute session, which is significantly lower than most rates for in-person therapy.
Presto Experts has a database of mental health professionals available for counseling via chat or over the phone. Unlike traditional therapy sessions, you only pay for the time that you spend in the session and you can choose how much or little time you want to chat. New clients can get 25% off their first session, or find other deals here.
The Centre for Interactive Mental Health Solutions (CIMHS) is a nonprofit that offers a free interactive and self-paced program for users based on the principles of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). The program is intended to help folks struggling with depression and lasts until you’ve completed all eight sessions.
7 Cups exclusively provides text-based counseling. Once you’re matched with a therapist, you can send unlimited text messages and get responses once or twice per day, Monday through Friday. Users get a free three-day trial to see if the service is a good fit, then pay a $150 monthly fee that you can cancel anytime.
iPrevail connects users with trained peer specialists who have been taught the basics of CBT. While their specialists aren’t a replacement for professionally-trained therapists or counselors, they can offer support and a listening ear.
Plans start at $9.99 per month, and you can earn rewards for completing levels of their program. Plus, once you’ve completed a certain number of programs, you can sign up to become a peer counselor and earn money for chatting with others.
eVideo Counselor offers video counseling from highly-qualified therapists. Most of their customers get coverage for sessions through their insurance plan, so this may be a good option if you prefer the flexibility of video counseling and have a plan that will cover it.
Breakthrough also provides users with options for online video counseling, most of which are covered by insurance. For those who don’t have insurance, you can opt to do sessions as short as 15 minutes to save on hourly rates.
While there’s no true replacement for a real, live professional when it comes to your mental health, these chat rooms and bots can still be a tremendous relief if you need to vent, need someone to talk to, or want very basic information on how to manage your mental health:
BlahTherapy lets you connect with peers through their online chat service. You can sign in as a “venter” or a “listener” and have a conversation with a stranger.
HealthfulChat offers an online peer support forum with chat rooms for people struggling with various mental illnesses.
Woebot, an AI chat robot, is specifically trained to work with you based on the principles of CBT. You can chat via Facebook messenger or get the app. The bot asks you questions over a series of weeks to gauge where you’re at and make suggestions based on observed patterns.
Wysa is a newer chatbot that incorporates CBT, DBT, meditation, yoga, breathing exercises, and motivational interviewing to help users work through their emotions. You can use the bot for free anytime on their website, however if you’d like to access their Wysa Coach which learns about you and works with you in an ongoing way, they have monthly subscriptions available for $29.99.
Eliza is another computer therapist chatbot. She’s a bit less advanced than Woebot, but also offers useful advice when you speak specifically about yourself and your feelings.
If you’re looking to find a therapist in your area who meets your financial needs and specializes in the issues that are important to you, these free websites can help:
Psychology Today has thousands of profiles for therapists, psychiatrists, support groups, and treatments centers that are searchable by insurance, issue, gender, sexuality, faith, and a number of other factors.
GoodTherapy.org boasts thousands of profiles from verified professionals. In addition to searching by location, gender, insurance, and other factors, this site allows you to look for practitioners who offer sliding scale services.
Therapy Tribe is another free site that helps you search for qualified therapists based on your location and the issues you’d like to address, though their advanced search options are somewhat limited. The Tribe also offers peer-to-peer support communities, called “tribes,” where you can connect online with others who are struggling with the same concerns you are.
Network Therapy is a free listing site that offers pretty similar search options to the others as well as a mental health library and resource center.
In addition to being a podcast, Therapy for Black Girls offers a directory of therapists who specialize in working with black women and girls.
Find CBT has listings of therapists who specialize in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
A test or screening tool should never be used in place of a diagnosis from a professional. However, these sites can help you get a baseline understanding of your mental health to determine whether or not seeking professional help is the right choice for you:
Mental Health Screening provides users with local options for screening, an anonymous online test, and resources to help you if you’ve decided to seek out treatment.
Mental Health America has a series of tests that can help you determine whether you are experiencing certain disorders and the severity.
In addition to their provider listings, Psychology Today has a 15-20 minute survey that screens for eight different psychological concerns.
ULifeline offers an evaluation screening specifically aimed at college students.
Web MD's symptom checker can help you determine what issues you may be struggling with, then offers further information including symptoms, causes, and treatment for different mental health issues.
Another revolution in mental health care is the increasing prevalence of apps that can help you track and manage your mental health. These apps can help you, especially in moments where you don’t have access to professional assistance:
Mindfulness and meditation are ancient practices that have been used throughout different cultures to promote physical and emotional wellbeing. Scientists have recently jumped on the meditation bandwagon, with researchers at Harvard showing promising results in the ability of mindfulness and meditation to reduce stress and promote clearer thinking. These apps can help you learn how to meditate and incorporate mindfulness into your daily routine:
The free app Happify has you fill out a basic survey to determine the best track for you, then offers daily games, activities, and exercises to help you move towards your goals. If you’re encouraged by others, you can share your progress with the Happify community, or you can keep your achievements private. According to their data, 86% of users had improved positive feelings with eight weeks of consistent use.
Insight Timer is a completely free app with close to 10,000 guided meditations and boasts over four million users. One of the cooler features is the timer feature which allows you to set a custom time for your meditations and select music, interval signals, and soothing alarm noises to let you know when your time is up.
Headspace offers a free app and online portal to help you learn how to practice meditation and mindfulness. Users are introduced to the basics of meditation (both guided and solo) and can complete exercises in breathing and mindfulness. If you want to access all of their materials, hey do have a subscription fee of $12.99 per month, but you can save by purchasing an annual or lifetime membership. You can also get up to 3 months free with one of these discount codes.
With The Mindfulness App, users can take a five-day introductory course in meditation, plus get timed silent and guided meditations with daily reminders during a free week-long trial. After your free trial, you’ll switch over to the premium subscription to get unlimited access to over 200 courses and meditations which you can also purchase individually. Save almost $60 when you choose an annual subscription versus a monthly one.
Mindshift is a free app specifically aimed at teens, adolescents, and young adults struggling with stress and anxiety. It helps you assess your symptoms and emotions, then offers exercises, information, and strategies to help you “chill out.”
The Worry Box allows you to write down the things you’re worried or stressed about and set them away in an animated box. Once you’ve done that, you determine whether your worries are in or out of your control and complete different exercises to help you cope. They also have relaxation audios that you can listen to during moments of stress.
Self-help For Anxiety Management is a free app created by university psychologists and computer scientists University of West England that helps you learn about and put self-help tools into practice. They offer 25 different self-help options to suit your various needs.
Worry Watch is a $2.99 app that helps you to record, track, and find patterns in your experiences with worry and anxiety. It encourages you to use common techniques to record, reflect, reason, realize, and, ultimately, refute your negative and anxious thoughts.
Moods allows you to simply record your moods on a regular basis so that you can track them.
iCBT helps you by encouraging you to write down your negative thoughts, process them, and rethink them, a staple of the CBT model. You can download it for $5.99.
The free app nOCD is based on proven psychological methods can help you when you’re in an episode or just assist you in keeping track of your daily life. It offers a tracking function based on weekly tests, exercises that can help, and a community tool where you can connect with other app users.
GGOC is another app for folks with OCD that specifically helps you learn to identify and record negative self-talk and replace it with neutral or positive statements, with the objective of helping you learn to do this automatically.
DBSA Wellness Tracker is a free app specifically for folks struggling with depression and bipolar by helping you keep tabs your moods which are then turned into visual aids that make it easier for you to find patterns and triggers.
The DBT Diary Card and Skills Coach is for folks with bipolar. This app can help you learn the basics of dialectical behavioral therapy, one of the most effective treatments for bipolar. Users can access a reference manual, track their behavior through diary cards, and learn coping techniques from the built in skills coach.
Sober Grid is a geolocation app that helps connect you with other sober people in your area, including the Burning Desire feature that lets others around you know that you need some help in fighting off a craving. You can also track your progress and earn badges for sober milestones.
In addition to helping you track your days sober or not sober, Sober Tool has a money tracker that lets you see how much money you’ve saved by not using. It also trains you in sobriety by giving you a process to run through when you’re struggling or craving.
Operation Reach Out is designed to help veterans who are experiencing suicidal thoughts. The app contains numbers that you can call if you’re in crisis, as well as short video vignettes that can help you find hope and encouragement.
In addition to their advocacy, the National Association on Mental Illness (NAMI) has an education portal that learn more about mental health conditions, their warning signs, treatment options, and information on the latest science and research. Check out their Find Support page if you’re looking for help.
Mental Health America is another great nonprofit with chapters around the country. Their main resources are a comprehensive screening tool to help you assess your mental health needs and a listing of support resources to help you figure out next steps and get you started.
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) is a nonprofit dedicated to providing education, wellness tools (including research, tools, and treatment ideas), and peer support for people experiencing depression and/or bipolar. Check out their online support groups for a free way to get assistance and support from your peers.
In addition to their education, research, and advocacy work, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) has a number of resources available for people who are struggling with suicidal thoughts as well as their family members and friends. Their interactive Find Support tool can help you find the specific resources that will be useful for you.
The International OCD Foundation helps folks struggling with OCD through events and programming, educational resources, and an online directory of providers, support groups, and treatment centers.
If you’re in crisis, there are tons of free options that can help you find relief and figure out next steps. These are a few you can consider calling, texting, or messaging if you’re experiencing distress:
This free 24/7 hotline provides confidential support for folks who are in distress, as well as crisis and prevention resources for those who aren’t in immediate danger. 1-800-273-8255.
If you’re currently struggling or in crisis, you can text the Crisis Text Line with CONNECT to 741741 to text with a counselor who can help.
Mental Health Helpline offers a free 24/7 chat line and phone hotline at (855) 653-8178 with licensed psychologists who can give you general advice, find resources in your area, and help you arrange appointments with providers near you.
In addition to their other services, The Trevor Project has free text, chat, and phone lines at 866-488-7386 with counselors that can help you if you’re feeling suicidal, are in crisis, or just need someone to listen.
NAMI has a free 24/7 text service for users in crisis to receive counseling and for folks who are struggling to get information on warning signs, treatment options, education and job resources, and local support services near you. Text NAMI to 741-741 to get in touch.
If you’re struggling with a mental health issue, know that your experience is valid and that you are deserving of care and sensitivity. This list is only a start, but these free and low-cost options can help you find relief, whether it’s a listening ear or something as simple as an app that reminds you to take a moment to breathe. Don’t be afraid to reach out and seek help.
Be sure to keep up with the Dealspotr blog for more useful information updated regularly.
