How accessible are private psychologists in the UK?

Private psychologist in the UK speaking to patient about depression and anxiety

Dan Cooper

Mental Health and Wellbeing Copywriter

One in four people experience mental health issues each year in the UK. Paired with the current NHS waiting list struggles, this has contributed to an increase in demand for mental health services. While the challenges the mental health crisis poses for the NHS are well documented, with patients facing long waits for treatment, less is known about the impact on the private sector. With this in mind, we were keen to find out the current accessibility of private psychology services, specifically for patients experiencing depression and anxiety, which are the most common mental health issues.

What's happening in the private sector?

In January 2024, our researchers surveyed 435 private psychologists across the UK to learn about availability, waiting times and the cost of seeing them as a patient.

44% of private psychologists aren't taking on new patients

The most significant finding was that of those surveyed, 44% weren't taking on new patients, with more than two in five (38%) saying they're fully booked or citing other reasons (6%).

Availability by region of the UK

As you might expect, the availability of private psychology services varied significantly across the UK. South West England saw the worst availability, with only 43% of those surveyed able to take on new patients. In contrast, North East England had the best availability, with 68% saying they could book an initial appointment.

Waiting times to see a private psychologist

With 90% of NHS patients entering treatment within six weeks and 98% within 18 weeks, we wanted to understand if private patients had it any easier. We found that, on average, private patients looking for an initial consultation with a private psychologist were waiting just under three weeks. However, this varied significantly by region.

The longest wait times were in South West England, with average waits of five and a half weeks. Wales was recorded as the region with the shortest waiting times, typically seeing patients in less than a week.

Private psychology waiting times by region
Region	Wait in weeks
Wales	Within 1 week
Yorkshire and the Humber	Within 2 weeks
Scotland	Within 3 weeks
London	Within 3 weeks
East of England	Within 3 weeks
West Midlands	Within 3 weeks
North West England	Within 3 weeks
South East England	Within 3 weeks
North East England	Within 3 weeks
Northern Ireland	Within 4 weeks
East Midlands	Within 5 weeks
South West England	Within 6 weeks

SOURCE: myTribe 2024 Private Psychologist Survey

How much does it cost to see a private psychologist?

With one in eight Britons now paying for private care due to lack of access to NHS services, we wanted to understand how much they were paying for psychology services. The average cost across the UK for an initial consultation with a private psychologist (for patients with depression and anxiety) was £125, again varying considerably by region.

Focusing on specific areas of the country, the North East of England was shown to be the most expensive, averaging at £155 for initial consultations. Other regions didn't see much improvement on this, with London averaging £154 and Wales typically sitting at £153.

Cost of follow-up appointments

Once patients are assessed in their initial consultation, their psychologist then decides on the path of treatment and whether a follow-up appointment is necessary. The UK average for follow-ups was recorded at around £116. Regionally, prices were highest in London, averaging £140, followed by the East Midlands (£139) and then North West England (£130).

Nationwide accessibility

Conducting this research meant looking at the granul

ar data and using it to assess the overall accessibility of private psychologists in the UK.

Taking into account availability, waiting times and cost, we found that Yorkshire and the Humber had the best access to private psychology services. This region averaged £108 for initial consultations and had a shorter wait time of 2 weeks. Elsewhere, the least accessible area was the South West of England, with a 6-week average wait time and only 43% of psychologists taking new patients.

What this means for mental health in the UK

Before we conducted our survey, we were aware of many of the issues facing both the private and public healthcare sectors. Our findings, however, highlight a worrying lack of access to private mental health care, especially in the worst-affected regions.

Your options when looking for a psychologist in the UK

For those struggling, there are still options. Many psychologists we surveyed offered remote appointments, so if you're finding it hard to access a private psychologist in your area, whether it's down to availability, cost or location - it's always worth looking further afield for an online or telephone consultation.

Another interesting and beneficial finding was that towns or cities relatively close to each other can have vastly different availability and pricing. So don't panic if your local psychologist is out of your price range; if you can travel, you may be able to find a more reasonably priced service outside of your local area.