Cost of private psychologists rises by 34% in three years as many close waiting lists

The cost of seeing private psychologists is soaring and many are so busy they are turning away new clients, research has found.

- Denis Campbell Health policy editor

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.

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 be partly to blame for the double whammy of fee increases and closed whammy of fee increases and closed waiting lists that patients face.

Chris Steele, the founder of MyTribe Insurance, which tracks the cost of private medical care, said over the last three years the market had become "significantly more expensive".