All rights reserved © A Yates 2011
Looking for free therapy?
What you need to know before trying to find it.
You
need
therapy
but
can’t
afford
to
pay,
so
you
have
turned
to
the
Internet
to
find
some
support,
provided
free
of
charge,
it
can
be
very
difficult
to
find
a
professional
therapist
that
provides
free
therapy
sessions,
but
there
are
other
alternatives.
It
is
possible
to
find
some
free
help
and
support,
but
you
also
need
to
understand
that
there
are
some
things
you
need
to
be
aware
of,
especially
before
looking
for
professional
counselling
that
is
provided
at
no
cost to you.
There
will
usually
be
three
separate
groups
looking
to
find
free
help,
and
you may fall into one group or the other.
1.You
can’t
afford
to
pay
due
to
your
financial
circumstances,
maybe
you
have
lost
your
job
or
are
in
debt,
or
even
going
through
a
divorce
and
every penny counts, and you’re just keeping your head above water.
2.you’re
under
18
and
are
not
able
to
pay
unless
your
family
pays
for
the
therapy,
and
you
can’t
bring
yourself
to
ask
them.
One
very
important
consideration
for
this
group
is
that
you
are
considered
a
minor
and
any
therapist
may
have
to
get
permission
from
a
parent
or
guardian
before
talking to you, this will be dependent on the country you live in.
3.you
say
you
want
help
from
therapy,
but
feel
unable
afford
it,
but
in
truth,
you
are
making
excuses
to
yourself
and
others,
for
instance,
are
you
willing
to
spend
£70.00
going
out
on
the
weekend
or
buying
new
outfits,
and
still
insist
that
therapy
is
too
expensive,
and
yet,
you
can
still
afford
that
holiday,
or
new
TV.
If
you
look
closer,
its
usually
either
about
a
lack
of
commitment
from
you
to
make
or
secretly
fear
facing
the
changes
you
need
to
make,
or
it
becomes
just
a
way
of
finding
a
reason,
to show others how it’s not your fault, so you avoid taking responsibility.
How to look and where to find it.
There
are
some
options
to
think
about
and
what
you
think
will
work
for
you
for
finding
the
help
and
support
you need.
For
people
over
the
age
of
13
there
are
online
self-help
sites
that
have
a
forum
or
community’s
where
you
can
ask
questions
and
seek
information
centred
around
your
pacific
problem,
or
a
general
mental
health
forum
that
handles
many
areas
of
distress.
they
can
provide
a
valuable
source
of
practical
information
and
allow
you
to
talk
to
people
in
the
same
or
similar
situation
to
yourself
and
find
out
how
they
coped
or
good
quality
found help that worked.
Do
a
search
for
“mental
health
charity
organisations”
and
see
what's
available,
you
can
also
add
your
problem
in
front
of
the
search
term,
such
as
depression,
don’t
search
for
free
therapy,
as
it
often
shows
up
web
sites
that
seem
to
offer
free
services,
until
you
look
deeper,
or
have
to
sign
up
before you find out that it’s not free at all.
•
Ask
your
local
Doctor
or
medical
centre
for
information
on
free
counselling
services,
you
may
have
to
wait
a
while
to
be
seen,
but
it
is
still worth adding your name to the list.
•
Don’t
forget
to
look
in
the
phone
book,
it
maybe
the
old
way
of
doing
things but it can help you find what you need.
•
What
you
need
to
ask
yourself
if
you
see
free
therapy
options
on
any
web site.
How can they offer it for free?
Therapists
need
to
make
a
living
the
same
as
any
other
type
of
worker,
do
you
find
free
accountancy
services
or
building
services,
the
answer
is
no!
That's
because
professional
people
have
to
pay
for
equipment
and
insurance
and
that's
the
same
with
any
therapist.
We
have
needs
that
have
to
be
met,
who
pays
for
this
web
site?
Who
pays
for
the
supervision
and
computer
equipment?
So,
if
its
provided
for
free,
there
are
still
costs
that have to be paid and how do they do that?
Most
therapists
training
last
on
average
two
years,
I
did
three
years
initial
training
and
the
cost
of
training
and
ongoing
supervision
needs
to
be
covered, who pays the therapist if you don’t?
I
have
never
found
a
totally
free
one
on
one
online
therapy
service,
provided
by
a
professional
therapist
as
yet,
if
you
do
find
one,
please
send
me
the
information,
so
I
can
give
that
out
on
this
site
for
others
to
find
the free help they need.
It’s
about
you
taking
the
responsibility
for
your
life,
and
spending
the
time
needed,
to
work
through
thoughts,
and
feelings
with
a
commitment
from
you,
free
online
forums
can
help
people
ask
questions,
and
look
for
answers, and even find good support.
Making
changes
within
yourself,
and
changing
the
way
you
live
life,
can
be
very
difficult,
it
can
take
a
lot
of
commitment
and
perseverance
to
make
it
work,
that’s
why
people
who
pay
for
therapy
tend
to
make
more
progress
than
people
who
can
pay,
but
chose
not
to,
it
is
often
all
about
the commitment.
Free Guidance sessions
I
provide
a
free
short
voice
session
when
possible
for
people
needing
some
guidance
and
who
are
trying
to
find
the
support,
they
need
but
are
unable to pay for therapy.
I
do
what
I
can
to
support
people
who
find
it
difficult
to
afford
therapy,
but
I
cannot
help
everyone
and
I
do
have
to
impose
limitations.
This
service
is
just
part
of
the
free
help
I
provide
and
you
can
find
out
more
on
the
forums
.