CBT Therapy costs...worth it?

G_Model101

I've had issues with anxiety and depression for years and feel I am at the point where I am sick of them holding my life back. I exercise, get enough sunlight etc. and eat well but now I am looking at exploring therapy options inorder to help clear my mind and get myself "better".

I'm not seeing my doctor or am on any medication, tbh I don't know enough about waiting lists or what is on offer to have considered these. I'm basically at the stage where I've just had enough and am looking at private therapists. I'm seeing prices from £130 to £160 a session for private therapists, some of whom are amongst the best in the business. I earn around £20k a year and do have some savings but having potentially 20 sessions at the cost of £2500 is a lot of money. Does anyone have any experience with these issues and/or has sought out therapy before? Did it work in the long run? If it would help me, I'd gladly part with the money...

I'd love to be free of my issues, but the thought of costly therapy that does nothing is enough to make me pull what little is left of my hair out! :rotfl:
Anyone?

AbbieCadabra

i had a 12 week course of CBT quite a few years ago, it was within about 18 months of initially being diagnosed with depression by my GP. i felt it helped at the time & i did get back on my feet/back to work for a while, but i soon started struggling again.

looking back now, i think CBT was a bit of a 'sticking plaster' for me, when i really needed psychotherapy for more deep seated issues, which i did eventually get on the NHS.

Buttonmoons

CBT has it's uses but I'd agree with Abbie, it teaches you more how to cope with the issue you are facing rather than addressing the underlying one.

If you are going to go for counselling, I'd thoroughly suggest person centered as opposed to CBT.

Only downfall is that it CAN take longer to get to the root of the problem, but it's all about you, the counsellor will just pick up on things from your body language or what you are saying (brushing over) and redirect you back around until the how and whys are discovered.

I found person centered really great for me when I was tackling my eating disorder, helped me understand why I was doing it, habits and routines I had created to continue the cycle. Was really insightful, and been over a year since I last made myself sick.....(if we don't count the night I drunk too much and had to go for a tactical chunder lol)

tomtontom

I would echo the above comments. CBT has its place but does not solve anything, merely enables you to cope better with it. The prices you quote are very high but I am outside London so can't comment on whether they are typical for there.

I would be dubious of anyone that claims to be the best in the business. Therapy is a very personal thing, one person's best could be useless for someone else.

sooty&sweep

Hi
Why haven't you seen your Dr ? They potentially can help and at no cost.
I suffer from anxiety for a long time I tried to cope but got fed up of feeling miserable, not being able to sleep and spoiling my life.
The Doctor prescribed mild antidepressants and CBT. I've found the CBT has helped me put things in perspective.
Jen

jenniewb

I think just like everyone else has said, CBT works with well with the symptoms of a problem, say for example if you have habits or obsessions which stop you getting on with your life, they would help break down what feels impossible to cut back or stop on, but if these obsessions and habits are caused by trying to cope with daily life then your going to fall right back in to everything once your on your own unless your dealing with those issues. CBT can help you feel less overwhelmed but it cannot make the original issues vanish, it will in fact be more likely to put you face to face with your demons and then it's up to you to either battle with things or run straight back to where you came from.

Racheldevon

Hi


Those prices seem excessively high to me. You can access NHS CBT through the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies pathways that exist nationally. I'm now sure whether they all have the same name across the country, but locally it's referred to as a Depression & Anxiety service - and you can self refer. However it will always be time limited, and as others have said is not going to address the root cause/s.


Have you considered looking online for low cost therapy/counselling centres? A lot of towns/cities have them, and you can pay considerably less than you've been quoted and it's not usually time limited - this might be a more accessible way of accessing therapy. Staff are well supervised within such settings, and it's not always staff in training (although if they are you're actually in a pretty good place as they're required under UKCP/BACP to take all of their cases to supervision & have more regular supervision that qualified therapists). I also know of many therapists who have been qualified for a long time but chose to volunteer in such settings.


You could also consider approaching any of the therapy training institutes, which often have low cost therapy for the public available for those in training.

ali-t

The NHS have an online CBT programme that will give you an idea of whether you feel that approach is for you. It is called living life to the full and is free to access and doesn't get reported back to your GP or anything like that.

Www.llttf.com

DomRavioli

Hi OP,

That is extortionate for CBT - I pay £25 per session which is an average price in Manchester; get an appointment with your GP, and you can have it for free (CBT waiting lists in my area are around 2-3 months for a 12 week course, but it varies).

If you are looking at going private, have a look at the BABCP website for local therapists who are qualified and registered; and don't pay anything like £150; you can get psychotherapy privately for that kind of money.

Your GP can also refer for other treatments which if the CBT doesn't work may help you.

Faith177

I undertook CBT last year free on the NHS after being referred by my GP.

I had 10 weeks and I thought it was worth every hour I spent. The first couple of weeks were hard why they worked through where my problems started from so digging up a lot of things that I had tried to move on from. I was finally diagonised with General Anxiety which basically means my trigger was everything and anything.

Since I finished the change in me has been fantastic. I am nearly back to my old outgoing self. I am even able to enjoy work again without being convinced i've done something wrong and going to get sacked every two minutes.

I highly recommend CBT after my experience and suggest you see if you can get it on the NHS

WantToBeSE

That is VERY expensive! I pay £20 p/h for my therapy on a sliding scale (person centered, not CBT, but my old CBT therapist was about the same price). Look around for other therapists.