How to Find Free or Low-cost Mental Health Resources

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. We all experience mental health challenges from time to time. Sometimes it can feel impossible to get help because therapy, medication, and other options are often very expensive. However, it shouldn’t be prohibitively costly. There are free, low-cost and affordable mental health resources available. Learn how to find them.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month

There are actually several months dedicated to some aspect of mental health awareness. May is the big one, though. Organizations like the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and Mental Health America recognize May as Mental Health Awareness Month. It’s a time when they share a lot of resources and education, work to de-stigmatize mental health issues, and run campaigns to improve individual and collective mental health. Therefore, May is a terrific month to start looking into options for free or low-cost mental health resources.

When Mental Health Help Feels Expensive

If you’ve just started looking into help for mental health challenges, you might feel overwhelmed. I know that I’ve personally faced times when mental health help seems prohibitively expensive. Therapy can cost a lot of money, for example. Oftentimes, even if your insurance does cover some or all of the costs, you have to first pay out of pocket before they reimburse you. At times, I’ve found this prohibitive, and I’ve chosen not to seek help as a result. It shouldn’t be this way. And it helps a lot if you can find more affordable services.

Tips for How to Find Free or Low-cost Mental Health Resources

Based on my own experience as a mental health patient as well as someone who has a Masters degree in counseling psychology, here are some tips for how to find affordable mental health resources:

How to Find Affordable Therapy

First, check with your insurance to find out if they cover the cost of therapy. If they do, then ask them what you need to do to set up a therapy appointment that they will reimburse. It’s easier to go this route than to first find a therapist and then find out if they accept your insurance.

Why Not All Therapists Accept Insurance

Here’s something that you might not know. From a therapist’s perspective, it’s challenging to accept insurance. There are a lot of hoops to jump through. As a result, they often don’t want to accept therapy. Those that do will typically ask for payment in full up front. Then they give you paperwork to submit to your insurance company. This can be prohibitive for many of us who can’t afford that out of pocket cost.

Sliding Scale Therapy and Clinics

If your insurance doesn’t cover therapy costs, then you should check if you qualify for sliding scale or low-fee therapy services. This can be a great way to access the therapy that you need at a lower price. Clinics where counselors-in-training work can be a great option. As they get experience to get fully licensed, they work under the supervision of licensed therapists, so you get the benefit of the latter at the cost (sometimes even free) of the former. You might also want to check out Open Path, a therapy collective where you pay very reduced rates to work with therapists in their network.

Telehealth

Online therapy appointments with licensed therapists are increasingly popular, especially in the wake of COVID. As a result, they are definitely an option for accessing therapy. They’re usually lower cost than traditional therapy because of the fact that the therapists don’t pay an overhead charge for an office. Check out TalkSpace, Better Help and other similar options for online therapy.

How to Find Affordable Mental Health Medications

What if you need or want mental health medications. There are a few things to look into:

First, ask your general doctor about getting medication. Sometimes you don’t need to go to a psychiatrist. Your doctor can prescribe what you need.
If you do need to go to a psychiatrist, work with your insurance company to see what they cover in terms of appointments.
See if your insurance covers all or some of your medication costs. Note that you might want to work with your prescribing doctor to choose covered medications. There are often alternatives for those that aren’t covered.
Use tools like GoodRX to reduce the cost of prescription medications when you pay out of pocket.

Shore Up Your Resources for Mental Health Support

There are many resources for mental health support that are outside of the traditional therapy/medication model. They may or may not suffice for what you need, but they can help boost your overall wellness. Some to consider:

Hotlines, warmlines, and helplines that you can call when you’re in need; they may also be able to direct you to additional affordable local resources
Church or a spiritual group
Online support groups
Free and affordable community groups including such groups as Alcoholics Anonymous or Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance
Educational groups and classes including parenting classes
Healthy relationships within your own support system
Books, movies, podcasts, etc. that assist you in learning about your own mental health
Use therapy apps such as Calm to assist you with day to day mental health growth

Additional Tips for Accessing Free or Low-cost Mental Health Resources

Here are some of the other tips you might want to consider if you’re trying to access / find free, low-cost, affordable mental health resources:

Check the local YMCA. The Penny Hoarder recommends this as a good starting point for services for both adults and children.
If you’re in school, check with their health services center to find out if they’re able to offer you anything. If not, they can often point you in the right direction.
When you’re not in crisis, make an effort to budget for your mental health. You might include this in your emergency fund or even set up a separate savings account just to help you in times of mental health need.

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Kathryn Vercillo

Kathryn Vercillo is a professional writer who loves to live a balanced life. She appreciates a good work-life balance. She enjoys balance in her relationships and has worked hard to learn how to balance her finances to allow for a balanced life overall. Although she’s only blonde some of the time, she’s always striving for total balance. She’s excited to share what she’s learned with you and to discover more together along the way.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month

When Mental Health Help Feels Expensive