Dear therapy

Going to the doctor for any pathology, leaving with the bill and sending it to the CNS to be reimbursed a few weeks later, at least for a good part of it, and sometimes sending the rest to their private health insurance company, these are gestures that are anchored in Luxembourg. But for mental health, the problem is quite different. If a consultation with a psychiatrist is covered by the CNS, patients who start a therapy with a psychotherapist must pay out of their own pocket to get better. It takes hours to identify the problem or pathology, and sometimes weekly sessions, to get back on track.

At more than 100 euros a consultation, some people think twice before taking the plunge and continuing the therapy in the long term. This is what Françoise*, a liberal psychologist who works in a practice with colleagues, has observed: "I am not one of the most expensive, you have to be reasonable, but you also have to be careful not to lower the prices too much in order to dump them. But even at 120 euros a session, for me it's not much, and for some patients it's complicated. Sometimes some people I should be seeing every week only come every fortnight, or even once a month. Some find excuses, others are transparent. But it can slow down the treatment."