Many clients and therapists don’t understand why a Psychology session costs $150, $180, $200 or more for 50 minutes of talking. Some people think “my Psychologist sits in an office with minimal overheads – why am I paying so much”?
At face value, a Psychology service looks like a low tech, low expenditure service, but in reality, a Psychology practice is an expensive business to operate. Administration support, room rental, professional registration, insurance, and professional development requirements are some of the largest costs and cannot be avoided when running an ethical, professional service.
The income that can be generated is also limited because an individual Psychologist has a limit to the amount of clients that they can see in any one day. On average, your Psychologist will spend 20 to 30 minutes of additional time per session completing client related activities such as preparation, case notes, scoring assessments, and writing letters or reports.
For these reasons, Psychologists carefully consider their fees to provide their clients with an affordable, professional, and effective service, while maintaining their own psychological, physical, and financial well-being.
Shannon – SQPsych