How Much Does Therapy Cost in San Diego?
Takeaway: Curious about what to expect when investing in mental health care? Here, I’ll break down everything you need to know about the cost of therapy in San Diego, including factors that influence the price, your payment options, and more.
Wondering how much therapy costs in San Diego? Let's break it down so you know what to expect before beginning your mental health journey. Often, searching for a new therapist can involve frustration and confusion- which therapists have availability, take your insurance, and offer the kind of services you are looking for? Sometimes it can be difficult to find the right match. I'm Allison Barton, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Certified EMDR practitioner. I'll walk you through the average cost of therapy in San Diego, including factors that may influence the costs and give you resources to find affordable therapy depending on your mental health concerns.
What’s the average cost of therapy in San Diego?
The cost of therapy is dependent on many factors, including whether the therapist is a private pay therapist or accepts your insurance, what kind of mental health services the therapist offers, and whether you are able to use your out of network benefits with the provider. The cost also depends on the therapist's specialized training, years of experience, and location within San Diego. In general, you can expect to pay between $125-$250 per therapy session in San Diego.
| Type of Therapy | North County | Central San Diego | East County | South County |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Individual Therapy | $180 | $180 | $170 | $170 |
| Couples Therapy | $195 | $195 | $165 | $160 |
| EMDR Therapy | $180 | $195 | $170 | $165 |
| Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) | $175 | $170 | $170 | $180 |
Factors that influence the cost of therapy
The range of cost for therapy services varies throughout San Diego based on location of the therapist and the type of therapy provided. Some factors that influence cost of therapy are whether you are looking for talk therapy, couples therapy, or EMDR therapy. The location of the practice, and whether therapy is in person or online also affects the cost of therapy. Some therapists offer a sliding fee scale, which can make therapy more affordable.
Therapist's Experience and Credentials
There are many different health care providers in San Diego and some have expertise in certain modalities of therapy, which may make working with them more expensive. Something to consider in your search for a therapist is specifically looking for an a therapist who accepts your insurance, which will significantly lowers the cost of therapy. Each therapist sets their rate based on the demand of clients in their practice, so higher fee therapists are often more experienced and in demand. However, if you're working with a more experienced therapist, you may require fewer sessions to meet your therapy goals, which would lower your total expected cost.
Location of the Practice
It goes without saying that the location of the therapy practice you choose will affect the cost of therapy sessions. If you're seeking individual counseling near the ocean, your therapy fees are likely to be higher than if you are seeking therapy inland due to the higher rent the therapist is paying for their office space.
Insurance and Out of Pocket Costs
Insurance can be confusing to understand so lets talk about factors included to help you make an informed choice in your search for a therapist. It is important for you to understand your specific mental health benefits under your insurance coverage, as this varies by insurance plan. When seeking psychotherapy services, you can request a free consultation prior to booking an individual therapy session in order to understand more about the therapist's fees and to see if they are a good fit for your mental health care. Many mental health professionals accept health insurance payments and are considered in network providers, which makes therapy significantly more affordable for you as the client. Still other therapists are out of network providers, meaning that you need to meet the deductible for your insurance plan and are then reimbursed a portion of each session fee by your insurance. You can request a good faith estimate, which is a document the therapist will provide to help you understand the expected charges prior to beginning therapy.
Therapist Expertise and Education
Each therapist has different levels of education and different experience. If you seek therapy from a clinical psychologist, your cost per session will likely be higher due to your therapist having a doctoral degree, and thus more education and higher student loans to consider. Other therapists are practicing with a masters degree, which may mean slightly lower cost per session. Often, seeking therapy from a community mental health clinic can make therapy more affordable due to grants and community contributions, which can be a great option for reduced rates.
How can I pay for therapy?
There are several factors to consider when thinking about how you will pay for therapy services, including OON benefits, whether the therapist has a sliding scale, and whether the therapist accepts insurance. It's important to understand the nuance of the different ways you can pay for therapy in order to make an informed decision. This can be very confusing so lets break it down.
Insurance Provider
Therapist who are accept insurance are contracted through different insurance companies to provide therapy at the rate the insurance company dictates. This means that you will pay your typical copay or coinsurance for each therapy session and your insurance company reimburses the therapist for the difference of the agreed upon rate. For example, if the insurance agrees to pay the therapist $100 per session and the client has a $20 copay, the insurance will pay the therapist the difference of $80.
Out of Network Benefits
If you have a plan that offers out of network benefits, like a PPO plan, you are able to seek therapy from a wider range of mental health professionals. In this case, you will be required to pay for the cost of therapy up front until you reach the deductible for your plan. Once this happens, you will continue to pay for your therapy sessions out of pocket and will be reimbursed a portion of the cost by your insurance company. If you are using out of network benefits, be aware that you are required to have a medical diagnosis so your insurance will reimburse you. Some people do not want to have a diagnosis and they opt to pay completely out of pocket for their therapy sessions.
Sliding Fee Scales
Some therapists offer a sliding fee scale. This is a way that therapists can charge a portion of their full rate to make therapy more accessible. Often, the therapist will discuss your financial situation with you and agree on a reduced rate for each session to lower the cost.
Investing in therapy at Allison Barton Therapy
At Allison Barton Therapy, I am committed to improving my client's well being and am invested in each client's healing journey. For this reason, I am currently in network with two insurance companies to provide affordable therapy. I also accept clients who want to use out of network benefits in order to pay for therapy services. Investing in therapy with me means that you are receiving care from a therapist is committed to participating in the extra trainings required to be a certified EMDR provider and to continue my education. Utilizing EMDR therapy often means that you'll require fewer sessions to work through trauma than many therapists, which reduces the cost of therapy.
Resources for affordable therapy
If paying for therapy on your own is a barrier to obtaining the medical services you need, there are a few options you can consider to receive low cost or no cost care. The first option is looking into whether your employer offers an Employee Assistance Program (EAP), which is a program that offers a certain amount of free therapy sessions per year. You can also seek support from a community mental health clinic versus a private pay therapist, which is typically more affordable due to government and nonprofit funding as well as being a training site for associate therapists who are not yet licensed. You can seek therapy with an associate therapist who is working under a supervisor to get the help you need without having to pay the full rate of a licensed therapist.
Online Therapy Platforms
You may be tempted to seek therapy from an online therapy platform, which matches you with a therapist for a certain rate per month. I advise caution when considering these options, as the therapists are often overbooked so you may not be able to have the frequency of sessions you were hoping for. These platforms also underpay therapists, which encourages insurance companies to keep reimbursement rates lower for all therapists. When insurance companies are unwilling to provide fair reimbursement rates, everyone suffers because you are less likely to find an experienced therapist with availability who is able to accept your insurance.
Why investing in therapy is worth it
There are several benefits to investing in therapy, including reducing anxiety and depression, healing from trauma, reducing physical symptoms you may be experiencing, and starting to feel more like yourself. Several studies have shown different aspects of therapy can be highly effective in resolving mental health conditions including:
A study that analyzed over 50 previous studies found that Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) is very effective in reducing anxiety disorders.
Another study found that EMDR therapy is effective in treating disorders including anxiety, depression, OCD, chronic pain, and addictions, as well as resolving trauma and PTSD.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) has also been validated by research studies finding that it is an effective way to treat several mental health diagnoses, including anxiety and depression
How to start therapy counseling in San Diego
If you're interested in starting therapy today, you can schedule an initial consultation on my website. In this consultation, we'll discuss your specific therapy needs, ask questions you have about the therapist process, and see if we're a good fit. If you're interested in another provider or a different type of therapy, here are a few tips for finding a therapist who will be a good fit for you:
search the internet for the type of therapy you're seeking (couples therapy, CBT, individual therapy) and the location
search therapy directories (Psychology Today, ZenCare, Alma) to find a therapist who seems like they'd be a good fit for you
ask friends and family if they have a therapist they like and can provide a referral for
request an initial consultation with a therapist to ask questions you may have and see if you'd be a good fit before the initial session (Hint: it's a good idea to schedule 2-3 initial consultations to get a feel for different providers)
Starting therapy can be a daunting task but with a bit of searching around, I have faith you'll find the right provider for you!
Final thoughts
As you can see, there are several factors that influence the cost of therapy in San Diego. It's important that you seek therapy as soon as you're considering it to avoid trying to search for a therapist when you're overwhelmed or in crisis, if you can avoid it. At Allison Barton Therapy, I specialize in working with perfectionists and high-achieving individuals who have experienced trauma and are struggling with anxiety. If you're interested in beginning therapy with me, schedule an initial consultation directly on my contact page or you can email me if you have further questions. I look forward to supporting you in your journey!
