The Price of Mental Health - A Study of the Pricing of Psychotherapy

Abstract: During the year of 2020, care providers met an increasing demand for psychotherapeutic treatment, which is believed to be continuously large. This increased demand additionally puts emphasis on the management of one-man companies, as a considerable number of the psychologists working in Sweden are self-employed. The aim of this study is thus to investigate how psychologists set their prices, and seeks to fulfill a purpose of expanding the knowledge of pricing within the industry. The research is conducted through semi-structured interviews with non-digital therapists, within the private sector, managing their work of psychotherapy through one-man companies. The research showed that the psychologists are initially choosing their price based on a competition-based method, with an additional input factor being the psychologist's moral stance. However, over time one can see a change of pricing method. Alongside a small increase in price over time, motivated by inflation and increased experience, an increased emphasis is put on the client relationship. Based on how much each individual can pay, the charged price is altered. One can thus conclude the two most significant factors: A base price level as a result of competition, and individual price differences as a result of ethical considerations related to the specific client.