So many people need therapy. But why is it so unaffordable? And are we compromising on care if we go for cheaper options?

Your teenager always seems sad and withdrawn and won’t get out of bed in the morning. She doesn’t spend time with her friends, she’s often weepy, and her grades are plummeting.

You know she needs help. But here’s the rub: Every therapist in your neighborhood is asking $250 per session, and many have no room in their schedules. None of them accept your insurance.

These days, we hear a lot about a “mental health crisis.” “It’s hard to tell if we’ve had an explosion of cases because a greater percentage of people have problems, or because the frum population has quadrupled in the past twenty-five years,” says Rabbi Binyomin Babad of Relief Resources, which helps frum people find mental health treatment. “There was a big spike in anxiety after Covid, but that seems to be settling. Anxiety and depression are the most common issues, but we also see addictions, eating disorders, OCD, and other syndromes.”

With a staff of 42, Relief deals with 1,300 new cases per month, with 60 to 70 percent of those in the New York metropolitan area. Yet as Rabbi Binyomin Babad points out, “There are thousands who aren’t calling! Very often we find ourselves playing cleanup after things have gotten out of hand."

"It's becoming very hard to get access to qualified, credentialed providers who are educated, licensed, culturally sensitive, community-based, linguistically competent, have openings in their schedule, and are affordable," says Cynthia Darrison, executive director of Nefesh International, the association of Orthodox mental health providers. "In frum areas like New York, Lakewood, and Monsey, you have a better chance of finding help. But there are many other places that are mental health deserts."

What's a person to do?