Why do you charge so much?

I think it’s totally fair to ask why I charge for my services since it can be a significant financial investment if you see a therapist regularly. I mean, I do and it’s something I have to specifically budget for otherwise I wouldn’t be able to afford it. 

I also believe in transparency which is why I display my fees online and am happy to explain how I settled on them. The simple answer is that I worked out how much I needed to make a year to make practising sustainable while keeping fees as low as possible.

I believe that therapy should be accessible and cheap/free for everyone but unfortunately our current system of captialism and government doesn’t make it possible. Free services like non-government organisations are often underfunded and overwhelmed with people so you might have to wait months until you get a session or weeks/months between sessions (I would know, I worked for them!). Often you have to fit in a specific demographic for government funding guidelines e.g. women over 65 years old, diagnosed mental health disorder, etc. with a specific limited amount of sessions offered (usually 6 – 20 sessions) before being discharged.

This is why people look to private practitioners for more immediate access, long term consistent care, choice of who to see, and not engaging with a colonial medicalized system that labels and stigmatises. I, myself, see a private therapist because I have control over who I see and find people who specialise in areas and models that work for me.

My fees are lower than the recommended fees from the Australian Association of Social Workers who recommend $270/hour for social workers in private practice. The Australian Psychological Society recommends psychologists to charge $270/50 minute session. That’s a fee that’s wild to me and unaffordable (I wouldn’t be able to afford paying that!) 

I charge well below the recommended fees for private practice due to my ethics. 

I will give notice if there is a fee increase and the fee increase will most likely be a cost-of-living increase.

I try my best to balance my cost of living and work expenses with being affordable. The reality is that some people cannot afford to see me, and I am sorry but to survive I need to charge a certain amount for my services. If that is the case I will try my best to refer you onto a relevant free or low fee services but cannot guarantee their availability.

Here is what you’re paying for in each session”

·        60-90 minutes of direct therapy (sometimes more);

·        5 -15 minutes of case notes after the session;

·        Between session liaison, support and advocacy to other people and/or services in your support network;

·        Limited email and admin support between sessions e.g. writing support letters;

·        And contribution to my professional development and resources:

·        Office rent and other practical resources e.g. paper, electricity, etc.

·        Software (Power Diary, Xero) subscriptions, Stripe/Visa processing fees;

·        Accountants, monthly bookkeeper, website costs, other professional support;

·        Professional membership and recognition as a social worker;

·        Public liability and professional indemnity insurance;

·        Group supervision;

·        Fortnightly external supervision from multiple supervisors with different specialities;

·        Training fees and study fees to keep up with the most recent best practice and models;

·        My own regular therapy to make sure I have the psychological and emotional space to provide the best possible service and presence in my sessions with you.

·        My living expenses! Food, housing, clothes, phone bill, and anything else I need for day to day life in neoliberal nightmare Sydney.

 

With warmth and solidarity,
Michelle