Over 1 Million Virginia Residents Have a Mental Health Condition — Here's How to Find Therapy Near You

Virginia Mental Health: Fast Facts

Virginia’s mental health facts are slightly higher than average but not uncommon to see in the U.S. According to Virginia NAMI: 

• 36.9% of adults in Virginia reported symptoms of anxiety or depression. 
• 264,000 adults have a serious mental illness
• 97,000 Virginians aged 12–17 have depression.
• 382,000 adults in Virginia who did not receive needed mental health care, 47.1% did not because of cost
• 1,943,480 people in Virginia live in a community that does not have enough mental health professionals.
• 56.2% of Virginians aged 12–17 who have depression did not receive any care in the last year.

Why is it so hard to find good mental health therapy? For one, the majority of people say the COVID-19 pandemic had a big negative impact on their mental health, and many people have yet to fully recover. Beyond that, there are three main reasons it is hard to find quality mental health care in Virginia (most states struggle with these factors): 

1. Mental health professionals drought: There is a huge gap between the demand for mental health therapists and the number of therapists providing services. Not enough therapists are graduating to make up for the older therapists retiring and the increased need for therapists and mental health services. 
2. Expensive cost of care: As the cost of living has risen, so have mental health care prices, and insurance companies don’t always follow suit. With insurance, therapy costs on average $30-$50/session. While this is relatively affordable, it can add up.  
3. No access to insurance or clinics that take your insurance: Although insurance can make therapy much more affordable, not everyone has insurance. In Virginia, 8% of people don't have insurance, making therapy that much more inaccessible. 

Despite these factors, there are still ways to find affordable, quality mental health care in Virginia. We’ll go over a few of those avenues below. 

Where to Find Mental Health Therapy in Virginia

There are many different avenues to find therapy in Virginia. It depends on what your goals are: Do you need short term, acute treatment to help you through a hard time? Are you looking for medication? Help with a major mental health disorder? Are you a student? Do you have insurance? 

There’s an option for everyone if you know where to look. Here are the best options for mental health therapy in Virginia:  

1. Free community clinics: Virginia law requires every city and county to provide essential mental health therapy services through a Community Services Board (CSB). You can find your CSB here. Although this option is often free or reduced cost, there can also be long wait times, staffing shortages, and an inability to handle long-term care. However, it is still a good place to start looking for mental health therapy in Virginia. 
2. Online therapy: Virtual therapy boomed after the pandemic, when people were forced to work from home anyways. Since then, online therapy has been proven to be just as effective as in-person therapy, and often more affordable, too. If you live in rural Virginia or there are no in-person practitioners with open availability in your county, online therapy is a good way to receive high-quality, affordable therapy. 
3. Check your insurance providers: Did you know insurances are required to provide equal coverage to mental and physical health care? That means if your insurance covers a medical doctor, they’ll cover a mental health professional. Check with your insurance to know how much they’ll cover, how many sessions, and what providers accept your insurance.

Lifebulb accepts most major insurances, including Medicare. Call our team to see how much therapy would be for you with your benefits. 

1. Therapy through schools: Many school districts are offering affordable online therapy or mindfulness therapy through their school counselors. This is to address the rising rates of mental illnesses in school-aged children. If your child or teeanger is struggling with their mental health, check their school for any affordable resources. 

It can be exhausting wading through dead-ends, long wait lists, and expensive therapy options that don’t meet your needs. That’s why it’s important to find a provider you trust, who can give you expert therapy in Virginia. 

How to Find a Good Therapist

Finding a good therapist starts with knowing what you want, and good therapy starts with a strong client-therapist relationship. The client-therapist relationship is at the cornerstone of therapy. If you don’t have a therapist you can trust, you won’t open up to them and will miss out on a big part of what therapy can do. That’s why we recommend making a list of what you want in a therapist, so you can find the perfect match on your first go, and not have to waste time trying multiple therapists. 

Here are a list of factors to keep in mind as you’re searching for a good therapist in Virginia:

• Specialty 
• Years of experience
• Therapy modalities 
• Insurances they accept 
• Age, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, religious orientation, and anything else that will make you more comfortable talking to someone. (Many people find it helpful to talk to someone who shares a similar background to them, but this isn’t always the case.)

If you’re having trouble finding a therapist who matches all your criteria, try searching with Lifebulb’s Therapist Directory. We have over a hundred therapists who can meet your needs, so you can afford to be picky. 

If you have any questions about finding a therapist in Virginia or want to schedule now, give our team a call. We’ll happily schedule you with little to no wait time, so you can start living a brighter life today. 

Ready to start Therapy but don’t know where to begin? Check out our ultimate guide to starting therapy. 

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