last updated september 29, 2026
Open Path Psychotherapy Collective is a nonprofit that gets you real therapy at a reduced rate: a $65 one-time membership, then $40–70 per individual session with a therapist in its network. for many people that is the best-value licensed therapy available, and this page won't pretend otherwise. people look for an alternative when they don't qualify — Open Path has an income cap and asks insured people to use their insurance — or when $40 a week is still too much. here are the exact rules, what to do if you're outside them, and where free peer support fits.
| Open Path Collective | veisund | |
|---|---|---|
| what it is | nonprofit directory + membership for reduced-rate therapy | free peer support by post and reply |
| to join | $65 one-time membership ($89 CAD); no recurring Open Path fee | free |
| individual session | $40–70 (US), $50–90 CAD, paid to the therapist | free |
| couples / family session | $40–80 (US), $50–100 CAD | not a clinical service |
| student interns | $30 flat, under supervision, limited availability | — |
| who qualifies | household income under $100,000 ($140,000 CAD), can't afford market rates, lacks adequate mental-health coverage | anyone |
| insurance | if your insurance covers therapy at a copay you can afford, Open Path asks you to use it instead | nothing is billed |
| who provides care | therapists in its network ("over 40,000 vetted therapists"), online, in person or both | other members; no clinicians |
| where | US and Canada | anywhere the app runs |
checked on 2026-09-29 against openpathcollective.org — the home page and its eligibility and pricing page, which says clients must "have an annual household income below $100,000" and that "If you're planning to use your health insurance to access psychotherapy, or if you can afford current market rates out of pocket, we ask that you not use this service." sessions are based on a standard 50-minute session; therapists may prorate longer ones (Open Path's example: US$126 for a 90-minute intake) and may not offer sessions shorter than 50 minutes.
Open Path is a directory with a membership gate. you can search therapists and message one before joining; you pay the $65 once to get the reduced rate; then you schedule and pay the therapist directly. Open Path does not bill insurance, does not provide the therapy itself, and does not assign you a therapist — you choose. its own word for its therapists is "vetted"; it doesn't publish what that check involves on the pages we read, so it's still worth looking up any therapist's license with your state board, as you would anywhere.
if you qualify and you want therapy, Open Path is almost certainly the better choice than anything free. a licensed therapist, weekly, for $40–70 a session is care that peer support does not replace — assessment, a treatment plan, someone trained to work with trauma, depression or anxiety over time. if you're choosing between Open Path and veisund, the honest answer is: use Open Path for therapy, and use veisund, if you want it, for the days in between.
if your insurance covers therapy, Open Path points you to its sister site, Being Seen, for therapists who accept insurance or full-fee clients — and your plan's copay may be lower than Open Path's rate anyway. if your household income is over the cap but money is tight, ask therapists directly about sliding-scale spots; many offer them outside any network. training clinics at universities and community mental-health centers are other low-fee routes. and if $40 a week is not possible right now, free peer support is not therapy, but it is something.
veisund is a free app (iOS and Android) for peer support by post and reply. you post under a handle you choose — no real name, no phone number; an email address makes the account and is never shown to other members. other members reply when they read your post. it is not live chat, nobody is waiting on the other end, and the community is still small, so a reply can take a while. when something helps, you can mark the post resolved and credit the reply that did it. on the web there is an evidence library — plain-language summaries of studies with the source and an evidence grade — and a lookup of drug-company payments to your own doctor, built on federal Open Payments data. no subscription, no ads. what veisund is not: therapy, a crisis service, or a clinic. no licensed clinician provides care in the app, nothing is prescribed, and no insurance is billed. the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and Crisis Text Line are in the app.
A $65 one-time membership ($89 CAD), then $40–70 per individual session ($50–90 CAD) and $40–80 per couples or family session, paid to the therapist. Student interns offer a limited number of $30 sessions. Open Path charges no recurring fee.
Per its site: people who can't afford market-rate therapy, lack adequate mental-health insurance coverage, and have an annual household income below $100,000 ($140,000 CAD). If your insurance covers therapy at a copay you can afford, Open Path asks you to use it.
No. It serves people without adequate coverage, and asks people who can use their insurance to do so — its sister site Being Seen lists therapists who accept insurance.
Free licensed therapy is rare; community mental-health centers and university training clinics are the usual low- or no-fee routes. For free support that isn't therapy, veisund is peer support by post and reply under a handle. It does not provide treatment.
It describes itself as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and it's transparent about its fees and eligibility on its own site. As with any directory, look up your therapist's license with your state licensing board.
free. anonymous. post any hour, and people who've been there reply. 🤍
get veisund — it's freenot sure whether what you need is a therapist or people? six questions, two minutes — no diagnosis, no email.