You have decided to try therapy, looked at a few London fees and stopped. A lot of people get stuck at exactly that point, sometimes for years.
Private therapy in London is expensive. The range is also far wider than most people expect, and a good part of it costs nothing at all.
This guide sets out what therapy actually costs here, using published fee data from the therapists listed on The Therapist Finder, then works through every free and low cost route in order of price.
What therapy actually costs in London
Most guides give a vague range. The figures below come from the fees published on therapist profiles listed on The Therapist Finder, so they describe practitioners who are working right now rather than an estimate.
For therapists listed at London postcodes:
- The median fee is £85 a session.
- The middle half charge between £75 and £110.
- The lowest published fee is £25.
- Around 44% charge £80 or less.
- Around 8% charge £60 or less.
Across the whole directory, including therapists based outside London who work online, the median is the same £85, but the bottom end is wider. Around 48% charge £80 or less and around 14% charge £60 or less. Widening your search beyond London is one of the simplest ways to bring the price down.
Based on the therapist profiles listed on The Therapist Finder. Fees were last reviewed in August 2026. For a breakdown by therapy type and session length, see our guide to how much therapy costs in London.
Why two therapists with similar training charge different fees
Fee level tells you little about quality. It reflects room rent, postcode, years in practice, specialist qualifications and how full someone’s diary is. A therapist renting a room in central London carries costs an online therapist does not. Someone newly qualified often charges less while building a practice, and they are still registered, insured and supervised.
The cheapest ways to speak to a therapist in London
Ordered by price, these are the routes worth trying:
- NHS Talking Therapies. Free. You refer yourself, with no GP appointment needed.
- Your employer’s counselling scheme. Free, usually six to eight sessions, arranged within a week or two.
- Charity and training clinics. £5 to £40 a session, most on a sliding scale tied to income.
- University and college counselling. Free if you are studying.
- A reduced fee place with a private therapist. Usually £40 to £65 in London.
- Online therapy with a therapist based outside central London. From £25 on the directory, more commonly £50 to £70.
Each route is covered below, with what it suits and where it falls short.
Free therapy in London
NHS Talking Therapies
You do not need a GP referral. In England you refer yourself directly to your local NHS Talking Therapies service online, and treatment is free. The service works with anxiety, depression, panic, phobias, obsessive compulsive disorder, post traumatic stress and health anxiety.
Expect an assessment call first, then a course of sessions, most often CBT or guided self help. Waiting times differ by borough, from a few weeks to a few months. Courses are usually capped at six to twelve sessions. For a defined difficulty this is real treatment at no cost.
Where it falls short is open ended work, longstanding patterns and choice of therapist. If you want to pick the person you work with, look elsewhere.
Counselling through your employer
Most medium and large UK employers pay for an Employee Assistance Programme. It gives you a short course of confidential counselling, normally six to eight sessions, free to you, usually starting within a week or two. Your manager is not told you used it.
Check your staff handbook or intranet, or ask HR. This is the most underused free option in London, mainly because people do not know they have it.
Free services for particular groups
- Students. Free counselling through your university or college.
- Local Mind branches. London has a network of independent local Mind charities, many running free or low cost counselling and peer support. No diagnosis or referral needed.
- Bereavement. Cruse Bereavement Support offers free sessions across London.
- Women who have experienced abuse or violence. Specialist services including Solace Women’s Aid run free counselling.
- Refugees and people seeking asylum. Waterloo Community Counselling offers free multilingual counselling.
Low cost therapy clinics in London
London’s psychotherapy training schools run clinics staffed by trainees in the final stage of qualifying. They have finished the academic work and need supervised client hours. Every session is reviewed in weekly supervision with an experienced practitioner, so your work is held by two people rather than one.
Fees below were compiled in August 2026 from each service and from NHS and council directories. Confirm the current fee when you enquire.
- Metanoia Institute, Ealing. Assessment £25, or £10 if you receive benefits. Weekly sessions £35, reduced to as little as £5 in the daytime depending on your circumstances. Up to six months of therapy, online or in person.
- The Minster Centre, Queen’s Park. Initial consultation £40, or £15 on benefits. Sliding scale after that, guided by £1 for every £1,000 you earn a year. Weekly, long term work of at least twelve months.
- The Awareness Centre, Clapham and Tooting. Around £30 to £40 a session with a trainee nearing the end of training. Face to face, seven days a week.
- The Guild of Psychotherapists, Southwark. Initial consultation £35, then a sliding scale with a minimum of £5. Aimed at residents of Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark.
- Psychosynthesis Trust, London Bridge. £20 assessment, then £10 to £20 a session depending on what you are able to pay.
- Help Counselling Centre, Great Portland Street. From £30 with an experienced trainee, or £60 with a fully qualified therapist. Online and in person.
- Waterloo Community Counselling, Waterloo. Sliding scale from £20, plus free multilingual counselling for refugees and people seeking asylum.
- Tavistock Relationships, central London. Reduced fee relationship and couples sessions at £50, with a smaller low fee service available on request.
One warning about older guides. WPF Therapy still appears on many London low cost therapy lists, including guides published this year. It closed in July 2023 and went into liquidation. Check a clinic is still open before you build a plan around it.
Who training clinics suit, and who they cannot take
They suit anxiety, low mood, bereavement, relationship difficulties, work stress, life transitions and questions of identity. Long term weekly therapy at £5 to £35 a session is something private practice rarely matches.
They do not take people with psychosis, bipolar disorder, a diagnosed personality disorder, active addiction or a current high risk of suicide. Those needs belong with NHS secondary mental health services, and your GP is the route in.
One practical point people miss. Several clinics ask you to agree to sessions being audio recorded for the trainee’s qualification. Recordings are confidential and used only for assessment. If you are not comfortable with it, raise it before the assessment.
How to ask a private therapist for a reduced fee
Many private therapists hold one or two lower fee places for people on low incomes. This is ordinary professional practice, not a favour. Most do not advertise it, so you have to ask.
What to say
Keep your first email short and direct. Something like: “I would like to work with you. My budget is around £50 a session. Do you hold any reduced fee places, or could you point me to someone who does?”
Name a figure. A therapist with a £45 place free has no way of offering it if they do not know what you are able to pay. If the answer is no, ask whether a colleague has a concessionary space. Therapists refer to each other constantly.
What a realistic reduced fee looks like
Between £40 and £65 in London. Below that, a training clinic is the better route. Reduced fee places are often time limited, so ask how long the rate holds and what happens afterwards.
Online therapy brings the price down
A therapist working online pays no consulting room rent, and many pass the saving on. The cheapest fees on the directory, starting at £25, are all for online work.
The evidence base is strong. For anxiety and depression, therapy delivered online performs about as well as meeting in person. It also removes travel, which for a lot of people is the difference between keeping a weekly slot and dropping out after a month.
If you want to meet face to face, look one or two zones out from the centre. Fees in central postcodes carry central rents.
What to check before you book anything cheap
- Registration. The words therapist and counsellor are not protected in the UK. Look for BACP, UKCP, HCPC, BPC or NCPS membership, and check the register.
- Supervision. Every practising therapist should be in regular supervision, trainees included. Ask.
- Total cost, not session cost. An assessment fee, a longer first session or a strict cancellation policy changes the real figure.
- Length of the work. Six sessions and open ended therapy are different things at the same hourly rate.
- Cancellation terms. Most therapists charge for missed sessions. Read this before you start.
Every therapist listed on The Therapist Finder is checked and their registration confirmed before the profile goes live, so the first item is handled for you.
If you need support today rather than in a few weeks, Samaritans is free to call on 116 123, at any hour.
For fees across the rest of the UK, and a breakdown by type of therapist, see our guide to how much therapy costs in the UK.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest way to speak to a therapist in London?
Free, through NHS Talking Therapies, which takes self-referrals without a GP appointment, or through your employer’s counselling scheme if you have one. If you want to choose your own therapist and work for longer, a training clinic is the cheapest paid route, from around £5 to £40 a session depending on your income. Reduced fee places with private therapists in London usually start around £40.
How much does therapy cost in London?
The median fee among London therapists listed on The Therapist Finder is £85 a session, and the middle half charge between £75 and £110. Around 44% charge £80 or less and the lowest published fee is £25. Fees were last reviewed in August 2026.
Is there free therapy in London?
Yes. NHS Talking Therapies is free and takes self-referrals. Most medium and large employers provide six to eight free confidential sessions through an Employee Assistance Programme. University counselling is free to students, local Mind branches often run free or low cost counselling, and specialist charities offer free work for bereavement, abuse and asylum related support.
Is low cost therapy with a trainee any good?
Trainees at London clinics have completed the academic part of a long training and are in weekly supervision with an experienced practitioner. Research on therapy outcomes points to the relationship between client and therapist as one of the strongest predictors of whether therapy helps, well ahead of the fee. Trainee clinics are not suitable for the most complex presentations, including psychosis, bipolar disorder and active addiction.
Do private therapists offer sliding scale fees?
Many hold a small number of reduced fee places, typically £40 to £65 a session in London. Most do not advertise them. Ask directly in your first email and name the figure you are able to pay, since a therapist has no way of offering a lower place if they do not know you need one.
Is online therapy cheaper than seeing someone in person?
Usually. Therapists working online carry no consulting room rent and often charge less as a result. On The Therapist Finder, the lowest published fees, from £25, are all for online sessions, and widening your search beyond London raises the proportion of therapists charging £60 or less from around 8% to around 14%.
Find a therapist you are able to afford
Every profile on The Therapist Finder shows the therapist’s fee, so you compare price before you make contact rather than after two emails. Every practitioner is checked and their registration confirmed before their profile goes live.
Search verified, independent UK therapists, or browse by location to see who works near you.
Many therapists keep a small number of lower cost places. You can see current availability and fees for depression therapy in South London on the directory.
