I can't afford to see a therapist:(

I dealing with being sexually abused when I was younger by my father. I am looking into starting therapy but I found out they start at $170 per hour on average. I am going to see if my insurance from work will cover it .If not then I can't afford to pay that and it would add up really fast.

However my friend told me that I can see a social worker instead and its free.They are just not as skilled as a therapist but I can still talk to them about the abuse to let it out.Any suggestions? Will a social worker help?

I'm sorry your post has gone for so long without a reply. As I understand the term, social workers are more often involved in ongoing issues. In terms of trying to plan with their clients to mitigate issues. Liaise with various organisations to help their clients. Monitor and evaluage progress. However, counselling might be part of their role.

It's worth looking into social workers. But you'd want to check on their background and training. If they don't have explicit counselling training, they may be very helpful. But they may also cause more harm than good. It's not a great risk. Also, check their professional confidentiality boundaries. Therapists do have a strict code of confidentiality. I'd hope social workers did too. But it's worth being clear about what they would need to share. And finally, whether their support is something that could be ongoing for a while. Or is a temporary arrangement. [I'd expect it to be very short term if it's free. And that again may not be the best thing for you.]

An alternative might be to contact any larger therapy centres near you. Because often, they have a range of options to fund help. Such as talking to a more recently qualified counsellor. Who is usually under supervision by a more experienced person. So it can work out well still. Also if there are any universities or therapist training centres near you. Again, they may be able to offer a much better rate. Although you'd need to discuss all the issues above about duration, confidentiality and experience too.

I hope you can find something that works for your circumstances, though.

Thank you for your reply

I would really recommend the social workers. They deal with a lot and should be sensitive. good luck.

My understanding in most states is that social workers have a bachelors degree, but to do psychotherapy they have to have a masters of social work. I don't know if this varies from state to state, but I live in Michigan, and all the therapists who I've seen that do individual therapy have their masters. I have had 8 different therapists, and 6 of them have been social workers. I have been to two psychologists and don't see much difference between the psychologists and the social workers I have been to. Many more therapists in my area are social workers rather than psychologists, so it's very common to get therapy from a social worker. I have never been to anyone that has been free, though, as this is how they make their living. If your insurance won't cover your treatment, maybe try your local community mental health agency and see if they have therapists who will work on a sliding scale. I have found that going through community mental health in my area is kind of a last resort, though. If your insurance does cover therapy, I have found that experience counts a lot, especially when dealing with the type of trauma you have posted about. It's not that there aren't good young therapists out there, but it is a job that takes years of experience to really know what you are doing in complex cases like dealing with childhood sexual abuse which can cause complex PTSD. I hope your insurance ends up covering your treatment. Good luck.

I know the post is old, but in case it's helpful for others who may be seeking similar...

Some areas have "sliding scale" fee therapists/psychiatrists that allow you to "pay what you can" based on income, etc. Some universities that teach psych allow their Masters and PhD students to also give therapy sessions based on "what you can pay." In my area, the max they'd charge was $25, but that was several years ago. Could vary by region, but worth a look see. Google "sliding scale therapy" or "sliding scale counseling" with your city/state appended and see if anything comes up.