Cheap (and good) therapy in San Francisco
- Corrie Varga
- Mar 4, 2018
- 6 min read
Updated: Jul 21, 2021
I often hear the shock in people's voices when they find out how much full-fee therapy costs in the Bay Area. Like everything else these days, the cost for good therapy has gone up and up. My dream for our future is that everyone will be able to access free mental health care with ease.
In the meantime, here are some amazing options for nearly-free therapy in San Francisco and the surrounding area. Many free and sliding scale clinics tend to have waitlists. I recommend calling and getting on as many waitlists as you can.
Scroll down to the end for more tips on navigating finding a therapist that works for you!
In the Mission at 3150 18th Street @ Folsom
415-606-5296 ext. 102
Sliding scale starting at only $5! This place is just incredible. Their offices are fully accessible for people of all abilities and backgrounds.
Near Civic Center BART Station at 507 Polk Street @ Golden Gate Ave
415-561-0230
Income-Based sliding scale starting at $25. This is where I learned to be a therapist and very dear to my heart. Golden Gate offers inviting offices close to BART. The best way to make an appointment is to call and do a free intake phone session, it will take about 20 minutes. After that they will match you with one of their therapists. The therapists are all well into their training but are not licensed. It has a social justice orientation, meaning the therapists treat the whole person: mind, body, spirit, soul within the context of our world.
Downtown SF at 220 Montgomery @ Bush
415.217.8895
Income based sliding scale starting at $25. Similar to Golden Gate, this center is one of training sites associated with the California Institute of Integral Studies. Their focus is in somatic psychology, which focuses more on the body and depending on your needs and interest, may include more physicalization such as yoga, movement, or EMDR.
2140 Pierce Street in San Francisco
415.776.3109
Income-Based sliding scale starting at $25. This is another training center affiliated with the California Institute of Integral Studies. The therapists here are trained in modern relational psychodynamic therapy but draw on a variety of modalities. They have cute, inviting offices in an old victorian mansion near Alta Plaza Park.
1782 Church Street, San Francisco, CA 94131
415.648.2644
Income-Based sliding scale starting at $25. This is another training center affiliated with the California Institute of Integral Studies. I really like the therapy coming out of this center which specializes in Gestalt, sand tray and dreamwork.
In Hayes Valley at 110 Gough St @ Page
415-861-5449
Income-Based sliding scale from $35-110. Individual therapy, couples therapy, family therapy, child therapy, group therapy, and psychiatric services. This is an advanced training center for therapists who are well on their way to being licensed with a speciality in psychodynamic therapy.
In the Castro at 2275 Market Street @ Noe
(415) 358-2000
Income-Based sliding scale for individual, couples, and family therapy. They also offer tons of groups. I'm grateful this place is here in San Francisco for people who want queer and feminist therapy. They are doing great work and I've heard only good reviews from my friends and family.
(415) 554-9634
234 Eddy Street in the Tenderloin
St James is a peer-based clinic for sex workers that provides a wealth of services within a harm reduction framework including primary care, testing, needle exchange, peer counseling, massage, acupuncture, and mental health care. You don't even need insurance and its all free! St James offers 12 months of individual psychotherapy for active and inactive sex workers. The best way to make an appointment is to call for an initial phone intake.
(415) 221.4211
3330 Geary Street in the Inner Richmand
Call for a free hour-long initial phone appointment to get started. Free Services for people on MediCal or MediCare / Healthy SF. I hear they have a highly trans-competent psychiatrist.
415-476-3902
1930 Market Street in the Castro
AHP has a broad range of mental health services for LGBTQ individuals including therapy, psychiatry, substance use recovery, career and vocational counseling, and psychotherapy groups. Therapy is usually limited to 20 sessions. They are a part of UCSF and work with people whose health insurance covers UCSF care, such as Health San Francisco. Call to schedule an intake or drop by Monday, Wednesday or Friday from 9am-11am.
(415) 863 4282
45 Franklin Street, San Francisco
HRTC offers individual and family therapy in San Francisco, Oakland and Mill Valley for people who want to change their relationship to substances and friends or family of people struggling with substance use issues. I'm a big fan of their harm reduction model and this clinic was founded by some of the great leaders in harm reduction philosophy. Check out their website for the contact info to their other offices. Sliding scale based on income.
(415) 565-7667 ext 351
1735 Mission Street at the corner of Mission & Duboce
Short term individual therapy (12-20 sessions) and Therapy Groups, free with insurance. Long term psychiatry. Accepts MediCal and MediCare and will help set you up with insurance if you qualify. Uninsured folks may qualify for sliding-scale services. They also offer transgender, HIV, and gyno services in their primary healthcare clinic.
Mission Mental Health
2712 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 401-2700
Bilingual therapy and psychiatry available to people with MediCal insurance and Medicare. They've recently added several therapists who specialize in serving transgender community to their team! To get an appointment you need to show up and wait in line at or before 8am any weekday. Its a good idea to be prepared to wait for a few hours or more to get that intake. They often have a long waitlist and it can take 3-5 weeks to get an appointment but once you are hooked up, its FREE!
SOMA Mental Health
760 Harrison St., 94107
415-836-1700
Therapy and Psychiatry for people with MediCal and MediCare. To get an appointment you need to show up and wait in line at or before 8:30am any Monday, Tuesday, Thursday or Friday. Its a good idea to be prepared to wait for a few hours or more to get that intake. They often have a long waitlist and it can take 3-5 weeks to get an appointment but once you are hooked up, its FREE!
5 Tips for Navigating the World of Low-Fee Mental Health
1. All therapists and clinics will start off with a 10-30 minute phone session where they gather some personal and contact info that helps them match you with a therapist who fits your needs. If you know you want to work with a queer therapist, specific gender or race, age, or modality, advocate for yourself during this call! You deserve to get matched with a therapist you feel truly comfortable with! Expect to provide some personal information including contact info, why you are seeking counseling now and basic mental health history.
2. If you need psychiatry, expect to wait weeks to months to get a low-fee appointment. If you're having a mental health crisis and need to get evaluated for psychiatry meds immediately, the best way is to go to Psychiatric Emergency Services at SF General Hospital. Many primary care doctors can prescribe basic antidepressants, anxiety meds and mood stabilizers if you tell them what's going on with your mental health.
3. Talk to a few different therapists or centers on the phone before you decide but sign up for all the waitlists. I think a lot of times when we don't have a lot of money, we feel like we shouldn't take up people's time and should "just settle for what we get". I want to bust through that myth and remind you again how valuable you are and that no matter what you can afford, you deserve good, safe, and effective mental health care. Since many places have waitlists, its a good idea to join as many as possible to keep your options open so you can have choice even after you've met your new therapist.
4. Don't be afraid if you don't like the first therapist you get matched with. Even if you're not paying, you are still doing the hiring and you get to hire the person that you feel good about meeting each week! It can be intimidating and vulnerable to talk about yourself to a stranger but its going to be worth it when you find that right therapist for you. Just because the first one isn't a good fit, doesn't mean you therapy was a bad idea.
5. Trust your intuition. Most therapists, including myself, rely on intuition to guide us through this process of healing. Our "gut" knows what we need and can usually be trusted to make a wise choice. Take some breaths, tune into yourself, and listen to what you need right now.
