Ways to Overcome Financial Barriers to Therapy
As I reflect on Mental Health Awareness week, I’m encouraged by the progress we've made towards ending the stigma around mental health. I’m also aware of how very far we have left to go. Mental Health needs more than one week a year. Our mental health needs to be a daily priority. If we can make our mental health a priority, we can reduce the chances of needing to make our mental illness a priorty. I’m often made aware of the barriers people have when it comes to accessing mental health resources. While ultimately my hope is that someday (soon!) all psychological services will be covered by our health care system, until then here are a few options available for individuals looking to access therapy but are worried about the cost:
o Most companies require staff to pay for benefits, if you have benefits through work, likely those benefits cover the cost of counselling. Usually a health spending account can also help cover the cost of therapy
o Some companies also offer and Employee Assistance Program, through which you can access a limited amount of therapy sessions with one of the EAP’s providers.
o If you are an adult student, you are usually covered by your parent/guardian’s plans until the age of 25
o Also for students – most campuses have counselling services available for a limited amount of free sessions.
o Additionally students usually pay student fees each semester, these fees include health benefits which cover eye exams, medications, etc. – and often also cover therapy!
o Therapy can also be expensed on your taxes if you pay out of pocket for services
o A number of private practices also support student therapists and offer their services at a substantially reduced fee – these are usually graduate students in an internship. This is a great way to access support through a private practice as all students are supervised by an experienced psychologist. Meaning you’ll still receive the experience and expertise of a registered psychologist through their student therapist
o A number of private practices also offer a limited amount of sliding scale/reduced fee spots for those in financial need
o Victims Services Alberta also has funding for anyone who has experienced psychological harm as a result of a crime – this is an easy application that can cover the cost of therapy services and can be accessed from the Alberta government website.
o 211 or Access 24/7 (780-424-2424) can also provide community resources as well, Primary Care Networks also offer a limited number of free counselling sessions through their network.
These are just a few ways to overcome financial barriers to accessing mental health services, but if advocating for better access to mental health resources is important to you, please connect with MLA for your area. There are several petitions circulating and a great community of Albertans advocating as we speak!
Lyndsay Wright