Cost and access, honestly

• Peer support groups, 12-step meetings, grief circles, DBSA, NAMI Connection, Refuge Recovery, SMART Recovery. All free.
• Warmlines, non-crisis phone support staffed by trained peers. Search 'warmline' plus your state.
• Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs), many employers offer 3 to 8 free counseling sessions a year. Ask HR anonymously.
• Community mental health centers, federally funded, sliding scale based on income.
• Faith community counseling, many congregations offer free or low-cost pastoral counseling regardless of membership.
• Public libraries, mindfulness classes, grief workshops, guided journaling programs, at no cost.
• Free apps for meditation, CBT skills, and journaling, Insight Timer, MoodMission, PTSD Coach (VA), Woebot.

Many therapists and practitioners offer sliding-scale fees but don't advertise it. Ask directly: "Do you offer a sliding scale or reduced-fee slots?" A no is a no. But often the answer is yes.

Directories that filter for sliding scale include Open Path Collective (US, $40 to 80 sessions), Inclusive Therapists, and Therapy for Black Girls / Latinx Therapy / Asian Mental Health Collective for identity-affirming care.

Graduate programs in psychology, social work, counseling, and marriage and family therapy run community clinics staffed by advanced students under licensed supervision. Sessions are typically $10 to 40. The supervision is real; the students are motivated. Search your city plus "graduate psychology training clinic" or "counseling training clinic."

If you have insurance, look up your out-of-network mental health benefit, it's often more generous than in-network and lets you see any licensed therapist and get partial reimbursement. Ask any therapist for a "superbill" (an itemized receipt with diagnostic codes) which you submit to your insurance yourself. Reimbursement is not instant, but for people who can front the fee it dramatically expands options.

• Yoga & meditation: donation-based (Kula) classes, YMCA memberships, free YouTube channels (Yoga With Adriene), public library mindfulness programs.
• Bodywork: massage schools charge $30 to 50 for full sessions with supervised students.
• Group therapy: often half the cost of individual therapy with equal or better outcomes for certain conditions.
• Peer-led grief and recovery groups: The Dinner Party (loss), Suicide Loss Survivors, GriefShare, Compassionate Friends, all free.
• Somatic practices: many SE and TRE practitioners offer low-fee 'training clients' slots for advanced trainees.
• Retreats: work-study or scholarship slots exist at most reputable retreat centers. Ask.

The cheapest care you never book is infinitely more expensive than the modest care you actually start. Perfect fit at $200 a session that you can't sustain is not more helpful than good-enough care at $40 a session that you can. Start where you can start.