Anxious, Shy, Fearful? Use Self-help And Therapy Sliding Scales To Get Help For A Bargain Price!

There are several ways to get first-rate psychological help if you cannot afford a private therapist.

1. Community Mental Health Clinics

Many areas of the country have community mental health organizations sponsored by the county, city government or a nonprofit organization. These agencies often provide low-cost counseling based on your ability to pay often starting as low as $1 per hour.

If your local agencies do not provide counseling based on your ability to pay, ask them to refer you to area counselors who do. Find resources in your area by checking your local Yellow Pages or searching the internet for "Mental Health Services" or "Social Services."

You also can search for these organizations at the Web site of Mental Health America (under "Get Help." Select "Finding help." Or, contact the National Mental Health Consumers Self-Help Clearinghouse.

2. Employee Assistance Programs

Your employer might provide free or low-cost access to local therapists through an "employee assistance program." These programs may even be available to members of your immediate family.

Ask your human resources or benefits coordinator if such a program exists at your company. If so, the services are typically paid for by your health insurance or employer.

At a minimum, your employer likely has negotiated a reduced therapy rate for employees. Participation in your employee assistance program is probably confidential. In that case, he would not know that you are seeking therapy.

3. Religious Leaders

Some ministers, priests, rabbis and other clergymen hold masters degrees, or even doctors degrees, in counseling and they often have extensive counseling experience. Think about contacting your church or other religious organizations to see if a credentialed pastoral counselor is available.

These pastoral counselors often charge lower fees than other therapists with comparable amounts of experience and some may waive their fees entirely if you have very limited financial resources. Nothing is engraved in stone, however, so be sure to ask about fees before making an appointment.

If your particular church, synagogue, temple or mosque does not have such a counselor, however, ask to be referred to other local religious organizations that do or to private counselors in your area who charge fees based on a sliding scale.

4. Self-Help Programs

Another way to get the help you need is through person-to-person self-help programs like support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous or Over-Eaters Anonymous. Another way is through self-help educational programs called self-therapy kits (STKs).

Many people who have particularly private personalities or severe time constraints use them. These are programs you use by yourself in the privacy of your own home. In a sense, using them is like having your own private therapeutic consultant at your personal disposal.

They are educational digital programs and may include e-books, CDs, DVDs, MP3s or any combination thereof. They are inexpensive and teach you how to relieve and cope with your anxieties and frustrations independently.

These programs are particularly helpful if you have limited financial resources; they typically cost a one-time fee of anywhere from $9 to $100 or so and the fee is only a one-time event. It is not a weekly fee you would have to pay for private counseling.

They can be easily located by using a search engine. Just search for "self-help" "self-improvement books," "self-help for anxiety, depression," self-therapy" etc.

They are delivered in a multimedia format and can include any or all of the following: DVDs, MP3s, e-books, workbooks, videos etc. They are self-paced, inexpensive and can be used anytime in the privacy and comfort of your own home.