What Does a Therapy Session Really Cost? A Transparent Look at Private Practice Fees

A question about fees comes up often with my supervisees:

How do I work out what to charge in private practice?

It is an important question, and often an uncomfortable one.

A therapy fee is not just about the one hour

The first thing I encourage therapists to consider is this:

Don’t set your fee simply by comparing yourself with others.

Another practitioner may have different qualifications, experience, client load, overheads, room hire, or work arrangements. Their fee may not reflect your true cost of providing professional, ethical, sustainable care.

A session may be 50 or 60 minutes.

But the fee helps cover far more than that hour, including:

• Supervision

• Professional development

• Insurance and memberships

• Software, notes, admin and accounting

• Website and business costs

• Tax, leave, cancellations and non-billable work

The visible part is the session.

A great deal happens behind the scenes.

My own example

This is a personal example only, not a template.

Each year, I spend approximately:

• $3,000–$4,000 on supervision

• ~$2,100 on professional development days

• $6,000+ on practice costs

That totals roughly $11,100–$12,100 a year.

And that does not include consulting room rent.

If I see 15 clients per week for 44 weeks, that is:

660 sessions per year

Spread across those sessions, my infrastructure costs alone are about:

$17–$18 per session

And we haven’t paid me yet.

That figure is before income, and before we factor in:

• Tax

• Sick leave and annual leave

• Public holidays

• Cancellations

• Notes, emails and phone calls

• Preparation and follow-up

• General business administration

So when a therapist charges a fee, that amount is not simply their “hourly rate”.

Experience matters too

Ten, 15, or 20 years of practice brings something different to the room.

Not perfection.

But depth.

Experience shapes judgement, skill, confidence with complexity, and ethical awareness. It also reflects years of training, supervision, and learning how to hold people’s stories well.

That matters.

Don’t forget the consulting room

If you rent a consulting room, that cost needs to be included too.

A professional space may involve room hire, utilities, cleaning, reception support, waiting areas, technology, and the quiet work of maintaining privacy and safety.

Again, the dollar charge is not all about the one hour.

Sustainability and accessibility can both matter

These values do not have to compete.

A therapist can care about accessibility and still need pricing that is sustainable. Some practitioners offer reduced-fee places or flexible options where they can. It is also okay to have financial boundaries.

Undercharging may feel generous in the short term, but it is often not sustainable over time.

A short reflection for therapists

You might ask yourself:

• Do I know my real annual costs?

• Have I included tax, leave, cancellations and non-billable time?

• Is my fee shaped by guilt or by reality?

• What would sustainable and ethical look like for me?

Start small. Clarity can be life-giving.

A gentle note for clients

If you are a client, I hope this offers a little transparency.

The fee you pay is not only for the hour you see. It also supports the training, supervision, systems, preparation, and experience that make ethical care possible.

And if therapy feels financially out of reach, it is okay to ask about options.

Warmly, Suzanne

Educational content only. This is not financial advice and is based on a personal example. Therapists should seek appropriate accounting, business and professional advice for their own circumstances.