Therapy without insurance or at an affordable price

1. Decide what you need now

   Therapy means regular sessions where you talk about what is going on with you. A psychiatrist is a doctor who assesses you and can prescribe medicine. Callen-Lorde, The LGBTQ+ Center and the Institute for Family Health offer both.

2. If you have Medicaid, start with your plan

   With Medicaid, search the provider directory on your plan's website: it shows who is in the plan's network, who takes new patients and who speaks your language. No referral needed, the interpreter is free, and the plan must give you a first appointment within 10 business days. If the wait is longer, file an access complaint with your plan.

3. If you have no insurance, enroll in NYC Care

   NYC Care is a City program for New Yorkers without insurance: care at NYC Health + Hospitals hospitals and clinics, including mental health and substance use. Fees by income and family size, from $0, no membership fees. Sign up in person at any of its hospitals or clinics, or by phone at 1-646-692-2273 (say "Russian" for an interpreter; you then upload documents in MyChart or bring them to your appointment); you choose a doctor when you enroll, then book visits online in MyChart. You need ID (a foreign passport or IDNYC works), proof of income and address; if something is missing, come anyway. Nothing is shared with immigration authorities.

4. Search online by language

   Psychology Today and Open Path Collective have a "Russian" filter, and the NYC Health + Hospitals doctor search has a "Language" filter. If the provider doesn't speak Russian, ask for an interpreter: "I need a Russian interpreter".

5. Ask three questions when you book

   How much a session costs and whether there is a sliding scale. Whether they take your insurance or Medicaid. How long the wait is for a first session.

6. If the therapist is not right, keep looking

   The first therapist may not be the right fit. At the William Alanson White Institute you can ask for someone else.

7. While you wait for an appointment

   If you start to struggle emotionally, call 988. Go to support groups and use simple ways to look after yourself.

• NYC Care (NYC Health + Hospitals)

  NYC residentsPrice depends on income

  Without insurance (if you can't get or afford it), you pay by income and family size at City hospitals and clinics, from $0, mental health care included. Your status is not recorded. Bring ID (a foreign passport or IDNYC works), proof of income and address; if something is missing, come anyway. Call and say "Russian": interpreters cover more than 250 languages.

  1-646-692-2273nyccare.nyc

• NYC Health + Hospitals: behavioral health services

  Any statusPrice depends on income

  Outpatient mental health care at 11 City hospitals, plus clinics for LGBTQ+ people and for survivors of domestic and gender-based violence. Care for everyone, whatever their status or money. Find a doctor in the website's search, where you can choose a language, Russian included, with no phone call. There is a brochure on depression in Russian.

  nychealthandhospitals.org

• Callen-Lorde

  Any statusPrice depends on income

  An LGBTQ+ health center in Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Bronx: fees by income, no one turned away for money, Russian interpreter available. Therapy is open to the center's patients with no insurance or with Medicaid, Medicare or ADAP (the state program for people with HIV), so first book a first visit with a doctor online in MyChart: callen-lorde.org/register. Short-term therapy, psychiatry, help with alcohol, drug, internet and gambling problems.

  callen-lorde.org

• The LGBTQ+ Center

  Any status

  Therapy for LGBTQ+ adults, couples and families, trauma work, psychiatry. Intake is open: start with the form on the website: gaycenter.tfaforms.net/4952556

  gaycenter.org208 W 13 St, New York, NY 10011

• Brooklyn Community Pride Center

  Any status

  The center's social workers offer individual therapy for LGBTQ+ people, mainly those with Medicaid or the Essential Plan. Start with the Psychotherapy Inquiry Form on the website.

  lgbtbrooklyn.org1561 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11225

• Hetrick-Martin Institute (HMI)

  Under 25

  A center for LGBTQ+ youth aged 13–24: sessions with therapists and social workers (including art and drama therapists), help with housing, documents and insurance, food, showers and laundry. Whatever your insurance or status. Therapy sessions are on weekdays from 3:30 to 7 pm, in person or online: book ahead at counseling@hmi.org; sometimes there is a same-day opening. Closed the first Thursday of each month. In a crisis after hours, call 988 and say "Russian".

  hmi.org2 Astor Place, New York, NY 10003therapy sessions Mon–Fri 3:30–7 pm; closed every first Thursday of the month

• The Door

  Under 25Free

  A free center for young people aged 12–24: counseling and mental health care, medical care, legal help and more. Membership is free, no documents needed, language is no barrier. There are two ways to join: fill in the form at door.org/membership and they will get back to you, or walk in at 555 Broome Street in Manhattan on weekdays from 2 to 5:30 pm; if you have nowhere to live or it is urgent, you can also come from 10 am to 2 pm. Questions: membership@door.org. There is also a center in the Bronx, 2999 3rd Avenue, with a 24/7 drop-in wing for young people who have nowhere to live.

  door.org555 Broome Street, New York, NY 10013membership drop-in Mon–Fri 2–5:30 pm

• The Institute for Family Health

  Any statusPrice depends on income

  A network of clinics with therapists and psychiatrists for children, teens and adults: therapy, medicine or both. They take Medicaid, Medicare and most insurance; without insurance you can apply for a discount by income and family size ("no one is turned away"). Find the nearest center on the locations page.

  institute.org

• CHAMP (Community Health Access to Addiction & Mental Healthcare Project)

  Any statusFree

  A state program that helps if your insurer denies treatment or medicine for mental health or substance use, or unexpectedly asks you to pay. Free and confidential. Write to ombuds@oasas.ny.gov; the website www.champny.org/ can be switched to Russian.

  mentalhealth.cityofnewyork.us

• The Psychological Center (City College of New York, CCNY)

  Any statusLow cost

  The clinic of the clinical psychology doctoral program at City College of New York (CUNY): doctoral students see clients under licensed psychologists. No insurance; the first screen is free, the intake costs $30, card only. For a reduced fee you need copies of your W-2, your last three consecutive pay stubs, a lease or mortgage (or other proof of housing payments) and tax returns showing dependents. Many asylum seekers find these hard to gather; ask what you can bring instead. In person only: fill in the information packet at thepsychologicalcenter.org/newpatients, then a coordinator calls to schedule. All sessions are video recorded for supervision. CCNY security checks ID at the entrance. Closed when the college is closed, including late July to early September.

  thepsychologicalcenter.org160 Convent Avenue, New York, NY 10031Mon–Fri 8 am–8 pm, following the college calendar

• William Alanson White Institute

  Any statusPrice depends on income

  An institute of psychiatry, psychoanalysis and psychology: low-cost individual therapy for up to forty weeks, once or twice a week. Fees on an income scale. It doesn't take Medicaid or Medicare but will tell you where to go. A therapist is usually assigned within two weeks of applying; sometimes there is a waitlist. Download the application at wawhite.org/application, fill it in and email it to l.sosa@wawhite.org. There is a separate service for LGBTQ+ people.

  wawhite.org20 West 74th Street, New York, NY 10023sessions Mon–Fri 8 am–8:45 pm

• NIP Treatment Center (National Institute for the Psychotherapies)

  Any statusPrice depends on income

  A center of a psychotherapy institute: individual therapy and EMDR trauma treatment, in person or online, at reduced fees based on income, expenses and insurance. Therapists are trained on anti-racist principles, supportive of LGBTQ+ people and attentive to cultural differences. To start, fill in the form at niptherapy.org/consult: the center replies by email or phone and checks what your insurance covers before booking.

  niptherapy.org71 West 23rd Street, Suite 1400, New York, NY 10010

• Open Path Collective

  Any statusLow cost

  Private therapists at reduced fees: $40–70 a session, $30 with supervised trainees (few spots), plus a one-time $65 fee. For family income under $100,000 a year with no insurance or insurance that doesn't cover therapy. You can filter by Russian.

  openpathcollective.org

• Psychology Today

  Any status

  Therapists in New York who speak Russian. In the filters, pick your insurance (such as Medicaid) or Sliding scale if you pay yourself. Similar pages exist for Armenian, Ukrainian and Turkish, but not for Azerbaijani, Georgian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Uzbek or Belarusian.

  psychologytoday.com

• Your health insurance plan

  Any statusFree

  Search the provider directory on your plan's website for in-network therapists who speak Russian. In Medicaid plans the interpreter is free, no referral is needed, and the first session must be within 10 business days.

  healthweb-back.health.ny.gov

• NYC 988 Find Services

  Any status

  A search for mental health and substance use clinics and programs in all five boroughs (no private therapists). You can pick programs for immigrants, refugees and undocumented people; each listing shows its languages. Search by ZIP code and insurance type.

  nyc988.cityofnewyork.us

• Find a Doctor (NYC Health + Hospitals)

  Any status

  The City hospital system's doctor search has a "Language" filter with Russian, Ukrainian, Georgian, Armenian, Azerbaijani, Uzbek, Tajik, Belarusian and Turkish. This is the language listed in the doctor's profile.

  nychealthandhospitals.org

Russian-speaking psychiatrists, psychologists and therapists with whom people from our chats had a good experience are on their own page: "Russian-speaking therapists: our members' experience". QARAVAN has not checked licenses or the accuracy of these reviews.