Expat Mental Healthcare: A 34-Country Reference
One scannable table. The public route, the realistic private cost, and the regulatory floor in 34 countries. All of it distilled from the researched guides on this site. Every row names the body its figures come from and the month they were checked. For the deep version of any row, follow its link.
Every country page on this site carries a researched section. It covers how the local system actually works for an English-speaker. Who gatekeeps. What is covered. What private sessions cost. And what the professional titles legally mean. This page compresses those findings into one reference. Figures are typical ranges. The last column names the body each row comes from and the month it was checked. The twenty-one countries with a full explainer were checked again in September 2026 against the bodies that set the rules. Systems change, so treat the linked country pages, which carry the fuller context, as the version to trust. Twenty-one countries now also have standalone 2026 explainers on insurance, cost, referrals and waiting lists: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland and the UAE.
Austria · Belgium · Bulgaria · China · Czech Republic · Denmark · Estonia · France · Germany · Greece · Hong Kong · India · Indonesia · Ireland · Israel · Italy · Japan · Kuwait · Malaysia · Netherlands · Norway · Poland · Portugal · Qatar · Romania · Saudi Arabia · South Korea · Spain · Sweden · Switzerland · Taiwan · Thailand · UAE · Vietnam
| Country | Public route, briefly | Typical private session | Regulation | Source (checked) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | Kassenplatz free but 6-18 month waits in Vienna; rebate route requires diagnosis on file | EUR 80-170 (Vienna) | Psychotherapeut strictly protected | ÖGK (Sept 2026) |
| Belgium | Conventioned psychologist sessions EUR 11 copay (EUR 4 with increased allowance), first session free, 8 support and 20 treatment sessions a year; limited slots, regional rules | EUR 60-100 | Practice restricted since 2016 law; clinical titles protected | RIZIV/INAMI (Sept 2026) |
| Bulgaria | NZOK, the single mandatory fund, covers psychiatry through a GP-gatekept referral; talk therapy effectively private | BGN 70-160 (Sofia) | No statutory psychotherapist regulation; voluntary registers | NHIF; Sofia clinic price lists, secondary (Sept 2026) |
| China | Hospital psychiatry, inexpensive and brief; every city to have a hospital with psychological services by late 2025 (NHC); counseling market unregulated since 2017 | CNY 1,000-2,000 (intl clinics; up to 2,400 at the top hospitals) | National counselor cert abolished 2017 | National Health Commission; prices from expat health guides, secondary (Sept 2026) |
| Czech Republic | Insurance-contracted clinical psychologists; months-long waits | CZK 1,200-2,200 | Counseling psychotherapy a bound trade from 1 July 2026 under Act 360/2025 Sb. | Ministry of Industry and Trade (Sept 2026) |
| Denmark | Egen læge referral to a psykolog with a ydernummer; 60 percent subsidized for listed conditions, up to twelve sessions; free at 18 to 24, run by the regions from 1 October 2026; waits of months | DKK 1,000-1,400 | Psykolog is a protected title; the subsidy needs autorisation and a ydernummer | Danske Regioner (Sept 2026) |
| Estonia | Psychiatrist without referral; a psychologist under Tervisekassa via referral; visit fee up to 20 euros (5 under 19); psychiatry-led | EUR 60-90 | Small regulated clinical workforce; queues | Tervisekassa; Tallinn price lists (Sept 2026) |
| France | Mon soutien psy: twelve sessions a year at 50 euros, 60 percent reimbursed, no referral since June 2024; the psychiatre and the CMP for the rest | EUR 70-120 | Psychologue and psychothérapeute are regulated titles; psychothérapeute carries no reimbursement | ameli (Sept 2026) |
| Germany | Statutory route through the Sprechstunde and 116117; Kostenerstattung when no place exists; waits of months (142 days on the profession's own count) | EUR 100-150 | Approbation required to practice psychotherapy; the therapists on every route hold it | 116117; BPtK (Sept 2026) |
| Greece | ESY/EOPYY psychiatry-led; sustained public psychotherapy rare | EUR 40-80 | Psychologist license required; psychotherapy training private | EOPYY via a 2024 PMC review; Athens price lists, secondary (Sept 2026) |
| Hong Kong | Hospital Authority competent, very long non-urgent waits; specialist visit HKD 250 from 2026, with a 10,000 yearly cap on public charges | HKD 1,800-3,000 | No statutory psychologist registration; HKPS voluntary | Hospital Authority; HKPS DCP (Sept 2026) |
| India | Public psychiatry; MHCA 2017 pushed insurance parity, patchy in practice | INR 1,500-4,000 | RCI licenses clinical psychologists; counseling unregulated | Mental Healthcare Act 2017, s21(4); RCI (Sept 2026) |
| Indonesia | BPJS via puskesmas referral chain; psychiatry-focused | IDR 600k-1.1M (English-speaking, Jakarta) | HIMPSI association; thin statutory floor | TherapyRoute Jakarta 2025 guide, secondary (Sept 2026) |
| Ireland | HSE Counselling in Primary Care: up to eight sessions via GP referral, for medical-card holders; long waits | EUR 60-120 (Dublin) | CORU's counselor and psychotherapist registers not yet open; the titles are not yet protected | HSE; CORU (Sept 2026) |
| Israel | Kupat holim clinic after intake; an independent-therapist track; supplementary plans widen the choice | NIS 300-550 (English-speaking) | Under the Psychologists Law 1977 only psychologists licensed by the Ministry of Health may practice psychotherapy | Ministry of Health, psychology licensing; 2015 reform (Sept 2026) |
| Italy | SSN via a GP prescription; long waits; the bonus psicologo (up to 1,500 euros by income band, 50 euros a session) pays a registered psychotherapist | EUR 50-100 | Psychotherapy is restricted to psychotherapists registered with the Ordine | INPS, bonus psicologo; Legge 199/2025 (Sept 2026) |
| Japan | Insurance covers psychiatry at a 30 percent copay (1,000-1,500 yen); since June 2026 CBT sessions with a licensed psychologist inside a clinic, under a doctor's plan, up to 16 | JPY 11,000-25,000 (Tokyo) | Certified public psychologist (koninshinrishi) is the national license, in force since 2017; counselor is not a protected title | Certified Public Psychologist Act, MHLW; the June 2026 insurance item rests on expert commentary on the Chuikyo decision of 13 Feb 2026, MHLW notice not yet located (Sept 2026) |
| Kuwait | Kuwait Center for Mental Health; psychiatric-hospital model | About KWD 35-70 (expat-guide estimate; no published tariff) | No across-the-board therapist licensure historically | Kuwait Center for Mental Health; MOH Health Licensing Department; prices from expat guides, secondary (Sept 2026) |
| Malaysia | MOH hospitals and Mentari clinics; psychiatry-led queues | MYR 160-450 | Counsellors licensed by LKM under the Counsellors Act 1998; clinical psychology a regulated profession under the Allied Health Professions Act 2016 (MAHPC), registration since July 2022 | LKM; MAHPC; MY Psychology price list (Sept 2026) |
| Netherlands | GP referral into basis or gespecialiseerde GGZ; the eigen risico applies; a 14-week norm the real waits exceed | NZa 2026 rate 177.89 euros for a 60-minute session with a GZ-psycholoog (149.82 for 45); private practices set their own | GZ-psycholoog and psychotherapeut are BIG-registered titles | NZa 2026 tariffs (Sept 2026) |
| Norway | Fastlege referral to DPS or avtalespesialist; copays to frikort ceiling; long waits | NOK 1,200-1,800 | Psykolog strictly protected | Helsenorge (Sept 2026) |
| Poland | NFZ clinics free with long waits, in Polish; no referral for a psychiatrist or, since September 2025, a psychologist; NFZ psychotherapy still needs one | PLN 150-300 | No statutory psychotherapy regulation | pacjent.gov.pl (Sept 2026) |
| Portugal | SNS psychology scarce; long waits, in Portuguese; the SNS24 support line 808 24 24 24 is free and answers around the clock | EUR 40-80 | OPP membership mandatory for psychologists | Ordem dos Psicólogos (Sept 2026) |
| Qatar | Hamad Medical Corporation via health card; helpline 16000, option 4, 8am to 6pm Saturday to Thursday | QAR 500-800 | MOPH's Department of Healthcare Professions registers clinical psychologists (a master's required), psychological counselors and assistant psychologists | MOPH DHP, psychology scopes; HMC (Sept 2026) |
| Romania | CAS funds psychiatry; reimbursed psychotherapy scarce | RON 200-350 | Colegiul Psihologilor licenses the professions | Bucharest price lists, secondary (Sept 2026) |
| Saudi Arabia | Public system serves citizens; expats via mandatory employer insurance | SAR 300-700 (English-speaking, Riyadh) | SCFHS licensure required in-Kingdom | SCFHS; CCHI (Sept 2026) |
| South Korea | NHIS psychiatry cheap but brief; F-code record concerns drive cash payment (a Z-code option for counseling without medication since 2013) | KRW 100k-200k (English) | Counseling market credential-fragmented | MOHW briefing, 2013 Z-code arrangement; NHIS (Sept 2026) |
| Spain | Free through primary care; slow and rationed, in Spanish | EUR 50-90 | Psicólogo general sanitario (a master's) licenses private clinical practice | Ley 33/2011, BOE (Sept 2026) |
| Sweden | The vårdcentral first; 100-350 kr a visit depending on region, capped at 1,450 kr a year in 2026; a 90-day guarantee the regions often miss; mostly short CBT in Swedish | SEK 800-1,800 | Psykolog and psykoterapeut are protected titles | SKR patient fees; 1177 (Sept 2026) |
| Switzerland | Basic insurance via physician prescription (2022 model); deductible math bites | CHF 150-250 | Federal title protection (PsyG) | BAG (Sept 2026) |
| Taiwan | NHI covers psychiatry and hospital clinical psychology; 3-6 month waits | NTD 2,000-3,500 | Psychologists Act: foreigners may sit the exam, but practice needs a Taiwan certificate, approval and guild membership | Psychologists Act; clinic price lists (Sept 2026) |
| Thailand | Universal-coverage psychiatry at public hospitals, no copayment for chronic psychiatric care; queues, Thai-language | THB 1,500-3,000 (independent); 2,000-4,000 at hospitals | Clinical psychology under healing-arts licensing; counselor title open | NHSO; prices from Expat Focus, secondary (Sept 2026) |
| UAE | Compulsory employer insurance; the tier decides what is covered; copays of 50-100 dirhams; the claim is recorded | AED 400-900 (Dubai) | Licensed by emirate: DHA (Dubai), DoH (Abu Dhabi), MOHAP (northern emirates); counselors by CDA and DCD; licenses do not carry across emirates and foreign licenses need DataFlow and Prometric | DoH Abu Dhabi, scope of practice; DHA and MOHAP pages, secondary (Sept 2026) |
| Vietnam | Hospital psychiatry (limited English); minimal talk-therapy infrastructure | VND 600k-2M (internationally trained) | No single regulator; a Ministry of Health draft circular on clinical-psychology licenses is not yet in force | Ministry of Health draft circular via baochinhphu.vn; prices from expat guides, secondary (Sept 2026) |
National helplines
Each number was read on the line's own site in September 2026. If you are in danger now, call the local emergency number.
- Austria: 142 (TelefonSeelsorge, around the clock).
- Belgium: 0800 32 123 in French, 1813 in Dutch (around the clock).
- Bulgaria: 0800 11 466 (Bulgarian Red Cross support line).
- China: 12356 (National Health Commission, nationwide from 1 May 2025, at least 18 hours a day).
- Czech Republic: 116 123 (Linka první psychické pomoci, around the clock).
- Denmark: 70 201 201 (Livslinien, daily; from 1 July 2026, 9am to 5am).
- Estonia: 116 123 (Social Insurance Board, daily 10am to midnight, in Estonian, Russian and English).
- France: 3114 (national suicide-prevention line, around the clock).
- Germany: 0800 111 0 111 (TelefonSeelsorge, around the clock, in German).
- Greece: 1018 (Klimaka, around the clock).
- Hong Kong: 2896 0000 (The Samaritans, around the clock, in English and Cantonese).
- India: 14416 (Tele-MANAS, around the clock, in English and 20 languages).
- Indonesia: 119, extension 8 (SEJIWA, around the clock).
- Ireland: 116 123 (Samaritans, around the clock).
- Israel: 1201 (ERAN, around the clock).
- Italy: 02 2327 2327 (Telefono Amico).
- Japan: 03-5774-0992 (TELL Lifeline, in English).
- Malaysia: 03-7627 2929 (Befrienders KL, around the clock, in English).
- Netherlands: 113 (113 Zelfmoordpreventie, around the clock, English on request).
- Norway: 116 123 (Mental Helse, around the clock).
- Poland: 116 123 (Instytut Psychologii Zdrowia, around the clock via 116sos.pl on the operator's current page).
- Portugal: 808 24 24 24 (SNS24, free, around the clock).
- Qatar: 16000, option 4 (Hamad Medical Corporation, 8am to 6pm Saturday to Thursday, in English).
- Romania: 0800 801 200 (TelVerde Antisuicid, Friday to Sunday nights).
- Saudi Arabia: 937 (Ministry of Health, around the clock, English available).
- Spain: 024 (Ministry of Health, around the clock, with interpretation).
- Sweden: 90101 (Mind, around the clock, in English).
- Switzerland: 143, or 0800 143 000 in English 6pm to 11pm (Die Dargebotene Hand, around the clock).
- Thailand: 1323 (Department of Mental Health, around the clock).
- UAE: 800 1717 (Estijaba, Abu Dhabi, Sunday to Friday 8am to 6pm, in English).
- Vietnam: 096 306 1414 (Ngày Mai, a volunteer line, in Vietnamese).
Three countries in the table have no line checked on its own site yet: Kuwait, South Korea and Taiwan. None is listed for them.
Two patterns hold across nearly every row. First, public systems fund psychiatry far more readily than talk therapy, and what talk therapy they fund is queued, capped, diagnosis-coded, and conducted in the local language. Second, the private market is where English-language depth work actually lives, at prices that vary fivefold by country while the work itself does not. That pair of facts is the structural reason an online private practice like mine exists: I am US-trained and outside every system in this table. If your situation calls for what a local system does well (medication, assessment, covered care, crisis support), the linked pages say so plainly, and so will I on a free fifteen-minute call.
Not sure yet? That's what the free call is for.
Request a free 15-min callFrequently asked questions
Will the public system in my country cover therapy in English?
How much does a private session cost abroad?
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Should I use the local system or online therapy in English?
The figures here are ranges. How current are they?
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Where do I find a mental health helpline where I live?
What Clients Say
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- K.R.
“I'd been in and out of therapy for years. Different therapists, different approaches, none of it really stuck. Aaron helped me understand more in a few months than all of them combined. And he talked to me like a normal person, not like all this weird therapy-speak.”
- S.A.