How to Find Free or Low-Cost Mental Health Support Groups

Taking care of your mental health is important. Sometimes that can be as simple as working more self-care into your day. Other times, you might need a little extra assistance from a mental health support group. A support group can be helpful for connecting with others who are going through your same situation and for learning new coping strategies. 

You can find a variety of mental health support and therapy groups in both in-person and virtual formats. They can be run by nonprofits, hospitals, peer support specialists, or licensed professionals. The good news is, you often can join them for free or a very low fee. 

Here is a guide to finding free and low-cost mental health support groups near you.

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What sort of mental health support groups are available?

Mental health support groups are available for everything from depression and anxiety to work-induced stress. There are groups available to help you through a recent diagnosis, like cancer or diabetes. Other examples of support groups include those for:

• Grieving the loss of a loved one 

• Struggling with overeating 

• Postpartum anxiety or depression

• The aftermath of trauma or assault 

• Addiction to things like alcohol, drugs, or gambling

• Parents of children with disabilities 

• Family caregivers

These groups come in different formats — peer support groups and group therapy. Peer groups are great for providing social support to others who get where you’re coming from. Therapy groups are more like getting mental health treatment.

Peer support groups are often led by people with lived experience related to the group topic, such as perinatal depression or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A support group allows you to connect with others in similar circumstances and to cheer one another on as you work through a difficult time.

Therapy groups are run by licensed professionals, such as a social worker or addiction treatment specialist. These groups are often geared toward providing therapy treatments — like learning cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) skills or processing trauma in a therapeutic setting. 

How much does it cost to attend a mental health support group?

The cost to attend a mental health support group will generally depend on whether you’re entering a peer-led group or a therapy group. 

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Cost of peer support groups

Open support groups generally allow participant walk-ins and are typically free. Tina Kocol, a licensed professional counselor and certified group psychotherapist, says if an open group is not free, it will typically operate on a “pay-what-you-can” model. 

“This means there’s a suggested donation or sliding scale and rates around $0 to $30,” she says. The donation often helps cover the cost of refreshments, materials, and rental of the room in which meetings are held. 

Closed groups are typically invite-only and thus require someone to be screened before arrival. When you locate the group you want, reach out to the contact person to find out your next steps. “You don’t necessarily need a referral, but you would have to set up an intake screening,” Kocol says. 

Any donations or costs related to peer support groups are typically not covered by insurance. 

Cost of therapy groups

Individual therapy can be expensive and range in cost from $65 to $250 per session. Group therapy is often more affordable — ranging from $40 to $60 per session on average. Groups allow therapists to provide lower-cost services to help people access some types of mental health treatment. 

If you have health insurance and the group you’re attending is run by a provider in your insurer’s network, your insurance will likely cover the cost. Depending on your plan, you may be responsible for your typical cost-sharing charges for group therapy, such as a deductible, copay, or coinsurance. 

If the therapy group is led by an out-of-network provider, you may have to pay up front and can try to seek reimbursement from your insurance company after the fact. You can also use your health savings account (HSA) or flexible spending account (FSA) to pay for a therapy group.

Some community mental health clinics and graduate school training programs offer free and very low-cost therapy groups. If you find a group and are having trouble affording the cost, ask the therapist about sliding scale fees. Therapists may be willing to significantly slide or lower their fees for therapy groups.

How do I find free or low-cost support groups near me? 

Finding a support group may seem overwhelming, but there are many ways to connect with the right one for you. Here are some places to start:

Ask your primary care provider for a referral. Your general practitioner may be able to recommend a free or low-cost mental health support group or other low-cost mental health resources in your area.

Ask for referrals from friends and family. Put the word out that you are looking for support. Someone in your network may have heard about or been to a support group that may benefit you.

Check out mental health support group databases. Many nonprofit organizations offer support groups or ways to search for groups in your local area. Here are a few great places to start:

• The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has a search function to help you connect to groups in your area.

• Anxiety & Depression Association of America (ADAA) offers a directory of support groups that meet in person and online. 

• Mental Health America lists organizations offering support group resources on its website.

• The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) offers a guide to virtual support resources for substance use and mental health issues.

Search by subject online. A simple internet search of your specific situation + support group should help you find what you are looking for. You can search by grief-specific support groups, alcohol recovery groups, groups designated for specific demographics, and more. 

Search therapist databases for groups. To find therapy groups run by licensed professionals, you can use search databases to find therapists in your area with relevant groups. Give these popular search websites a try:

• Psychology Today

• Good Therapy

• Therapy Den

• Gaylesta (LGBTQ therapists)

• InnoPsych (BIPOC therapists) 

Try an app or virtual experience. There are many apps that can provide peer mental health support right from your smartphone or computer. Here are a few you may want to consider:

• Hey Peers lets users choose from a variety of support group topics and join anonymously. It allows for video and chat conversations one-on-one or in a group format. The service is free to download and use. 

• We Are More is a free peer support group app designed to help you “connect with others in the same boat.” It caters to those dealing with mental health issues and chronic illness. It offers groups for topics like addiction, HIV, heart disease, and more. 

• Supportiv connects people with peer support groups for everything from depression to loneliness, work stress, and caregiving challenges. It costs $15 for 24 hours of unlimited use.

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Written by:

Nicole Pajer

Nicole Pajer is a freelance writer published in The New York Times, Parade, AARP, Woman's Day, Wired, and Entrepreneur, among others. When she’s not writing, Pajer keeps busy by checking exotic travel destinations off her bucket list, attempting to wear out her 71-pound Doberman’s boundless energy, and teaching people how to properly pronounce her last name (It’s ‘Pager,’ just like the beeper guys!).

Edited by:

Kristen Gerencher, MSOT

Kristen Gerencher is an award-winning writer who has reported on healthcare, medicine, and insurance for a variety of national publications. Before contributing to GoodRx, she was a healthcare and personal finance reporter for MarketWatch.

Reviewed by:

India B. Gomez, PhD

India B. Gomez, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist with a certificate in Latin American Family Therapy. She completed her doctoral education at the California School of Professional Psychology/Alliant International University.

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