Therapy is an investment, but what if you don’t have anything to invest in it right now?
You can find therapy in New York City, even if you didn’t think you could afford it. Every option listed below has at least one of these ways to pay:
Offers services for $50/session or under (some are free!)
Accepts Medicaid and/or Medicare
Offers a sliding scale
Accepts private insurance
Some low-cost resources don't specify prices in their website so we can't list a price. Check with the provider (and let us know!). For initial appointments, some clinics charge an “intake fee” instead of the usual fee; if so it's noted.
Suggest additions or fixes here. Thank you for helping keep this list up-to-date and useful!
Graduate school clinics • Low-cost care is often available from universities where graduate students train to become psychologists. Licensed practitioners work with the students, so your care is supervised. Most don’t accept insurance but set rates low and often can be flexible. Many provide neuropsychological testing and group therapy in addition to individual therapy for adults and children.
Training institutes •
Like universities, training institutes can be a way to access affordable therapy. Many therapists have graduate degrees, are licensed, and are studying toward a postgraduate certificate or specialization. Most institutes accept at least some insurance panels and many have sliding scales for the uninsured.
Hospital outpatient services • Many hospitals offer mental health care for outpatients. Hospital teams tend to be multidisciplinary, meaning that psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers may all be available to provide care. Hospital programs are also likely to offer services in multiple languages, through staff fluency or use of a language line. Many don’t list costs but should be able to work with most insurance plans.
Community health clinics and nonprofits • Community mental health clinics are generally run by nonprofits; sometimes medical services and case management are available at the same location. These services are more likely to take a variety of insurance — including Medicaid and Medicare — and offer services in Spanish, too.
Some have maximum income eligibility requirements; call to check.
Private group practices • New York City is home to many, many group practices — collectives of private psychotherapists who work together. Private group practices vary in affordability; below are some that accept insurance or offer generous sliding scales.
Psychiatric services • Psychiatric services — including prescriptions and medication management — can be particularly costly. The following psychiatry services accept insurance and offer flexible scheduling.
Hotlines • Unless otherwise noted, all are free, confidential, and open 24 hours.
In the community • These community-based organizations provide support groups and resources to people with specific challenges. Groups are mostly facilitated by “peers” — people with lived experience in the topic. These communities give opportunities to socialize with and receive support from others who have been where you are.
Directories and therapy matchmaking services • Directories and therapy matchmaking services will be a mixed bag in terms of cost; what you gain in choice you may lose in affordability. Of the services below, only Open Path Collective exclusively lists low-cost therapy. Some of these services highlight therapists who accept insurance; others focus on therapists who do not accept insurance.
Tip: Look for out-of-network benefits
If you have private insurance, check whether out-of-network benefits are available. If so, you can get partial reimbursement for sessions once you’ve met your deductible. It’s easy, and many people don’t realize they have this freedom to choose a provider.
PPO plans are more likely to offer out-of-network benefits than HMOs. Check with your insurer;
here are tips on what to ask and a tool that may help.
Virtually all therapists accept out-of-network reimbursement. Some will help with the paperwork; others will give you a receipt to submit the claim yourself.
Learn more.
Graduate school clinics
Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology Parnes Clinic
Treats adults, adolescents, and children; services include career counseling, couples and family counseling, services for older adults, a weight management program, and psychological affidavits for political asylum seekers
Cost/Insurance:
Generally $5-$40 for psychotherapy sessions, $250 or less for child psychoeducational assessments, and $350 or less for child neuropsychological assessments. Clinic will not turn anyone away due to financial limitations.
Cost/Insurance: $30 intake fee; $50/session for individual and group therapy. A complete testing/assessment and written report can range from $300 to $4,000. Reduced rates are available if you can document need.
Dean Hope Center at Teachers College, Columbia University
Affordable neighborhood psychological and educational services for individuals, couples, and families. Respect is given to clients from diverse, multicultural contexts, regardless of age, racial and ethnic background, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, and religious or cultural affiliation.
Cost/Insurance: $40/session for individual, couples, and family therapy. Sliding scale available for families facing economic hardship and for adult clients enrolled full-time in an academic program. Fees for all services here.
Institute for Contemporary Psychotherapy (ICP)
One of the oldest and largest not-for-profit mental health training and treatment facilities in New York City, founded in 1971. Individual and group psychotherapy, psychoanalysis, and specialized treatments.
Cost/Insurance:
Oscar, GHI, GHI Medicaid, HealthFirst, HealthFirst Medicaid, HIP, and HIP Medicaid.
Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Study Center (PPSC)
Committed to providing quality affordable psychotherapy in a private-practice setting; founded in 1986. Short- or long-term psychotherapy and psychoanalysis.
Cost/Insurance:
Aetna, NYU, and Marymount Student plans or sliding scale.
Karen Horney Clinic
Psychoanalysis for issues including depression, anxiety, psychosomatic disorders, phobias, personality problems, sleep disturbance, obsessive-compulsive disorder, family problems, stage-of-life issues, and post-traumatic stress. Available for children, adolescents, and adults.
Cost/Insurance:
Plans accepted include Aetna, Affinity, Amida Care, BCBS, Emblemhealth, Fidelis, GHI, Healthfirst, Health Plus, Medicaid, Medicare, MVP, Metro Plus, the Empire Plan, and Wellcare. Uninsured clients pay $75 for the first appointment and sliding-scale rates thereafter. Uninsured Hunter College students pay $50 for all sessions.
The Gestalt Center for Psychotherapy
Affordable counseling and psychotherapy referrals to qualified Gestalt therapists in the training program, as well as to graduates and faculty.
Cost/Insurance:
First session $40, sliding scale thereafter. Reduced rates for students.
Location:
Gestalt Center (Kips Bay, Manhattan) and throughout Manhattan, in Brooklyn, Queens, Rockland County, and parts of New Jersey.
Institute for Human Identity (IHI)
Nonprofit psychotherapy and training center fostering personal growth free of traditional gender, sexual orientation, and cultural biases. Providing LGBTQ+ affirmative therapy for over 40 years.
White Institute
Affordable psychotherapy and psychoanalysis once or twice weekly for up to 40 weeks; you may continue in the therapist’s private practice at a modest fee.
Center for Modern Psychoanalytic Studies (CMPS)
Affordable short- and long-term therapy to help with challenges including relationships, job stress, anxiety, depression, addictions, serious illness, and life transitions.
Cost/Insurance:
First session $40; thereafter an agreed-on rate.
CaringKind
Resources for people living with dementia/Alzheimers and their caregivers, including social work, support groups, and a helpline. Support group for adults in the early- and mid-stage Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and other neurocognitive disorders; caregiver support groups include groups for adult children, spouses, siblings, daughters, LGBT caregivers, and disease-specific groups. Daytime and evening meetings, in multiple languages.
Cost/Insurance:
Free
Location:
Social work services and support groups in all five boroughs and can be accessed by phone or email; call 646-744-2900 to learn more.
CASES Nathaniel Clinic
Outpatient mental health clinic in Central Harlem focusing on people with criminal justice involvement. Provides assessment and psychiatric evaluation; individual, group, and family therapy; medication management; onsite primary medical care; complex care management; and crisis intervention to adults and children 13 and older. The clinic offers walk-in access on Thursday and Friday mornings.
Cost/Insurance:
Medicare, Medicaid, many plans (Affinity, Amerigroup, AmidaCare, Emblem, Fidelis, GHI, HealthFirst, HIP, MetroPlus, United HealthCare, and Wellcare), or low-cost self-pay.
PEARLS (Program to Encourage Active Rewarding Lives)
Free program for adults age 65 and older living in Queens or Manhattan who are feeling depressed. This evidence-based program consists of six sessions of in-home mental health services designed to address the symptoms of depression and improve the quality of a senior’s life. Individuals must meet depression screening requirements. Services are available in English, Spanish, and Chinese. Counselors will work with the senior to identify the problem and then develop steps that will connect the senior to positive social and physical activities that will, in turn, improve his or her mental outlook and quality of life. For more information, call 718-888-6884.
Cost/Insurance:
Free
Location:
Manhattan and Queens
VSNYC FRIENDS Clinic
Program offering a continuum of care for at-risk and emotionally disturbed children, adolescents, and their families in the Bronx. The program provides a supportive, collaborative, and flexible model of care tailored to individual needs. Services include comprehensive clinical assessment, crisis intervention as needed, unified treatment plan, psychiatric assessment and treatment, education for the family and other providers, home- and community-based treatment, case management and advocacy, supportive services including groups, therapeutic recreational activities, respite, educational support, links to community resources, wrap-around funds, and consultation services for local community providers, schools, and organizations.
Cost/Insurance:
Free
Location:
The Bronx
Interborough Development and Consultation Center (IDCC)
A group of clinics that treat symptoms that affect mood, thinking, or behavior, including depression, anxiety, ADHD, trauma, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and OCD.
Cost/Insurance:
Medicaid, Medicare, and most insurance; contact them to learn more.
Location:
Canarsie, Coney Island, Crown Heights, Flatbush, and Williamsburg Brooklyn; see all locations here.
The Fifth Avenue Counseling Center Multidisciplinary team of over 40 clinical social workers, psychologists, and psychiatrists. Services include individual psychotherapy, couples therapy, group therapy, and medication management.
Cost/Insurance:
Plans include Medicaid, Medicare, Healthfirst, United Behavioral Health, Oxford, Emblem GHI/HIP, Aetna, Fidelis, Affinity Health, Healthplus, Metroplus, and Blue Cross & Blue Shield; sliding-scale fees begin at $75/session.
Callen-Lorde
Committed to providing individual and group therapy that is affirmative, sex-positive, culturally sensitive, consistent with risk-reduction principles, and that promotes self-determination. Services include transgender counseling and education, substance use assessment and referral, and psychiatric services.
Community Healthcare Network (CHN)
Therapy for adults, children, and families from a multidisciplinary team of psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, therapists and social workers. Specialized services for refugees and veterans. Therapists speak English and Spanish, and can use a language line for other languages. Day, evening, and Saturday appointments available.
Location:
Tremont, Bronx; South Bronx; Williamsburg, Brooklyn; Crown Heights, Brooklyn; East New York, Brooklyn; Harlem, Manhattan; Lower East Side, Manhattan; see all locations here.
The Institute for Family Health (IFH) Psychologists, social workers, and counselors offer individual and family therapy. Specializes in problem-solving therapy, cognitive therapy, and tobacco cessation. On-site psychiatric care for prescriptions and medication management.
Cost/Insurance:
Medicaid, Medicare, and most plans including Aetna, United Healthcare, Emblem Health, and Blue Cross Blue Shield; or sliding scale.
Location:Many locations in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Bronx.
Bowen Center
The Center's Adult Outpatient Behavioral Health Clinic sees more than 1,500 patients each month. Bilingual professionals, including psychiatrists, social workers, and nurses, provide assessments, psychiatric evaluations, individual psychotherapy, medication management, and health monitoring.
Cost/Insurance:
Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance. Sliding-scale and self-pay options with proof of employment.
Graham Windham
Evidence-based treatment for children and young adults aged 5 to 25, based on comprehensive psychiatric and biopsychosocial evaluations. Offers individual therapy, family therapy, psychopharmacology management, and support services. Walk-in hours for immediate mental health assessments at the Manhattan Mental Health Clinic. Bilingual services in Spanish.
The Jewish Board
One of the city's largest networks of licensed community clinics, offering individual, couples, family and group therapy, as well as evaluation, assessment, and medication management, to all New Yorkers.
Cost/Insurance:
Medicaid and other insurance, or sliding scale.
Location:
14 mental health clinics and 24 satellite clinics throughout the boroughs.
Community Advisory Program for the Elderly (CAPE)
Queens-based outpatient clinic for persons age 50 and over and their families. Offers individual, group and family therapy, psychiatric evaluations and medication monitoring at the clinic and for homebound older adults. Onsite social work and psychiatric services available at satellite clinics in Queens — see full list, including languages offered. CAPE also provides telephone reassurance to homebound or isolated older adults.
Cost/Insurance:
Medicaid, Medicare, and most other insurance.
Puerto Rican Family Institute
Family and group services at three outpatient clinics for clients age 5 and onward. Originally targeted to the underserved Hispanic population, it now serves all cultures and ethnic traditions, in a holistic and respectful manner using evidence based-treatments.
Metropolitan Center for Mental Health
Nonprofit, outpatient behavioral health organization founded in 1962, dedicated to providing affordable psychological and psychiatric treatment in several communities. Includes programs for Hispanic families, substance abuse, and children and adolescents.
Cost/Insurance:
Medicaid, Medicare and several commercial plans; or sliding scale. Flat fees of $35 for the intake evaluation and $45 for a psychiatric evaluation if needed.
Libertas Center
Provides survivors of torture and human rights violations in the New York City area with comprehensive medical, mental health, social, and legal services to help them regain function and lead healthy, confident, and hopeful lives.
Goddard Riverside The Other Place Clubhouse (TOP)
A warm and caring community, where members and staff work collaboratively to operate and manage the clubhouse. TOP provides integrated services to adults age 18 and older with histories of mental illness. The program accepts individuals with histories of homelessness and substance use.
The Bridge
Comprehensive, person-centered, and recovery-based care. Individual, group, and family therapy to adults 18 and older. Prescription and medication-management services.
Cost/Insurance: Medicaid, dually-eligible individuals, and all managed Medicaid plans, and a variety of other plans.
Service Program for Older People (SPOP)
Dedicated to adults 55 and older. Comprehensive behavioral health care, including individual, group, family and couples therapy, psychiatric services, and treatment in Spanish, Cantonese and other languages. Support for serious mental illness, co-occurring substance use, as well as bereavement support and support for caregivers.
Cost/Insurance:
Medicare, Medicaid, and many third-party insurance plans.
Location:
SPOP provides accessible service in diverse neighborhoods in Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn
and offers in-home treatment to clients who are unable to travel due to disability.
Ryan Health
The Ryan Health Emotional Wellness Center offers confidential, comprehensive behavioral health services for children, adolescents, adults, and families. Services are available in Spanish, German, and Ukrainian, and the center has access to a language line to access an interpreter who speaks your language.
Cost/Insurance:Many plans accepted. A sliding scale is available, based on family size and income. Ryan Health will never turn you away because of your inability to pay.
JASA
JASA maintains a New York State-licensed outpatient mental health clinic in the Bronx. This clinic offers a range of treatment options for seniors suffering from mental health issues. Services include individual and group treatment, pharmacological therapy, in-home counseling, and assistance in accessing a broad range of community-based social services.
Care for the Homeless
High-quality, patient centered health care to all those experiencing homelessness, regardless of ability to pay. Behavioral health services include psychotherapy, counseling, medication management, substance use counseling, and a medication addiction treatment (MAT) suboxone treatment program.
Safe Horizon
The Safe Horizon Counseling Center is the only New York State licensed mental health clinic that focuses solely on trauma-focused treatment for survivors of crime and abuse of all ages. They use evidence-based approaches to help survivors overcome trauma reactions that they can experience for months or years after. The center serves adults, children and their families. Clients have experienced all types of abuse, and they have helped survivors as young as seven months and as old as 78.
Cost/Insurance:
The Counseling Center is a member of many insurance networks. If you have no coverage, they will assist you in finding sources of coverage or establishing a sliding fee based on income and need.
Location:
Downtown Brooklyn and East Harlem, Manhattan (addresses are confidential; call 347-328-8110)
Gender & Sexuality Therapy Center Offers a range of services including psychotherapy, supervision, workshops, and consultation focusing on gender, sexuality, sex, and relationships. Includes group therapy services.
Cost/Insurance:
Rates depend on therapist and sliding-scale availability; $80-300 for a 45-minute session and $100-$400 for a 60-minute session.
Location:
Multiple locations in
Brooklyn;
teletherapy available.
The Child Center of NY
Therapy by licensed mental health and substance abuse professionals for children and adolescents — including those in foster care — and for adults. Clients work to build resilience, develop social-emotional skills, work through trauma, improve self-esteem, succeed in school, and learn coping skills for present and future challenges. Special services include an
Asian Outreach Program, televisitation for families where a member is incarcerated, and an early childhood mental health initiative for ages 0 to 5.
St. Francis Counseling Center
A separately incorporated ministry at the St. Francis House at the Church of St. Francis of Assisi. Licensed therapists are also certified pastoral counselors rooted in the Roman
Catholic Franciscan tradition. Bilingual counselors available to Korean and Filipino communities.
Cost/Insurance:
Major insurance carriers or sliding scale.
Sanctuary for Families
Skilled and sensitive counseling for all survivors of gender violence, including LGBTQ individuals, unaccompanied minor immigrant children, children experiencing family reunification, and survivors of trafficking, FGM and forced marriage. Their clinical staff includes masters-level social workers, case managers, and medical professionals who are experts in evidenced-based trauma-focused therapies. Services are offered in multiple languages; cultural sensitivity and inclusivity are a priority. Many counselors are knowledgeable in the unique needs of immigrant groups including the West African and South Asian communities.
Location:
Financial District, Manhattan (address is confidential; call 212-349-6009)
Community Counseling and Mediation Innovative, culturally sensitive treatment at four state-licensed clinics in Brooklyn and midtown Manhattan. Clinics offer individual, group and family counseling; psychological, psychiatric, and psychosocial assessment and diagnosis; and psychopharmacology. They also offer workshops on domestic violence, anger management, and parenting skills. Special services are available to Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Indian, and other Asian communities and to women living with or affected by HIV and AIDS.
Cost/Insurance:
Sliding scale, $35 minimum per session without insurance. Accepts Medicaid and Medicare.
OnTrackNY
OnTrackNY is an innovative treatment program for adolescents and young adults (16-30 years old) who recently have had unusual thoughts and behaviors or who have started hearing or seeing things that others don’t. OnTrackNY helps people achieve their goals for school, work, and relationships.
Location:
OnTrack locations are available all over New York State, with 13 locations in the five boroughs.
Hospital outpatient services
Brief Psychotherapy Research Program at Beth Israel Medical Center Mental healthcare for adults struggling with depression and anxiety, problems with relationships, and work-related difficulties. Free diagnostic evaluation and 20 therapy sessions for each patient. Sessions are videotaped with the patient’s consent for research and supervision, and patients are required to fill out brief questionnaires throughout treatment.
Cost/Insurance:
Low fee, sliding scale, depending on your income. Contact the program for more information on cost.
Einstein Community Health Outreach (ECHO) Free Clinic
The Einstein Community Health Outreach (ECHO) Free Clinic is a collaboration between the Institute for Family Health and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. The clinic provides free, high-quality, comprehensive health care to the uninsured population of the Bronx of New York City. The ECHO Free Clinic embraces the spirit of volunteerism and service embodied in our health care professionals and student volunteers.
Weill Cornell Medicine Program for Anxiety and Traumatic Stress Studies
A program in the Department of Psychiatry conducting clinical research on posttraumatic stress disorder. In addition to the general population, studies focus on police, firefighters, and other disaster workers, on active-duty service members, on soldiers who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom, and on burn survivors. Therapies include virtual reality exposure therapy. Psychological Health and Wellness Workshops are available to active-duty service members and veterans.
Cost/Insurance:
Treatment offered through clinical studies is free.
Offers a spectrum of comprehensive inpatient and outpatient services, including crisis intervention and an advanced neuropsychiatric service center. Psychiatric consultation available 24/7. Treatment is provided with dignity and respect by board-certified psychiatrists.
NYC Health + Hospitals/North Central Bronx
The Adult Service is a psychiatric outpatient program for people age 18 and older with psychiatric or emotional problems that get in the way of daily functioning. Their staff can evaluate your problems and make treatment recommendations in a safe, confidential, and respectful environment.
Lenox Hill Hospital Outpatient Center for Mental Health
Behavioral health services for children, adolescents, adults, and new parents with their infants, from a team of psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, nurse specialists, and other mental health professionals. Affiliated with a number of clinical training programs and committed to patient care, teaching, and clinical research.
Cost/Insurance:
Most insurance; all payment options can be discussed.
Kings County Adult Behavioral Health Outpatient Program
Services include psychopharmacology, individual psychotherapy, psycho-education, group therapy, activity therapy, and sessions for family and significant others. Psychiatrists, psychologists, internists, nurses, social workers, addiction counselors, activity therapists, and other clinical staff offer help in a compassionate, safe, and secure environment.
New York State Psychiatric Institute Audubon Clinic
Particularly skilled and experienced in the treatment of psychotic disorders, mood disorders, and anxiety disorders, among others. Staffed by psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, social workers, occupational therapists, peer specialists, and mental health therapy aides; many are bilingual in Spanish and from Spanish-language countries, and on-call translation is available at all times for a language not spoken by staff.
Resilience Lab
is a diverse collective of mental health practitioners in 11 locations across New York City. Clinicians are available for individual and couples therapy, and periodically the practice offers group therapy.
Cost/Insurance: In addition to out-of-pocket and out-of-network payment, Resilience Lab is in-network with UnitedHealthcare (including Oxford, United, Oscar, UMR, and Americorps) and offers sliding-scale therapy. Each clinician sees one to three clients at a reduced rate of $25-$50, depending on ability to pay. Reach out to Resilience Lab’s Care Coordinator to get matched with someone who has a reduced-rate opening.
Location:
Resilience Lab has 11 locations across New York City: SoHo, Bryant Park, Chelsea, the Upper West Side, the Bronx, Harlem, Bed-Stuy, the Upper East Side, Downtown Brooklyn, Williamsburg, and Union Square; addresses are in the
website.
KIP Therapy
A diverse team of therapists offering services to individuals, couples, families, and groups. They try to schedule a session within a few days of the initial phone screening.
Cost/Insurance:
$75-145 depending on clinician training and experience. Sliding scale available.
Location:
Financial District, Flatiron District, and Grand Central area in Manhattan plus Westchester and Long Island. Virtual psychiatry also available.
Skypiatrist Telemedicine service that provides psychiatric evaluations and psychiatric medication management (no talk therapy)
Cost/Insurance:
All physicians are in-network with Aetna, Cigna, Oscar, Oxford, and United/Optum plans. They are not in-network with Medicaid managed plans. Information for paying out-of-pocket
Location:
Remote
Hotlines
NYC Well
Speak to a counselor via phone, text, or chat and get access to mental health and substance use services, in more than 200 languages.
Crisis Text Line
Text HOME to 741741 to connect with a Crisis Counselor.
Safe Horizon
Hotlines for a variety of issues: domestic violence, crime victims, rape and sexual assault, youth homelessness (up to age 25), child abuse and maltreatment, and help changing locks. They can also help with finding crisis counseling, safety planning, domestic violence shelters, and information about other resources.
The Trevor Project
Crisis intervention and suicide prevention for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning young people under 25. Text START to a counselor at 678-678
LGBTQ Crisis Hotlines and Services
If you are experiencing a mental health crisis or need support with navigating your LGBTQIA+ identity or orientation, qualified LGBTQIA+ crisis counselors are here to help!
SAGE National LGBT Elder Hotline
For older LGBT people and their caregivers, friendly responders are ready to listen: 877-360-LGBT (5428)
Veterans Crisis Line
Caring, qualified responders at the Department of Veterans Affairs; many are veterans themselves. Call 1-800-273-8255 and press 1, or text 838255 (support for deaf and hard hearing: 1-800-799-4889)
Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAIIN)
The nation's largest organization against sexual violence, RAIIN created and runs the National Sexual Assault Hotline (800-656-HOPE) in partnership with more than 1,000 sexual-assault service providers across the country, and operates the DoD Safe Helpline for the Department of Defense. RAINN also has programs to prevent sexual violence, help survivors, and ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice.
Trans Lifeline
Peer support by trans people for trans and questioning callers.
In the community
Mood Disorders Support Group of NY (MDSG-NY)
Nonprofit self-help, peer-run organization. Since 1981, they have supported individuals with problems like depression and bipolar disorder as well as their families and loved ones. Support groups include groups for genYZers, for people with depression, for people who experience both depression and mania, and for people close to someone suffering from depression or bipolar disorder. Groups are a haven for the exchange of information and support. Groups are led by trained facilitators who once were attendees themselves and are limited to 12 people. Attendance is “drop-in,” no reservation needed. They typically run for about an hour and a half.
Hearing Voices NYC
Self-help social groups — not psychotherapy or “treatment” groups — for people who hear voices, see visions, or have similar sensory experiences. They are stigma-free groups to share experiences, insights, and strategies, and to improve quality of life for voice hearers.
Brooklyn Community Pride Center
Support and services to the borough’s LGBTQ+ community through original programming and partnerships with other organizations. Each month they offer a range of activities; recently these included a Q Chat Space for Trans/Non-Binary Youth, a TGNC Adult Support Group, a Q Chat Space for Youth of Color, a COVID-19 Grief & Loss Support Group, Calming Anxiety during COVID-19, Alternatives to Suicide, a peer group for bisexuals, and a variety of 12-step groups and wellness offerings. At least one group available in Spanish.
The Icarus Project NYC
A support network, advocacy organization, and media project by and for people who experience the world in ways that are often diagnosed as mental illness.
Fireweed Collective
Unstructured spaces, facilitated by members of Fireweed Collective, where folks can connect with others who have similar experiences and struggles. The Collective is guided by the principles of Healing Justice (HJ). Rooted in racial justice, disability justice, and economic justice, Healing Justice provides tools to interrupt systems of oppression that impact our mental health. Through HJ, the Collective seeks to redefine medicine and make it more accessible.
Cost/Insurance:
$30 for a group; groups hold one-hour weekly meetings for a month.
Location:
All groups take place virtually over Zoom
Dinner Party
The Dinner Party is building a worldwide community of 20- and 30-somethings who have experienced loss of a parent, partner, child, sibling, other close family member, or close friend.
National Alliance on Mental Illness of NYC
Support groups and classes, including spaces for survivors of suicide attempts, people who hear voices, and people living with bipolar disorder. Also includes social groups focused on music, reading, humor, and more. You’ll get support, share coping strategies, and learn practical information. All groups are led by a trained volunteer with lived experience, in a safe and judgment-free environment of mutual respect.
Cost/Insurance:
All groups are free and open to anyone
Hidden Water
A restorative justice approach to breaking the cycle of childhood sexual abuse and transforming it into shared healing. Circles exist for those who have been harmed and those who have caused harm.
If you plan to use insurance, ask your insurance company for a list of nearby in-network providers. Be ready: The list may be outdated; this includes information on which providers are accepting new patients. Also, refer to the earlier section on out-of-network benefits to learn whether that cost-saving benefit is available.
Whomever you connect with, make clear early on what you can afford and ask whether the therapist can accommodate your budget with a sliding scale.
Tips to find affordable therapy from private pay therapists:
If you’re reaching out to a group practice, ask whether there are junior/associate therapists or interns who will see you at a lower rate.
Ask about being seen biweekly or at another reduced frequency.
Group therapy is often more affordable than individual therapy.
Look into outside funding. The Loveland Foundation has a therapy fund for Black women and girls; the National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network has a therapy fund for Queer and Trans People of Color; and Soulutionary has a grant application open to Black men. Also look into your local mutual aid fund(s) to see if your community might be able to help.
Open Path Collective Connects clients with mental health professionals who charge $30-$60 per session.
Headway If you're having trouble finding a therapist who accepts your insurance, look at the Headway provider network. Headway works with Aetna, United, Cigna, Oscar, and Oxford insurance plans and incentivizes providers to go in-network, meaning that you'll be able to find more providers who accept your insurance if you look through Headway than if you're searching on your own. Practitioners include both therapists and psychiatrists. Includes a tool that interprets your individual benefits for seeing a mental health professional
(helpful all on its own!)
Inclusive Therapists “We are social justice-oriented professionals that strive to be: anti-discrimination, anti-oppression, anti-stigma, anti-racist & anti-ablest.”
Therapy Den “We are an online community of mental health professionals seeking to make the experience of finding a therapist easy.”
Therapy for Black Girls “Therapy for Black Girls is an online space dedicated to encouraging the mental wellness of Black women and girls.”
Therapy for Black Men “With a directory of over seventy licensed mental health professionals throughout the fifty states thus far, we’re here to provide judgement-free, multiculturally-competent care to Black men.”
National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network “...A healing justice organization committed to transforming mental health for queer and trans people of color (QTPoC). We work at the intersection of movements for social justice and the field of mental health to integrate healing justice into both of these spaces.” Includes both a practitioner directory and a mental health fund.
Latinx Therapy A directory for Latinx therapists and speakers.
Soulutionary A small directory of healers of color; includes therapists, yoga teachers, doulas, reiki practitioners, and more.
Women’s Mental Health Consortium (WMHC) Provider Directory “An association of mental health professionals in the greater New York City area who treat, study, and teach about the emotional and psychological issues affecting women throughout their lives.”
Psychology Today Detailed listings for mental health professionals; searchable by ZIP code, insurance accepted, specialties, and more.
My Wellbeing Free resource that matches you based on a questionnaire. Note that it specializes in matches outside of insurance; therapists charge $80-$300/session.
Zencare “Our priority at Zencare is quality care, and only therapists, psychiatrists, and dietitians who pass our rigorous qualification process can join our network.”
Alma “Alma is a community of independent mental health care providers. While our team helps you navigate the search process, we don’t prescribe the rest. Each provider at Alma sets their own rates and makes their own decisions about going in-network with major insurance payers.”
Changes & suggestions
If you’d like to suggest edits or additions to this document, please click here. Thank you for your help in keeping this list up-to-date and useful!
I’m a social worker and a therapist in New York City. In addition to full-time work at Children’s Aid, working with families impacted by domestic violence, I work part-time in a private group practice.
I’m committed to finding ways to lift up low-cost mental health resources that are accessible to all therapy seekers, regardless of budget.
If you’re interested in getting in touch for any reason, reach out to me at [email protected].
