How much is therapy in central London?

Written By Kate Crawford

If you’re looking for counselling or psychotherapy in central London and wondering how much it’s going to cost you, read on.

There’s something for every budget, but don’t just go for the cheapest, as there are some disadvantages. Below I explain these and set out the options in four price brackets:

  • free (or very low cost)

  • low cost

  • typical cost

  • high cost

Free (or very low cost)

If you can’t afford to pay for counselling, your options are NHS services and charities. The disadvantages of both these types of services are:

  • waiting lists can be long

  • therapy tends to be limited to a set number of sessions, often six or 12 but sometimes more

  • counselling is often provided by trainees.

If you live in central London, you can ask your GP to refer you to a local free service.

If you live outside central London, options to consider include:

  • Brandon Centre: Free counselling for 16 to 24-year-olds who live in Camden or Islington. Up to 16 sessions, face-to-face in Kentish Town, Pentonville or Hornsey, or online. Find out more: Brandon Centre

  • Mind: With no branches within the Circle Line, Mind’s most central branches are in Haggerston and Islington. The Haggerston branch offers free counselling to over-18s registered with a GP in the City of London or Hackney. The Islington branch offers 20 sessions to Islington residents for a small donation. Find out more: Mind in Haggerston, Mind in Islington

  • Solace Women’s Aid: Up to 20 sessions offered for free to women who have experienced domestic abuse or any form of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG). Available to those who live, work or study in one of 21 boroughs across central, north, east and south-east London. Find out more: Solace Women’s Aid

  • Terence Higgins Trust: Up to 12 sessions of free counselling for people living with HIV, online or face-to-face in Caledonian Road. Longer-term, low cost therapy is also available (see below). Find out more: Terence Higgins Trust

  • The Awareness Centre: Online counselling provided by trainees for £30 a session. Find out more: The Awareness Centre

  • The Listening Place: Short-term support for over-18s who are experiencing suicidal feelings. Typically three or six fortnightly sessions, which may be extended. Face-to-face in Pimlico, Kings Cross, Hammersmith and Liverpool Street.

  • Waterloo Community Counselling: Long-term, low cost therapy for adults who live within Greater London. Free mother-tongue counselling is available for some refugees and asylum-seekers. Otherwise, fees are from £20 to £85, depending on your income, so if you earn above £25,000 this may not be the most cost-effective option for you.

Low cost

At these organisations, therapy may still be provided by trainees, but the fee is a little higher and there may be no waiting list or just a short one.

  • Allkind / RISE: Face-to-face counselling in Westminster or online, provided by trainees. You may be offered six sessions or 24. £45, or £35 for students and those on low incomes. Find out more: Allkind / RISE

  • Face2Face London: Open-ended therapy (as many sessions as you want) in person in Oxford Circus or online for £54. Therapy is provided by trainees but, having worked with this organisation, I know they select their trainees very carefully from the best training organisations. I recommend them. Find out more: Face2Face London

  • London Friend: 12 sessions offered to members of the LGBTQ+ community in person in Kings Cross or online. A financial contribution is asked for, in line with your income. Find out more: London Friend

  • Terence Higgins Trust: For people living with HIV, sessions offered online or face-to-face in Caledonian Road. £40 to £80, depending on your income. Find out more: Terence Higgins Trust

Typical cost

A quick search of therapists in central London shows that many of them aren’t transparent about their fees, which can be really frustrating when you’re thinking of booking a session with them. Those that do publish their fees tend to be between £80 and £150, with the average being around £100. Group practices tend to charge a little more than individuals in private practice, but you may be happy to pay the extra for the security of going with a long-established business or because they might have slightly swisher therapy rooms.

If you’re looking for a therapist in this range, these are avenues I recommend.

  • BACP Directory: The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) is one of the two main professional bodies for therapists (the other being UKCP). They have a directory where you can search by location and specialism. Find out more: BACP Directory

  • Myself! I work with a lot of therapists and I’m passionate about high quality therapy, so I’m always happy to help people find the right therapist for them. I might be a good fit for you myself, but if I’m not or if I’m fully booked, I will be happy to hear what you’re looking for and point you in the direction of someone excellent. Feel free to send me a message or book a free introductory phone call.

  • Psychology Today: Psychology Today is a commercial enterprise rather than a professional organisation like BACP and UKCP, but they verify therapists’ credentials. Their search function is quite sophisticated, including options to search by language, ethnicity and religion. Find out more: Psychology Today

  • One Therapy London: This is the only group practice of qualified therapists that I recommend. I’ve worked with One Therapy London for years and know them to be very professional. They recruit great therapists and have beautiful, discreet therapy rooms in Oxford Circus and Bloomsbury. Find out more: One Therapy London.

  • UKCP Directory: The UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) has a register of its members, which can be searched by issue, location and therapy type. Find out more: UKCP Directory

High cost

I advise caution when seeking out a therapist charging £150 or more. A few charge that much because they are really good, experienced therapists who are in high demand. Others charge it because they’ve rented a therapy room with a Harley St address. The organisations I’d approach for a therapist at this price point are the same as those listed under ‘Typical cost’. Just make sure you’re paying for their credentials, not their postcode.

I hope I’ve provided a clear picture of how much you can expect to pay for counselling or therapy in central London. The prices I’ve quoted are for individual therapy; psychosexual therapy typically costs a bit more and couples therapy typically costs around 50% more.

If you have any questions or think I’ve missed something, feel free to contact me.

Kate Crawford