How much does it cost to see a therapist in the UK?
Written by the clinical team at The Lyceum Clinic. Clinically reviewed by Sanah Younis, Clinical Director, BABCP-accredited (no. 1000792). Published 28 October 2026. Last reviewed 28 October 2026.
Private therapy in the UK generally costs between about £50 and £150 a session, with accredited CBT therapists in London towards the upper part of that range. At The Lyceum the published fee is £110 for an online session and £140 face to face in West London, with a free fifteen-minute consultation before you commit.
What the fee covers
A fifty-minute session, usually weekly at the start. Behind it sit the formulation, the preparation, the clinical supervision, the continuous reading of primary literature to keep protocols sharp, and the emotional processing required to hold severe distress without carrying it home. None of that is visible from the chair, and all of it is in the price.
What we say when someone asks whether it is worth it
You are paying to buy your time and your life back. What is the cost of living in a shrunken world for another decade? A focused course of 6 to 12 sessions is, for most of the problems we treat, a one-off outlay against years of avoidance.
For more detail, read about how CBT works.
Insurance and cash plans
Some private medical insurance policies contribute, and most health cash plans reimburse a set amount per year for a small monthly premium. Employer cover is increasingly common. Check your cover before assuming you will pay in full; our insurance page sets out which insurers we work with and how the two models differ.
The questions worth asking any clinic
Is the therapist accredited by a professional body you can check on a public register? Is progress measured? Are fees published or quoted on enquiry? The answers affect whether the money buys change.
Why the fee is published
A quoted-on-enquiry fee means the price depends on the conversation. A published fee means it does not. Ours is on the fees page, with the insurer and cash plan routes set out beside it, so the first call can be about whether therapy is right for you rather than about money.