Resources

Looking for low-income therapy? Here are some great resources, courtesy of JustMinds Counseling, to help you get connected with whatever you need:

​

Free Counseling in Austin or Low-Cost Therapy (Under $50 per session)

• Asian Family Support Services of Austin — Provides counseling support specifically for Asian/Asian-American/Immigrant survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking. Also offers case management and legal support services.

• Capital Area Counseling — A training agency where many therapists start as interns and some continue after graduation. Offers exceptional low-cost counseling with rates from $15-$60 per session based on your ability to pay. (Central/East Austin)

• Central Austin Psychotherapy — Located on West Koenig Lane, serves children, teens, families, couples, and adults with sliding scale fees as low as $50 per hour. Specializes in relationship issues, developmental trauma, anxiety, depression, family communication, and adoption-related concerns.

• Discovery Counseling — Run by Sara Weber, specializing in eating disorders and mindfulness-based therapy. Sessions range from $35-$60. (Central Austin)

• Doable Recovery Institute — RJ Garcia provides comprehensive care as therapist and case manager, coordinating with physicians/psychiatrists for continuity of care. $85-100 per hour.

• Flourish Psychotherapy and Nutrition — Takes a mindful, holistic approach to mental health, viewing difficulties as whole-body challenges needing empathy and nourishment. Master’s level counseling intern offers sliding scale $30-50 (fully licensed practitioners $140-160). (South Austin)

• Frontline Strong — Provides completely free counseling for first responders including veterans, active/reserve military, police, fire, EMS, and healthcare workers. Professional support at no cost to qualifying individuals.

• Luminary Counseling — Private practice clinic offering flat $50 rate for individuals, couples, and families who need affordable long-term counseling with immediate availability. Cannot afford higher rates welcome. (NE Austin)

• Mike and Sherry Project — Specialized affordable counseling for restaurant industry workers, with sliding scale starting at $15/session for food service workers only. Services provided through Capital Area Counseling.

• Mindful Wellness Center of Austin — Offers 50-minute individual sessions on sliding scale $30-$50 based on income, provided by LPC Associates. Focus on mindful, holistic mental health approaches. (South Austin)

• NAMI Central Texas — Provides education classes on mental illness and volunteer-run support groups for individuals and families affected by mental health conditions. Free community resources and peer support. (Central Austin)

• Open Path Collective — National network requiring all therapists to commit to sessions between $30-$60. Provides affordable therapy access with licensed professionals nationwide.

• Out Youth — Offers individual and group counseling for LGBTQ youth ages 12-23, plus adult support groups for trans and queer-identifying adults. Also provides family support for parents of LGBTQ youth.

• Pregnancy Postpartum Health Alliance — Provides therapy voucher program offering low-income women experiencing postpartum depression, anxiety, and/or OCD up to 8 discounted therapy sessions. Specialized maternal mental health support.

• SAFE (formerly SafePlace) — Offers free counseling for all survivors of interpersonal violence including domestic violence, sexual assault, sexual abuse, and human trafficking. Serves people with disabilities, Spanish speakers, and Deaf community members. (East Austin)

• St. Edward’s Community Clinic — Community clinic staffed by St. Edward’s counseling students providing individual, family, and relationship counseling for $0-20 per session. General focus with supervised student therapists. (Central Austin)

• Texas State Community Counseling Clinic — Operated by Texas State’s Professional Counseling Program at San Marcos and Round Rock campuses. Serves individuals, couples, families, children, and adolescents for $0-$20 (no one turned away for inability to pay).

• Texas State University Assessment Clinic & CARES Clinic — Provides comprehensive assessments for children, adolescents, and adults, with CARES specializing in autism evaluations and ABA services. Sliding scale fees available based on financial need.

• Therapy Austin — Has locations in central and north Austin with intern therapists who cannot take insurance but offer affordable rates. Sessions range $75-$125 with quality supervised care. (Central and North Austin)

• Waterloo Counseling — Provides affordable, culturally sensitive mental health services to all people regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, or HIV status. LGBTQ-affirming and inclusive care approach. (Central Austin)

• YWCA — Offers individual, couples, and family counseling with standard fees $35-$100 per hour on sliding scale. Subsidized fees $10-$75 for qualifying clients, with free services for women veterans and crime victims. (Central Austin)

 

Affordable Counseling Options ($50–$100 per session)

If you don’t qualify for free services but still need something affordable, these clinics and group practices offer licensed therapists or supervised associates at accessible rates:

• Austin DBT Associates — Specializes in Dialectical Behavior Therapy with sliding scale starting at $60 for individual sessions and $45 for DBT skills groups. Effective for managing emotional intensity and impulsive behaviors that disrupt daily life. (North and South Austin)

• Austin Family Institute — Offers individual, couples, and family therapy on competitive sliding scale comparable to insurance copays. Lower costs available with less experienced clinicians who receive ongoing training and supervision. (Westlake)

• Austin Relational Counseling — Specializes in relationships and how people relate to the world through individual, premarital, marital, and couples therapy. Helps renegotiate relationships so clients and loved ones can step closer to their preferred lives. $75-115 (Online only)

• Autonomy Therapy — Committed to supporting healing in relationships with self and others, specializing in eating disorders, body image issues, compulsive exercise, anxiety, trauma, and depression. Evidence-based treatment approaches. $50 (North Austin, Online/In-person)

• Center for Relationships — Expert relationship-focused counseling for individuals, couples, families, and groups with multicultural, spiritual, LGBTQ and non-monogamy sensitivity. All associates trained in Gottman Method Couples Therapy and other current relational models. $50-$150

• David Wachsman Counseling — Creates a warm, welcoming environment to explore life obstacles and find solutions for personal, professional, and relational success. Specializes in career counseling, couples counseling, and anxiety treatment. $50-$100 (Online only)

• Enhancing Intimacy Austin — Focuses on relationship and sexual health, helping couples, individuals, and families strengthen relationships and increase intimacy. Sliding scale $45-$150 with fully licensed professionals or supervised interns/associates. (West Austin)

• GT Therapy — Interdisciplinary team of social workers, LPCs, and LMFTs offering systemic and integrative therapy across the lifespan. Special focus on teens, college students, parents, and families with post-graduate therapists offering $75-125 sliding scale. (Central/University area)

• JC Shakespeare — LPC-S with over 15 years experience working with adolescents and adults on trauma, substance use, recovery, grief, and depression. Integrates somatic psychotherapy (EMDR, Natural Processing) with mindfulness and Internal Family Systems. $100-150 (South/Central Austin)

• Jewish Family Services — Doesn’t typically turn clients away for inability to pay, accepting Medicare, Aetna, Humana, BCBS, Magellan, United Healthcare. Two fully licensed clinicians available, one providing EMDR and one with LCDC credentials for substance abuse. (2-3 week wait typical)

• Liz Watts Counseling — Individual adult therapy focusing on anxiety, mood disorders, life transitions, stress coping, and grief/loss. Provides safe, judgment-free environment for honest exploration of concerns. $50-80 (West Austin, Online & In-person)

• Plumeria Counseling Center — Committed to exceptional counseling at affordable rates with fees reflecting therapist experience: $80+ (1st year associates), $95+ (senior associates), $135+ (fully licensed). Accepts major insurance including Aetna, Cigna, Humana, United, BCBS, Medicare. (South Austin, mostly telehealth)

• Relational Counseling Services — Private practice providing affordable individual adult and marriage counseling with sliding scale appointments $45-$95 per hour based on client’s financial need. Focus on relationship and individual growth. (Hutto)

• Taylor Group Counseling — Provides affordable counseling for adults and teenagers 16+ through individual, couples, and family therapy. Each therapist has unique specializations with $90 private pay rate and accepts multiple insurance plans. (NW Austin – Cedar Park)