Where to get a psychologist who works for free?

Hello friends!

Our website is now more than 5 years old, has more than 1100 texts and more than 10,000,000 hits. We received visits from people interested in psychology not only from Brazil, but also from other countries. With so many people familiar with the site, I get a lot of questions about psychological theories but also questions about how to get free counseling, in person or online.

See also the video at the end of this text

One of our most accessed texts is precisely the text “Online Psychology: is it free?” that is, it is a text that seeks to show that online psychology cannot be free precisely because it requires professional training and experience. Besides, serving thousands of people for free over the internet is impossible, isn’t it?

Before, at the beginning of our site, I had more time available and was able to respond to (personal) questions from readers by email. Currently, the ask the psychologist, unfortunately, is unfeasible to be free.

Well, but as I continue to receive emails from people in need of care, but unable to pay for the treatment, I will tell everyone where you can find psychological treatment for free. All the places I’m going to talk about in this text offer free psychological care, but it’s in person and not online, okay?

First, I would like to remind you that seeking psychological care is not just for crazy, abnormal, psychopathic people. Anyone and everyone may need – at some point in their life – specialized professional care. In fact, with the current attributions of psychology, it is difficult for a person to live a lifetime without having at least one contact with a psychologist.

In addition to clinical psychology, in the office, people will find psychologists when they are going to do the psychological evaluation to get a driver’s license, in the evaluation to find a job in Human Resources organizations or agencies. We also find psychologists in schools, hospitals, teaching in various undergraduate courses. The list would actually be very long. If you want to know more, take our Free Online Psychology Course

However, if you arrived at this text looking to find psychologists who provide free consultations, you are really looking for clinical psychologists. So I’ll tell you where you can find them:

City hall

The first place you should look is at your city hall. As municipal public administrations are organized differently, you may find psychologists within the city hall itself, with their consultation rooms, or you may be taken to look for them in Municipal Health Posts, Caps or the so-called Mental Health. As the locations within the city hall will change from city to city, the best place to start looking, if informed, is right at the City Hall.

But know, therefore, that you will possibly find psychologists free of charge at Caps, at Health Centers or at so-called Mental Health centers.

Colleges of Psychology

If you live in a city that has a college of psychology, whether government or private, you will also find free counseling. In undergraduate courses, psychology students who are already graduating are obliged to carry out internship hours in the areas they like the most. Many have the desire to work, after graduating, in clinical psychology. Therefore, they will have to serve first as interns (but already at the end of graduation), being supervised by competent professors.

Myself, when I was doing my graduation, in the last year, I provided several free consultations for the population of São João del-Rei, in Minas Gerais. Although the professional who will attend is still in college, he has already learned a lot (usually more than 4 years of classes) and is already able to provide quality care. In addition, it has the guidance and supervision of a teacher and, therefore, quality is guaranteed. It is similar to the residency visits of doctors, before they graduate in medicine.

hospitals

As I said at the beginning of the text, psychologists also work in hospitals. However, most of the time, only to patients or family members of hospitalized patients. It’s not the best place to look if you need therapy. However, it is important to remember that if this is your case (having family members hospitalized or being hospitalized), it is possible to be seen free of charge by a hospital psychologist. But I must remember that in the hospital the service is punctual, that is, it is brief.

Private Agreements

What I am going to say may seem contradictory, but it is possible to find psychology professionals who provide free healthcare services. Depending on your plan, the service is free for you, although the professional is paid for the calls. In this form of remuneration, I also had experience. I assisted Military Police and Firefighters from the State of Minas Gerais who had the Agreement. The plan covered not only police and firefighters but also their families. The plan paid us (the State of Minas), while those who had access paid nothing.

There are also private health plans that do the same. Because you are working in a certain company or because you already pay the monthly health plan, you can have access to psychology professionals who provide free services or, at very low prices, since the health plan can pay for most of the consultation.

Psychologists’ offices

Many psychology professionals dedicate part of their time to providing services for free, in their offices, or at very low prices. One of my Professors at UFSJ, trained outside Brazil, and with decades of experience, did not provide free services. But, let’s say, if his consultation was 150 reais, he reserved a few hours a week to see people who could pay only 10 reais for the consultation. In his opinion, it was better for the person to pay, at least a little than nothing, since by paying he adds value to the services.

In this way, it is also possible to find free consultations in private practices. But to do so, it will be necessary to research which professional does this, if he works for free or charges lower prices, and if this value, you can pay.

NGOs and Religious Institutions

And, finally, there are professionals who work in NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) and Religious Institutions – such as the Pastoral da Família of the Catholic Church or Evangelical Churches, for example.

Conclusion

Finding a psychology professional who works for free or at affordable prices is possible. The fact that it is free does not mean that you will not receive decent care, as many professionals receive it (either from the government when they work at city halls and caps) or from NGOs or even health plans. Try to find assistance if you or someone close to you is in need and cannot afford it.

But in conclusion, I would like to say that therapy is for everyone. And it should be seen as an investment. As the Greeks said “A healthy mind in a healthy body”, that is, we must treat and take care of both our body and our psyche, our emotions, our thoughts, our behavior. If you can pay for the treatment, you have even more options and you can find renowned professionals who will help you in this wonderful process of self-knowledge that therapy is. Look! Take care of yourself!

Video – Where can I find a psychologist who works for free?

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