Hello, my name is Matthew Gorner and I set up lowcostcounselling.org to address the problem of the high cost of counselling and psychotherapy which prevents many people on lower incomes from accessing the help they need. As a counsellor, I see some of my clients on a reduced fee basis but there can only be a limited number of low cost counselling places available at any one time.
To make counselling more accessible, I have set up crowdfunding to help pay for 1:1 counselling for those on a low or no income. In my experience, it is important for clients to make a contribution towards their own therapy so they have some ‘skin in the game’. This makes missing sessions less likely and increases by-in to the therapeutic process. Clients pay what they are realistically able to afford and the remainder of the cost is made up from crowdfunding.
Clients can apply for a group of ten partially funded sessions and then chose to continue at the full cost if they are able or to reapply for funding for a further ten sessions.