Private therapy in the UK typically costs £40–£150 per session, and a full course of CBT can run to 12 or more sessions. For many people that adds up to hundreds of pounds. Sometimes, thousands. Here is the part that surprises most of our clients. Part of that bill may already be covered by two things they have never used: their employer’s Employee Assistance Programme and their private health insurance.

If you work for a mid-sized or large company, there’s a good chance your employer pays for at least one of these. Mental health support at work is now a mainstream expectation rather than a perk, and the Acas guidance on addressing mental health at work sets this out clearly, so the range of funded routes keeps growing. This guide explains how both work in 2026. It covers what they typically pay for, what they don’t, and the exact questions to ask your HR team and your insurer.

What is an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)?

An EAP is a workplace benefit. It gives employees access to short-term counselling and practical support. Providers such as Health Assured, Validium, ICAS and CiC run them on behalf of employers. Sometimes it is a standalone service. Sometimes it is bolted on to a group health insurance policy.

A typical EAP includes:

• A 24/7 telephone helpline staffed by trained counsellors
• A set number of counselling sessions per issue, usually six, sometimes eight, by phone, video or face to face
• Practical advice lines for legal, financial and family matters
• Online wellbeing resources and self-help tools

You can use an EAP for problems that have nothing to do with work: bereavement, relationship difficulties, money worries, anxiety or low mood. At the point of use, the sessions are free. Your employer has already paid for them. One useful detail: EAP counselling is time-limited by design. It isn’t open-ended psychotherapy. It works best for people who want focused support for a specific problem. If you’ve never had therapy before, it’s an excellent first step.

How to use your EAP, and how confidential it really is

You don’t need to tell your manager you’re using the EAP. You don’t need a GP referral either. Call the provider directly. In most companies there is also a web portal. Usually the number is on your intranet, payslip portal or staff handbook. Can’t find it? A short email to HR is all it takes.

The big question everyone asks: is it confidential? Yes. Every EAP provider is independent of your employer. Your employer receives only anonymised summary data. That means how many employees used the service in a quarter, never your name, your sessions or what you discussed. There is one exception: if a counsellor has serious concerns that you or someone else is at immediate risk of harm, in which case their professional duty of care may require them to act.

Before you book anything, it’s worth asking a few direct questions:

• "Do we have an EAP, and who provides it?": get the phone number and portal details
• "How many sessions am I entitled to, and per what period?": usually six per issue per year
• "What does my employer actually see?": the answer should be anonymised usage statistics only
• "Does the EAP cover family members?": some schemes extend to household members
• "Do we also have private health insurance with mental health cover?": this is the question that opens up the second route

Does private health insurance pay for therapy?

Yes. Most UK private medical insurance (PMI) policies include some cover for mental health treatment, and it’s far better than it was a decade ago. In 2017 the Association of British Insurers introduced its Mental Health and Insurance Standards, which the major insurers signed, committing them to treat mental health claims at least as fairly as physical health claims. Those standards are still in force. They’re one reason insurers now routinely fund talking therapies rather than psychiatric appointments alone.

That said, "some cover" is doing a lot of work. Most PMI plans will fund:

• Outpatient psychiatric care: consultations with a psychiatrist
• Psychological therapies: usually CBT and EMDR, sometimes counselling, with a qualified therapist
• Typically 6 to 10 sessions per course, with a review point where more sessions can be approved if your clinician argues the case

The MoneySavingExpert health insurance guide is a good plain-English primer on how PMI works and the limits to watch for. It is worth reading alongside your own policy document.

What AXA, Bupa, Aviva, Vitality and WPA typically cover

In their standard corporate and individual policies, the five big UK providers all include mental health care, but the detail varies:

• AXA Health runs a dedicated mental health pathway, with access to therapists and psychiatrists explained on its mental health pages. A GP referral is usually the starting point.
• Bupa is explicit that outpatient therapies such as CBT are covered subject to your chosen benefit allowance. Its mental health cover pages give the memorable example of 20 CBT sessions at around £50 each, and explain why the outpatient allowance matters.
• Aviva includes mental health cover on most plans, often accessed through its digital GP and mental health services.
• Vitality bundles mental health support into its plans alongside its rewards programme, with an emphasis on early intervention.
• WPA, a specialist insurer popular with smaller businesses, generally covers outpatient psychiatric care and therapy subject to your chosen limits.

The key caveat: your exact entitlement is written in your policy schedule, not on the insurer’s marketing pages. Group policies taken out by employers often have better mental health limits than individual ones, so if you have cover through work, check that schedule first.

How the referral and claims route works

Therapy through insurance is rarely as simple as finding any therapist and sending the insurer the bill. The usual route is:

1. See your GP and ask for a referral, or in some cases start through your insurer’s own digital GP or mental health team.
2. Get approval: the insurer, or its psychiatrist, confirms the treatment is clinically necessary and within your policy limits.
3. See a registered therapist: most insurers keep a list of approved providers, and sessions are usually billed directly. You don’t pay upfront.

Therapists registered with an insurer’s panel (Bupa-recognised, on AXA’s network, and so on) make this process smoother because they know exactly how to submit claims. If you’re choosing a private therapist and want to use insurance, ask about their insurer registration before you book. Our guide to choosing a therapist in London covers the qualifications and questions worth asking of any practitioner.

What insurance usually won’t pay for

PMI is designed for acute, short-term treatment. It excludes a fair amount of what people actually want therapy for. Common exclusions include:

• Pre-existing conditions: anything you were already being treated for when the policy started, unless your scheme has a moratorium or no-medical-underwriting arrangement (more common in corporate schemes)
• Long-term or open-ended psychotherapy and psychoanalysis
• Relationship or marriage counselling, and personal development work
• Chronic conditions the insurer classes as ongoing rather than treatable
• Addiction treatment on many plans, unless a specific add-on is included

If your difficulties are long-standing or you want depth work rather than a structured short course, insurance may fund an initial assessment and a few sessions but not the whole journey. That’s not a dead end. It just means thinking about which combination of routes covers what you need.

When cover only goes so far: topping up and mixing routes

Here’s a strategy that works for a lot of people: treat the routes as building blocks rather than one-or-the-other.

Your EAP might fund six sessions for the immediate crisis. Your insurance might fund another six sessions of CBT for the underlying problem. And if you’re on an NHS waiting list, our NHS vs private therapy guide explains what each offers so you can decide where to spend your own money.

If you do end up paying privately for part of it, the 2026 therapy cost guide sets out realistic prices by city and therapy type, so you can budget for the sessions insurance won’t cover. And if your schedule makes in-person sessions awkward, our guide to online therapy vs in-person compares the two. Insurers and EAPs fund both, and many people prefer video for convenience and lower cost. Mind’s guide to finding therapy or counselling is also a useful independent starting point if you’re new to all of this.

What about the NHS?

It deserves a brief mention. It’s still the right answer for some people. NHS Talking Therapies (formerly IAPT) offers free, NICE-approved treatments including CBT and EMDR, and you can refer yourself online without seeing a GP. The catch in 2026 is the same as ever. Waiting times vary widely by area. The service is designed for mild-to-moderate difficulties within a limited number of sessions. The NHS pages on Talking Therapies explain eligibility and how to self-refer.

If the wait is weeks rather than days, or your needs are more complex, that’s when the funded routes above, or private therapy, come into their own.

FAQ

How many therapy sessions does an EAP usually give you?

Most UK Employee Assistance Programmes offer six counselling sessions per issue. Some offer eight. EAP sessions are free and confidential. They are usually available by phone, video or face to face.

Is my EAP confidential from my employer?

Yes. EAP providers are independent third parties. Your employer only receives anonymised statistics about overall usage. Never your name or what you discussed. If a counsellor believes you or someone else is at immediate risk of harm, that is the only exception.

Do I need a GP referral for private therapy through insurance?

Usually, yes. Most policies require a GP referral or an assessment through the insurer’s own clinician before therapy sessions are approved. Your GP can usually do this within a single appointment. Don’t let that step put you off.

Will my health insurance cover therapy for anxiety or depression?

In most cases, yes. Short-term psychological treatment such as CBT for anxiety and depression is covered by the major UK insurers (AXA, Bupa, Aviva, Vitality, WPA), typically 6–10 sessions per course and subject to your policy’s outpatient benefit limits.

My employer offers neither an EAP nor insurance. What are my options?

You still have options: pay privately (the cost guide gives realistic figures), use NHS Talking Therapies, or apply for support through the government’s Access to Work scheme if your mental health affects your work, which can fund mental health support for employees with a mental health condition. It’s less well known than it should be. Applying is free.

Getting started

The honest answer to "can I get therapy paid for?" is: often yes, at least in part. The catch: ask the right questions. Read your policy before you book. Start with the checklist above, find your EAP phone number, and check your insurance schedule.

And if you’d rather not unpick the paperwork alone

Work out your costs before you book: use our therapy cost calculator to see exactly what your sessions will cost per month and per year at any session price.

, that’s what we’re here for. Take our free therapy needs assessment and we’ll help you work out what kind of support you need, funded, partly funded or private, and match you with a therapist who fits, in London, elsewhere in the UK, or online.