How Much Does a Therapist Cost in the UK?

November 9, 2022

As a therapist, you may be wondering how much you should charge your clients. It depends on a number of factors, including your level of experience, whether you’re a private therapist, whether you’re self-employed, your area of expertise and your whereabouts in the UK.

Generally, private therapists in the UK can charge anything from £40-150 for a 50-60 minute session. The greater your level of experience and the more specialist your area of expertise, the more you’re able to charge. The cost will also depend on any overheads you may have, such as business premises (including expenses like rent and utilities) or additional staff (such as a receptionist). For example, a therapist based in a central London practice will charge more than a home-based therapist who operates solely online.

Another variable is the number of hours a therapist works. A therapist may approximately have 30 patients per week, with the rest of their time focusing on planning sessions, writing notes and developing their skills and knowledge with additional training and certifications. As a result, their rates may be higher to account for the time spent when not one-on-one with clients.

Of course, a therapist will also want to take home a liveable salary as well. So with all these variables in mind, how much does a therapist cost in the UK? We’ve taken data available on Payscale, Talent.com, Indeed and Prospects.ac.uk to work out the average salary and average hourly earnings for therapists in the UK.

Average salary of a therapist by region in the UK

The average cost of a therapist varies widely by region. Below are the average salaries of therapists (across a wide range of specialties) across the UK, and the equivalent hourly amount based on spending time with clients for 30 hours per week.

These amounts don’t take into account experience and don’t include overheads such as rent, utilities, travel, public liability insurance and other staff wages. Because of this, therapists with additional overheads will naturally cost more – sometimes much more depending on those overheads. With this in mind, you may expect to add approximately £20-£100 to the below hourly rates.

London

Approximately £38,656 per year or £26.84 per hour.

South West

Approximately £30,385 per year or £21.10 per hour.

South East

Approximately £31,594 per year or £21.94 per hour.

Midlands

Approximately £38,551 per year or £26.77 per hour.

East

Approximately £39,360 per year or £27.33 per hour.

North East

Approximately £37,158 per year or £25.80 per hour.

North West

Approximately £38,498 per year or £26.73 per hour.

Scotland

Approximately £19,396 per year or £13.47 per hour.

Wales

Approximately £36,010 per year or £25.01 per hour.

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Average cost of a therapist by specialism

So, how much does a therapist cost depending on specialism? While the average hourly rate of a therapist can vary based on region, costs are even more varied when specialism is taken into account. While all therapists require skill, training and dedication, some require more than others. As a result, some therapists will be able to charge more. However, this can fluctuate depending on skill, experience, reputation and, once again, overheads.

Below are approximations for the cost of a therapist across various specialisms. Like above, £20-100 can be added to the below hourly costs depending on experience and overheads.

Massage Therapists

Approximately £23,945 per year or £16.63 per hour.

Physical Therapists

Approximately £27,650 per year or £19.20 per hour.

Occupational Therapists

Approximately £28,412 per year or £19.73 per hour.

Respiratory Therapists

Approximately £29,000 per year or £20.14 per hour.

Mental Health Therapists

Approximately £27,565 per year or £19.14 per hour.

Beauty Therapists

Approximately £19,975 per year or £13.87 per hour.

Radiation Therapists

Approximately £27,186 per year or £18.88 per hour.

Clinical Therapists

Approximately £35,000 per year or £24.31 per hour.

Paediatric Therapists

Approximately £40,057 per year or £27.82 per hour.

Behavioural Therapists

Approximately £38,890 per year or £27.01 per hour.

Speech Therapists

Approximately £26,026 per year or £18.07 per hour.

Music Therapists

Approximately £29,297 per year or £20.35 per hour.

CBT Therapists

Approximately £42,945 per year or £29.82 per hour.

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