Low-Cost Therapy
Affordable, Effective Ethical Therapy
Affordable counseling with graduate student interns under licensed supervision.
Therapy can be expensive. And when you are already stressed, overwhelmed, hurting, or trying to keep life together, the cost of care can feel like one more barrier.
At Hale Counseling NW, we offer low-cost therapy with graduate student interns so more people can access meaningful support.
Our interns are advanced graduate students completing their clinical training under licensed supervision. They bring warmth, curiosity, fresh learning, and a strong desire to help — while receiving ongoing support from experienced therapists.
Low-cost therapy may be a good fit if you want counseling but private-pay therapy feels out of reach right now.
Affordable does not mean “less effective.”
Low-cost therapy is still therapy.
You still deserve to be listened to carefully, treated with respect, and supported by someone who takes your concerns seriously.
Our graduate interns work with clients on many of the same concerns that bring people to therapy in general: anxiety, depression, relationship stress, trauma, family concerns, identity, grief, life transitions, emotional overwhelm, parenting stress, and feeling stuck.
They also receive regular supervision and training, which means they are not working alone. Your care is supported by both your intern therapist and the licensed supervisors who help guide their development.
Low-cost therapy can help when:
- You want therapy but need a more affordable option
- You are uninsured, underinsured, or unable to use your insurance
- You are looking for support with anxiety, depression, grief, stress, or burnout
- You are struggling in relationships or wanting to understand patterns
- You need couples therapy at a lower cost
- Your child, teen, or family could use support
- You are open to working with a graduate student therapist under supervision
- You want therapy that is warm, relational, and thoughtful without the full private-pay fee
Fees are “pay as you can”. We can talk with you this more when you reach out.
What Low-Cost Therapy Can Support
Anxiety, Stress, and Emotional Overwhelm
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Therapy can help you understand what is contributing to anxiety, stress, or emotional overwhelm and build more capacity to respond with steadiness.
This may include working with overthinking, avoidance, panic, perfectionism, irritability, shutdown, or feeling constantly on edge.
Trauma and Past Experiences
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Many clients come to therapy because past experiences continue to affect their body, emotions, self-image, or relationships.
Interns receive training and supervision to support trauma-aware work while staying within their scope and skill level.
Relationship Patterns
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Many people come to therapy because relationships are painful, confusing, or repetitive.
Low-cost therapy can help individuals and couples explore communication, conflict, boundaries, attachment patterns, resentment, disconnection, and the ways old patterns show up in current relationships.
Child, Teen, and Family Concerns
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Depending on intern training and availability, low-cost therapy may support children, teens, and families navigating big feelings, behavior concerns, anxiety, identity, family stress, school concerns, or parent-child conflict.
Depression, Grief, and Life Transitions
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Therapy can provide support when you feel low, stuck, disconnected, or unsure how to move through grief or change.
Intern therapists can help you make sense of what you are carrying and begin finding more support, clarity, and connection.
Identity, Self-Understanding, and Personal Growth
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Therapy can be a place to better understand who you are, what you need, what patterns you want to change, and what kind of life and relationships you want to build.
You do not have to be in crisis to benefit from support.
What does it mean to work with a graduate intern?
Graduate student interns are therapists-in-training who are completing the clinical experience required for their degree.
They are not licensed therapists yet. They are learning, growing, and developing their clinical skills while working under supervision.
This can be a meaningful benefit. Interns often bring energy, care, openness, and a willingness to be thoughtful and collaborative. They also receive regular supervision, which means another trained professional is helping them think carefully about the work.
At Hale Counseling NW, our interns are part of a supervised training environment. They participate in ongoing learning and consultation so they can provide ethical, supportive care while developing as clinicians.
Is low-cost therapy right for me?
Low-cost therapy may be a good fit if:
- You need a more affordable therapy option
- You are comfortable working with a therapist-in-training
- You want support and do not need a highly specialized licensed provider
- You are willing to participate in a learning-oriented clinical environment
- Your needs fit within the intern’s current training and scope
- You understand that supervision is part of the care structure
Low-cost therapy may not be the best fit for every situation. Some concerns require a higher level of care, a specialized provider, or more intensive support than we can offer through our intern program.
If we are not the right fit, we will do our best to point you toward other options.
Getting Started is Easy
Book Appointment
If we are a good fit, schedule your first session…
1st Session!
Start working toward what you want for yourself in your life.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does low-cost therapy cost?
Hale Counseling NW offers intern therapy using a pay-what-you-can model.
We invite clients to choose a fee that feels manageable based on their financial circumstances and access to resources. If you have questions about current options or what fee might be appropriate, we are happy to discuss it when you reach out.
Is therapy with an intern confidential?
Yes. Intern therapy is confidential, with the same legal and ethical limits to confidentiality that apply to therapy in general. Because interns are supervised, they will discuss clinical work with their supervisor as part of providing ethical care.
Do you offer online low-cost therapy?
Online availability depends on the intern, service type, and client location. We can talk with you about current options when you reach out.
How do I know which therapist to choose?
At this time, we have four interns who are available and eager to meet with you. View our team page here, and request a meet and greet with the person who looks like a good fit!
Are interns licensed therapists?
No. Graduate interns are therapists-in-training completing supervised clinical experience as part of their graduate program. They are not licensed yet, but they work under licensed supervision.
Can interns work with couples?
Some interns may work with couples depending on their training, supervision, and availability. If you are seeking couples therapy, let us know when you reach out so we can help determine fit.
Is low-cost therapy lower quality?
Low-cost therapy means the therapist is still in training, not that your concerns matter less. Interns receive supervision, support, and training while providing therapy at a more accessible rate.
What if I need more specialized care?
If your needs are outside the scope of our intern program, we may recommend working with a licensed therapist, a specialist, or a higher level of care. We want you to receive support that is appropriate for your situation.
A team of therapists who care deeply about helping people reconnect.
We are a Tigard-based therapy practice offering in-person and online counseling across Oregon and Washington. Our specialties span relationships, trauma, couples therapy, men’s issues, play therapy, neurodivergent couples and families, and accessible low-cost care.
