Affordable Mental Health Resources
Written by Beatrice Walker / July 12, 2021
Starting your mental health journey can be daunting, especially if you don’t know where to start, which is why a lot of people tend to put off looking for help. Since I’m passionate about mental health, and one of my goals is to help people start their own journey towards healing, I thought it would be helpful to create a list of mental health resources for anyone looking to get started. Below is a list of affordable therapy, psychiatry, and other mental health focused platforms for you to explore, get help, and take the first step.
Get Cerebral
Get Cerebral is a platform that serves people who are looking for treatment options for anxiety and depression. After filling out a brief assessment you will be provided with three different options of mental health treatment plans curated specifically for you. These plans can include an evaluation and diagnosis by a medical prescriber, monthly medication delivery, weekly virtual visits with a therapist, and check ins with your personal care coordinator.
Although they do accept insurance, this is also a great option for anyone without insurance because they offer such affordable plans, some starting at just $7 a week. I have personally used Get Cerebral and was really impressed with the amount of prescribers and therapists that were available, and the response time from my personal care team. Right now they are running a promotion for $30 off your first month of care.
2. Open Path Collective
OPC is a search platform for those who may not have insurance, and need help finding an affordable therapist. In order to access the database you will have to pay a one time fee of $60 which will get you a lifetime membership with access to therapists who charge anywhere between $30 - $60 for in person or virtual therapy sessions. Open Path has a very large database where you can search for a therapist based on location, specialty, and type of treatments offered. I have had success finding therapists through this platform as well as a few of my friends.
3. Better Help
With over 20,000 therapists available on it’s platform, Better Help prides itself on being the worlds largest online therapy service. This service is subscription based with prices ranging from $60 - $90 per week for virtual therapy. An assessment is required at sign up in order to assist you with finding a therapist that matches your needs. Since they basically do the leg work for you this could have it’s pro’s and cons (but that is the case when finding any therapist). This service does not accept insurance, but there is an option to apply for financial aid at sign up.
4. Therapy for Black Girls
Geared specifically towards women of color this incredible platform offers a free search engine for in person and virtual therapists. If you’re a black woman looking for a black woman therapist, this platform was made for you. The therapist search engine is free, but they also offer a separate subscription based platform where you have access to the private TFBG’s community, events, and Q+A’s with featured experts for just $9.99 a month.
5. For Hers
This is another platform that offers a variety of virtual treatment options including psychiatry, therapy, support groups, and monthly medication delivery. To start, an assessment is needed to help curate a treatment plan specifically for you. Therapy sessions are 50 minutes and cost $99 per session. A monthly prescribed medication subscription is $85 per month. For Hers also offers limited virtual primary care services where you can consult with a doctor for issues such as UTI’s, allergies, and more for just $39.
6. Hello Alma
Hello Alma is another online platform looking to to make mental health care more affordable and accessible. Alma has an extensive list of available therapists and mental health professionals listed on their extremely user friendly website. If you have a particular need and are looking for someone with a specific area of expertise or specialty, Alma makes it easier to select the right practitioner for you. The cost estimator tool that is listed on the site is also very useful for determining how much your therapy sessions will cost and if they take your insurance.