Therapy is an investment in yourself. Like any investment, therapy calls for a financial and emotional commitment. The average cost of a therapy session in Dublin can range from €70 to over €100 for more specialised therapists.

Good to know:

• Many health insurance providers cover some or all of your therapy sessions depending on your policy once your therapist is accredited with a recognised body.
• Some employers may cover some of the cost towards therapy or offer EAP
By understanding how much therapy costs, over time therapy can help you save money by helping you be more productive, reducing health costs and breaking maladaptive coping habits.

A common question when people start considering therapy is how long is this all going to take? Consistency is key initially to develop the healing relationship with your therapists. Most therapists will encourage you to attend psychotherapy once a week but that is not always possible for everyone. It’s good to bear in mind that there are lots of healing pathways such as Energy Healing or workshops that provide a healing space sporadically.

If you decide to choose psychotherapy, give yourself a guideline of at least 12 sessions to begin. You’ll want to give yourself and your therapist time to create a strong therapeutic bond to establish trust while telling your story. It takes time and along the way you’ll be developing new skills, behaviors, and ways of thinking and processing. From there incorporating healing steps and developing new habits takes many weeks, and months to integrate and become your new way of being.

While three to six months can be a sufficient amount of time for some people to meet their goals in therapy and start to experience real and noticeable improvement in their lives, many people may commit longer term, and plenty of people continue to stay in therapy for over a year—some for many years. Some people dip into therapy, leave therapy, and return to therapy at different points all throughout their life. Whatever your process is, that’s okay.

Therapy is a time and space for you, and you can use it however you wish! Do you want to talk about work, relationships, family, your future, and/or your past? Do you want to learn how to cope with anxiety or are you looking to put words to all your thoughts and feelings. Do you want to primarily have a safe space where you lead and unpack what’s on your mind, or do you want the therapist to take a lead? Don’t worry if you’re not sure before you get started. Many therapists can meet you where you are, and over time you can work together to come to know your needs.

Journaling can help, or talking out loud to yourself (even pretending you’re talking to your future therapist) to get comfortable hearing yourself speak about your thoughts and feelings.

Gaining a sense of connection with your therapist is an important step in choosing which therapist you’d like to work with. A phone call or email can help you get started.

When the therapist describes their approach to therapy, does that sound like something that might be helpful for you? When the therapist describes their professional experience and people they’ve worked with , do these sound like things you can relate to? When you describe some of the things you’d like to work on, does it feel like the therapist is listening to you?

You can also discuss any of the above with your therapist at any time, particularly during your first appointment.