We sat down with Rasha Salama, Relationship Counselor/Therapist and founder of The Re to explain exactly how should you price your sessions so you’re being paid fairly and at the same time not overcharging your clients.
What do you take into account when pricing my sessions?
You have to know that this field is a very humanistic field that provides a challenge for most therapists. The issue of money is always a challenge for most therapists, it’s very tricky. You have to do market research and find out what other therapists are charging in your field. Then evaluate your credentials, the service you’re providing, and where you want to place yourself in the market.
What is the market range?
The market prices can range from 250 EGP- 3000 EGP per session. However, how I see it is these sessions are a recurrent thing. This means you pay the same amount every single session unlike how if you went to a GP (general practitioner) you’d pay only once and get a follow-up session free of charge afterward. It’s a shame how in Egypt people believe that if paying more will give you better therapy. This could possibly apply to other things but not to therapy. The effectiveness of a therapy session depends on the relationship built between client and therapist.
What’s the rate you pay when working in a counseling center?
Generally speaking, when you’re working at a center, your pay gets divided into 60% – 40%. You get 60% of what the client pays and the center gets 40%. So if your sessions cost 100EGP, then you get 60EGP and the center gets 40EGP. You need to keep that in mind when pricing your sessions while working at a center. There are perks to working at a center, and the division makes sense. It’s like you’re renting the space from them.
How do you set the right price for your sessions?
Like I was saying, the way I see it is this is a recurring thing. So, I price my sessions while having in mind that the client will be paying this every single time. I put a reasonable price on my sessions, most people can afford so I don’t put my client under any stress because of our sessions. I also always ask my clients if they can afford my services, and I never ever stop therapy because of money.
