
Free and low-cost therapy
Some county mental health departments and non-profit organizations like Mental Health America provide free and low-cost therapy for people on Medicaid, people who receive social security for disability, and those without insurance. That’s what’s called “community mental health, as opposed to traditional outpatient or inpatient treatment”.
Some health centers that receive funding from the federal government also offer low-cost or free mental health care. Find federally-funded health centers in your zip code using this searchable directory.
If you’re receiving free care, Nguyen notes, you still have a say when it comes to choosing a therapist. Ask for information about the different providers available and pick the one that feels like the best fit.
If you are employed, another free option worth exploring is if your workplace offers an EAP, or employee assistance program. EAPs are time-limited, typically five to six sessions. And they’re designed to address problems that affect your performance at work — but that can be pretty broad, says Bufka. “If I’m struggling with parenting or work-life balance, that’s affecting my job, right? If I’ve had depression for years, the EAP is unlikely to fix that for me, but they very well may help me find somebody to address that”.
Ideally, using the EAP benefit will be completely confidential. Find information about it in your employee onboarding documents or online benefits portal. If you don’t see that information, it can still be worth asking your human resources department if there is an EAP available to you.