Money in Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy is a humane profession. It involves providing psychosocial support to people in a state of emotional suffering or life crisis. As such, it undoubtedly has its value. However, the humane background of this profession does not mean that it must be free of charge, because we all live in a world where the economic side of every profession is important. It is precisely this moment, how much to charge and similar questions, that are topics around which interesting debates and reflections always arise.

The oldest and most widespread stereotype is that if therapy is a humane act, then it should be humanitarian, that is, provided free of charge or for a negligible sum of money.

Those who support this view usually see psychotherapy as financial exploitation of people in a state of emotional suffering. Behind this stereotype also lies the lay belief that psychotherapy is merely a conversation about the problems a client has, like those with neighbours over coffee.

Of course, with the development of the field of mental health and increasingly widespread public education about what psychotherapy is and is not, this attitude is becoming ever rarer. For example, Gestalt psychotherapy, in addition to the lengthy and costly training of therapists after completing university, also entails the therapist's great responsibility for the success of treatment and the client's wellbeing. A psychotherapist with adequate knowledge and skills offers clients the opportunity to work on themselves, to gain awareness and to change.

Andraš Feldmar, an existential psychotherapist originally from Hungary, stated in an interview that if he did not charge for sessions, during them his focus would not be on the client and their needs, but on how he would pay his bills.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the price of a psychotherapy session in private practice ranges from 30 to 100 BAM. The difference is large, but several factors influence the price set by the psychotherapist at the same time. The first factor is the form of psychotherapy being provided: individual psychotherapy, group psychotherapy, which has a somewhat lower price although it lasts longer than individual therapy, and then couple or family therapy, which are more expensive (and the session lasts 90 minutes). The second factor relates to how much work experience the person providing the service has, whether they are a trainee (in the 3rd to 5th year of psychotherapy training) and how many years of practical experience they have in that period, or whether they are a certified psychotherapist and supervisor with many years of experience.

The price of an individual one-hour session with certified psychotherapists usually ranges from 50 to 60 BAM. Experts who have reached the level of psychotherapy trainer, or psychotherapists with decades of clinical expertise, charge from 50 to 100 BAM per session.

It may seem that therapy is excessively expensive, but therapists have a great responsibility to society, and we need quality and continuous training so that we can offer guarantees to our clients; this training also has a high cost in money and time (weekend seminars, supervision, etc.).

In addition, for each hour spent with a client we usually spend at least another hour studying the case and preparing strategies for the next session. We also have office rental costs, etc.

In any case, it is important for every psychotherapist that clients are motivated and that continuity in the work is maintained, and accordingly, agreements on discounts for regular clients are often made.

What a patient pays in therapy is actually an investment in oneself, and we believe this is one of the best ways to invest money in yourself and your own life.

Investing in yourself through psychotherapy is money that multiplies many times over. Not only do we become aware of our self-sabotaging patterns, but we also establish better contact with ourselves. From that contact it is easier to stand up for ourselves before others and to make better decisions for our health, relationships, work and finances. In fact, psychotherapy saves your money because it acts as prevention against poor decisions and significantly improves the quality of your life.

Anecdote:

There is an anecdote about an entrepreneur who was very worried about a machine that was crucial for producing his product, which was not working and was broken. After trying to repair the machine, and unsuccessfully taking its parts apart and reassembling them, the entrepreneur decided to call a man who was said to be an expert in such machines. When the expert arrived, he struck a piece of the machine with a hammer and repaired it in two minutes.

When the entrepreneur asked what he owed him, the expert, without hesitation, demanded an excessive amount. The entrepreneur then exclaimed angrily: "You charge this much just for a hammer blow?,,

To which the expert replied: "Not for the hammer blow. I charge for striking with the hammer in the right place, and for everything I had to study beforehand so that I could know where I had to strike. "