The cost of seeing private psychologists is soaring and many are so busy they are turning away new clients, research has found.
The prices psychologists charge have risen by 34% since 2022 and 12 sessions now cost an average of £1,550, compared with £1,152 just three years ago, according to a survey by myTribe Insurance, which tracks the cost of private medical care.
Almost three in 10 (29%) psychologists are already treating so many patients that they are not taking on new ones, according to a survey of practitioners across the UK.
The sometimes months-long delays people face in their efforts to access NHS mental healthcare and the record number of people seeking help, usually for anxiety or depression, appear to underlie the double-whammy facing patients of fee uplifts and closed waiting lists.
Chris Steele, the founder of myTribe Insurance, said: “What we’ve seen over the last three years is a market that has become significantly more expensive for patients. A 34% rise in consultation fees is not just a statistic. It shows how private talking therapies are moving further out of reach for many people who need them.”
While many people are seeking help from a psychologist in private practice, the survey of 349 practitioners found that doing so can involve high prices, long waits and online-only care. The findings include:
The average cost of a consultation in the UK has risen from £96 in 2022 to £129.20 in 2025.
Psychologists in England charge the most (£131) per session and those in Scotland the least (£124).
Those in Scotland have the shortest waiting times (16.9 days), and people in Wales the longest (23.8 days).
Leicester-based psychologists charge an average of £164 for a session, with London second on £160. Colchester, Bath and Coventry charge £85, £99 and £100 respectively.
Steele advised people seeking help to shop around and be prepared to accept online support provided far from their home in order to beat delays and pay less.
The British Psychological Society, which represents 19,000 of the UK’s 27,774 psychologists, said they had increased their charges to help cover rises in the cost of living.
A spokesperson said: “With the continuing postcode lottery for accessing NHS mental health support, increasing numbers are seeking out private treatment. This is causing private providers to reach capacity and [be] unable to take on new clients. Demand is outstripping supply on all fronts.”
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One in three people waiting for NHS mental health care end up going private because of delays, according to research last year by Rethink Mental Illness. The rising cost of private psychology is “troubling”, and the trend towards private care could lead to a “two-tier system”, it said.
Jeremy Bernhaut, the charity’s head of policy and influencing, said: “There are an estimated 1.8 million people waiting for [NHS] mental health care [in England] and the consequences are severe: suicide attempts, lost jobs and hospitalisation, which puts strain on the wider NHS.”
The number of people on the waiting list for support from NHS community-based mental health and learning disability services in England has risen from 1.56 million last year to 1.79 miillion.
NHS England said more than a million people a year received help from its talking therapies services. A spokesperson said: “We plan to expand the service further, increasing the therapist workforce and reducing waiting times.”
