Now that is a truism. Sometimes I tell my clients that I can’t even afford me! (I am never sure how they take that.)
But how you feel about the expense of counselling depends a lot on what you get out of it.
My fee is $180 per hour. Carole’s fee is $160 per hour and David’s fee is about $50-75 per hour. I usually see someone for about 10, 1-hour sessions, so the total is about $1800 over several months. That is a lot of money, perhaps what you pay on car insurance. And then you take that car in for a tune-up (actually they don’t tune up anymore – they download computer upgrades) or sign up for a course at Capilano U.
Here is what I do about fees:
• I charge $45 per hour less than the suggested rate for Psychologists ($225 as of January, 2019). I want to give back to you.
• Many of you can have your fees covered under an employee assistance plan or an insurance program. Make sure that you check your coverage for “Psychologists” before you visit with me. By the way, Carole’s fees as a Registered Clinical Counsellor may be covered under your plan as well.
• Here is something interesting: if both you and your partner are both covered under your EAP or insurance program it may mean that you have twice the number of appointments for couple counselling. Imagine how many family appointments you can have if you have 10 kids!
• Keep your receipts for your income tax – some of it may be reimbursable. Ask an accountant.
• I also create my own assistance plan with your church or community group. You pay a portion (about a third) of the fee and they pay about a third, and I will reduce my fee to correspond. And this for a maximum of 10 sessions.
I am happy to say that most of my client-friends consider therapy to be good value and many recommend their family and friends. Counselling can be a valuable investment and worth much more than it costs.
(Updated in January, 2019)
[You can respond to this blog or anything else you see on my web site by emailing life@theducklows.ca.]