What to do if you cannot afford therapy in India

At ₹800 to ₹3,000 a session, weekly private therapy costs more per month than many households in India can spare. If that is your situation, the constraint is arithmetic, not a lack of seriousness about your wellbeing. There are other routes, and some of them are genuinely good.

Free, and available today

These are staffed by trained people, cost nothing, and do not require a referral.

• —Tele-MANAS — 14416. The Government of India’s national mental health helpline. Free, 24x7, available in multiple languages, and able to escalate to a professional or a district mental health programme.
• —KIRAN — 1800-599-0019. A national helpline under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, 24x7, across thirteen languages.
• —Emergency services — 112, for immediate danger to life.

A helpline is not the same as ongoing therapy, but for an acute period it can be the thing that gets you through a night, and it can point you toward local services you did not know existed.

Government mental health services

The District Mental Health Programme operates in most districts and provides free or near-free care through district hospitals. Government medical colleges and institutions such as NIMHANS in Bengaluru and major public hospitals in Delhi run psychiatry and clinical psychology departments where consultation costs are nominal.

The trade-off is honest: waiting times can be long, sessions shorter, and continuity with one practitioner harder to maintain. The clinical quality at the larger institutions is nonetheless high.

University training clinics

Departments of psychology and clinical psychology often run clinics where postgraduate trainees see clients at very low cost, supervised by experienced faculty.

People are sometimes wary of being seen by a trainee. It is worth reframing: a supervised trainee is usually recently trained, closely monitored, and discussing your case in detail with a senior clinician every week. That is more clinical attention than a single private practitioner can give.

NGOs and non-profits

A number of organisations provide free or donation-based counselling, some focused on particular groups — students, women facing violence, LGBTQ+ people, people bereaved by suicide. Availability varies by city, and the national helplines above can usually direct you to what operates in your area.

Employer and campus services

If you work for a large company, check whether there is an Employee Assistance Programme. These typically cover a handful of free confidential sessions, are run by an external provider, and — importantly — your employer does not learn that you used it or what you discussed.

Most universities have a counselling cell, free to enrolled students. Quality varies, but it is free and it is immediate.

Sliding scale in private practice

Many private practitioners hold a small number of reduced-fee slots and do not advertise them. If someone’s approach suits you but the fee does not, it is entirely acceptable to write and ask whether they have a concessional slot or a waiting list for one. The worst outcome is a no.

Making paid therapy go further

If you can afford some but not weekly, a few adjustments help.

• —Fortnightly sessions. Less ideal than weekly, considerably better than nothing.
• —A defined short block. Six focused sessions on one specific problem, rather than open-ended work.
• —Bundles. Many practitioners, including me, price multi-session packages below the single-session rate.
• —Do the work between sessions. What you practise in the fortnight matters more than the hour itself.

A note on free listening apps

Apps offering chat with untrained "listeners" can help you feel less alone at 2am. They are not therapy, the person is usually not a clinician, and the data practices vary. Use them for company, not for treatment.