Wanting weekly therapy you can afford
A hundred and eighty dollars a week is beyond most households, and the sliding scale clinics carry long waiting lists of their own.
Online counselling : United States
Thoughtful counselling,
at a fee that stays
within reach.
Affordable online therapy is harder to find here than it should be, and wanting support while finding it out of reach is a familiar story, with private therapy commonly running from 150 to 250 dollars an hour and in network panels often closed. I hold UK CPCAB Level 4, I work online, and the section below explains plainly what these sessions do and do not cover, so you can decide with everything in front of you.
Qualified practitioner
CPCAB Level 4, UK
Registration No. 433TM4D-128-303701
UK CPCAB Level 4 qualification
Times that suit North American mornings
What I can and cannot offer, said upfront
Strictly confidential
Can a UK qualified counsellor work with clients in the United States?
Mehwish Salman holds UK CPCAB Level 4 in counselling and is not a licensed clinician in any US state. Protected titles such as psychologist and licensed therapist are not used. Clients who need insurance reimbursement, a diagnosis, medication or crisis care require a locally licensed provider, and some states restrict remote practice with their residents.
Who I work with
Who books from
the United States.
Cost, fit and availability bring most of these clients here. The notes further down explain the rest, so you can take your time deciding.
When insurance covers very little
High deductibles and closed panels mean plenty of insured people still pay the full rate, which is worth comparing honestly against this one.
Campus counselling capped at six sessions
The sessions tend to run out just as the work starts to be useful, and the onward referral costs more than a stipend can stretch to.
Successful, and quietly running low
Therapy used as much for performance as for repair: steadier focus, better recovery, and decisions made from a settled place rather than a reactive one.
Few practitioners where you live
Rural counties and small towns often have almost no choice of therapist. Online work makes your zip code irrelevant to the quality of care you get.
Explaining the culture every time
Clients looking for a South Asian therapist in the USA often spend half a session on background before reaching the problem. Here you can skip that and use the hour for the work itself.
Wondering what a session costs?
Ninety nine dollars a session, with no assessment fee.
The arithmetic
What a year of
weekly work costs.
The fee is the same for every client wherever they live, so you can work the cost out in advance. Nothing is added on top of the session fee.
| Working with me | |
|---|---|
| A single session | 99 US dollars |
| Twelve weekly sessions | 1,188 US dollars |
| A year, weekly | 5,148 US dollars |
| Assessment or intake fee | None, so the session fee is the whole cost |
| Insurance claim | Not available, so treat it as self funded |
| Diagnosis and medication | Not offered, and I will refer you |
Scope of practice
A few things worth
knowing first.
I am a counsellor and psychotherapist holding UK CPCAB Level 4. I am not licensed in any US state, I do not call myself a psychologist or a licensed therapist, and I cannot diagnose, prescribe, or provide documentation for a court, an insurer or an employer.
That means these sessions suit people who want talking therapy, practical tools and a steady relationship, and who are not relying on insurance or a formal diagnosis. Anyone who needs medication, an assessment, or urgent crisis care needs a locally licensed provider, and I will point you there rather than take the booking.
Some states regulate who may provide therapy to their residents, even remotely, and the rules differ from state to state. It is worth checking where you live before booking. I would far rather lose a session than have either of us end up somewhere neither of us intended.
My approach
What the work
actually involves.
American clients often arrive having tried an app, a six session employer benefit, or a therapist who churned through a protocol. This is slower and more tailored than any of those.
Talking therapy
Unhurried sessions where you can say anything at all, and I help you find the shape of what you are feeling.
Stress management
Small, practical things you can use between sessions to ease the daily load and look after your energy.
Breathwork
Simple breathing practices that settle the nervous system when thinking alone will not reach it.
Mindful somatic work
Hakomi based approaches that follow what the body holds, useful when emotion sits below language.
Family therapy
Sessions that gently look at the patterns a family repeats together, rather than treating one person as the problem.
Couples therapy
Gottman informed work on communication, conflict, trust, and the friendship underneath the relationship.
The same counsellor, week after week.
No rotating therapists and no session cap. You choose the pace and the length of the work.
Nature, breath and the nervous system
Finding your footing
when something strong
is running inside.
How do you learn to stay calm when you feel something strong rising?
Calm is a skill rather than a personality trait, and it is taught through the body before the mind. Slow breathing, grounding through the senses, and contact with the natural world all lower the physical arousal that fuels panic and anger. Practised in ordinary moments, those skills become available in hard ones.
Most of us arrive wanting the feeling to stop. What tends to help more is learning to stay upright while it moves through, since a wave that is ridden passes far sooner than one that is fought. Nature does a surprising amount of this work on its own, and it does not require a copay. A neighbourhood walk before the first meeting, a park at lunch, daylight on your face before the screens start. Clients with real green space nearby get more from it, and a sunny sidewalk still counts.
Settling the body first
Simple breathing practices that lower arousal in minutes, so thinking becomes possible again.
Coming back to the room
Sensory techniques that interrupt a spiral before it gathers pace, usable anywhere and unnoticed by anyone.
Healing that draws on the outdoors
Daylight, green space and movement built into the week, because the nervous system responds to place as much as to insight.
Sessions and fees
One fee, and no
insurance paperwork.
Sessions run by secure video, so all you need is a quiet room and a pair of headphones.
Single session
One to one counselling
$99
one to one session
one to one session
- Zoom or Google Meet, whichever you prefer
- Morning and early afternoon slots across US time zones
- Practical tools between sessions, not just conversation
Ongoing work
Regular sessions
$99
each session
each session
- Weekly or fortnightly, by agreement
- The same counsellor throughout
- Reviewed together as the work goes on
Couples and family
Relationship sessions
On request
booked ahead
booked ahead
- Gottman informed couples work
- Family sessions for repeating patterns
- Partners are welcome to join from two places
Booking and payment policy
Payment
Payment comes through at least 48 hours ahead, and that is what holds your slot for you.
Currency
Charged in US dollars, at the same rate for every client wherever they are. Your bank converts at the day's rate.
Cancellations
Life happens. Let me know as early as you can and I will move your session. A last minute cancellation without a genuine reason is not refunded, because the time stays reserved for you.
Late cancellations
If a session is cancelled at the last minute without a genuine reason, I am not able to refund it, since the hour stays reserved and cannot go to anyone else.
Unsure whether this fits your situation?
Ask first. If you need someone licensed in your state, I will tell you plainly.
Two minute check in
Wondering whether
therapy is for you?
Six short questions about the last two weeks. No sign up, no email address, and nothing stored anywhere, since it all runs inside your own browser.
This check in gives you language for what you are noticing. It does not diagnose anything, and only a proper assessment can do that.
Question 1 of 6
Over the last two weeks, how often has worry stayed with you through the day?
About
A little about
who you would meet.
Mehwish Salman
Psychotherapist and Counsellor
I qualified as a psychotherapist and counsellor and I hold UK CPCAB Level 4 in therapeutic counselling, registration number 433TM4D-128-303701. I work with adults, couples and families, and I shape each session around the person in front of me rather than a fixed script.
My continuing professional development covers stress management, breathwork, Hakomi based mindful somatic approaches, family therapy, and couples therapy using Gottman methods. That range lets me bring the right tool to the right moment rather than stretching one method over every situation.
American clients reasonably ask what a British qualification means for them. It means a counsellor trained and assessed against UK CPCAB Level 4 standards, working with you by video. It does not mean a licence in your state, an insurance claim, or a diagnosis, and I would rather be plain about all three.
UK CPCAB Level 4
Adults, couples, families
Integrative practice
Online worldwide
Questions
What people in the
States ask first.
Are you licensed in my state?
No, and I would rather say so clearly. I hold UK CPCAB Level 4, not a US state licence. I work as a counsellor, I do not hold a US licence, and I do not use protected titles such as psychologist or licensed therapist. Some states restrict remote practice with their residents, so it is worth checking your own rules before booking.
Can I claim these sessions on my insurance?
Almost certainly not, since reimbursement normally requires a licensed in network or out of network provider. Some flexible spending accounts and employer wellbeing budgets accept a receipt, which I provide on request.
Can you diagnose me or prescribe medication?
Neither of those sits within what I do, in any country. If you would like an assessment, a diagnosis or medication, a locally licensed clinician is the right person, and I will say so in the first session rather than let sessions drift.
What time are sessions available?
Mornings and early afternoons work best, with Eastern time having the widest choice and Pacific time the narrowest. Tell me roughly when suits and I will send back the times I have open in your own zone.
Is this therapy or coaching?
It is counselling, delivered by a qualified counsellor, and nothing about the work is watered down. What differs from a licensed local provider is the paperwork around it: no insurance claim, no diagnosis, no formal documentation.
What happens in the first session?
We spend the hour getting oriented. You describe what brings you here, I ask about your history and current situation, and together we name what you want to be different. You control how much you share on day one, and you decide afterwards whether to continue.
How do payment and cancellation work?
Payment reaches me at least 48 hours before the session and confirms your slot. If you cancel at the last minute without a genuine reason the fee is not refunded, because the time stays reserved for you. Tell me as early as you can when something genuine comes up and I will move your session.
How much does therapy cost in the US without insurance?
My fee is 99 US dollars a session, and it is the same for every client wherever they live. There is no assessment fee and no separate intake charge, so the session fee is the whole cost. These sessions are self funded and cannot be claimed on insurance, since I am not licensed in any US state, and payment reaching me 48 hours ahead is what confirms the slot.
Is online therapy covered by insurance?
Only when the provider is in your plan's network, or out of network with reimbursable credentials. I am neither, so treat these sessions as self pay. Some flexible spending and health savings accounts accept a receipt, and it is worth asking your administrator rather than assuming either way.
What is the difference between a counsellor, a therapist, a psychologist and a psychiatrist?
A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who can prescribe. A psychologist holds a doctoral degree and can assess and diagnose. Licensed therapists and counsellors provide talking therapy under state regulation. I hold UK CPCAB Level 4 rather than a US licence, so I provide talking therapy only, with no diagnosis, no prescribing and no licence in any state.
Do you take Medicaid, Medicare or EAP referrals?
No. All three require a provider enrolled in those systems, which means a locally licensed clinician. If cost is the barrier, community mental health centres, university training clinics and sliding scale directories are worth exploring alongside this.
My employer gives me six free sessions. Should I use those first?
Usually yes, since they cost you nothing. The common frustration is that the work deepens right as the sessions run out. Plenty of my American clients start with an employer benefit and continue here afterwards rather than stopping mid way.
Booking
Two easy ways
to get started.
Send the form below or message me on WhatsApp. Do read the scope notes further up first, since they matter more here than anywhere else on this site. Every message comes straight to me.
Book on WhatsAppNot sure yet? Ask anything you like first. There is no pressure to book, and questions are always welcome.
- thehealingtreepk@gmail.com
- WhatsApp, the quickest route
- Sessions by secure video, wherever in the world you are