Help me find cheap/free mental health care in Cleveland, Ohio.

September 20, 2013 7:58 AM

I am unemployed, and (thankfully) was able to get onto a government-assisted program through MetroHealth in which all of my medical expenses are being paid. I am having personal/family issues and am in desperate need of quality talk therapy, but the counselor I just visited was awful.

Question one: Does anyone happen to know the names of any helpful therapists through Metrohealth? That is probably the best option as it would be totally free. I just had an appointment with one - easily the worst psychologist I've ever been to. He honest-to-god fell asleep during our first session. I should have been upset but couldn't stop laughing, it could have been a scene from a movie. I've already registered a complaint, so no need for advice on this point.

Question two: If not, does anyone know of any reduced price/free counseling available anywhere in the Cleveland area? I'd be willing to drive, let's say, 20 miles (I'm close to Westlake).

Any other related advice would be helpful. If nothing works out, I'll probably just ask a question on the green - but as good as you guys are, I know that it's no substitute for quality talk therapy.

Throwaway email: [e-mail]

posted by anonymous to Health & Fitness (2 answers total)

I'm sorry you're in such a tough spot. The MetroHealth website is quite unhelpful for finding therapists but Googling "Metrohealth behavioral health:" brought me this. Frankly, I would call and explain that you want someone other than Dr. Sleepsalot. Feel free to explain why. You can picture the person on the other end of the phone rolling his or her eyes in sympathy, if that helps.

Have you tried the Free Clinic?

Googling "sliding scale therapy Cleveland" brought me this.

Finally, Case has a sliding scale clinic that starts at $5 a visit.

Good luck. I hope these are helpful.
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 8:34 AM on September 20, 2013

I have posted this link several times, and it makes me sad that there's such a need for it, but anyway, enough of the philosophizing about the state of the world:

There is a nonprofit called Needymeds whose mission is to direct people to low- or no-cost sources of medication and health care. The site has a searchable database of free/low-cost/sliding-scale clinics nationwide, and the database includes info on each clinic's hours, location, cost, and services.
posted by virago at 9:08 AM on September 20, 2013 [1 favorite]