Online Therapy in Ireland: Free, Charity and Private Options Compared

Last reviewed: 7 September 2026. Service details, prices and referral rules change. Check each provider's own site before relying on anything below.

If you've decided you want some kind of mental health support in Ireland, the next step is harder than it should be. Online therapy here is spread across HSE programmes, charities and private platforms, and each one has its own rules about who can use it, whether you need a GP referral, what it costs and how long you'll wait. There's no single front door. This guide lays out the main options side by side so you can work out which route fits your situation.

How to Know If You Need Therapy:

There's no threshold you have to cross first. Common reasons people look for support include feeling low or anxious for more than a couple of weeks, finding it hard to sleep, concentrate or enjoy things, struggling after a loss, a breakup or a big change, or simply noticing that you keep having the same unhelpful thoughts and can't get past them on your own. If you're in immediate danger or thinking about ending your life, contact emergency services on 112 or 999, or the Samaritans on 116 123 (free, 24 hours). For everything else, the options below are all reasonable places to start.

The Public Option: SilverCloud (HSE):

SilverCloud is the HSE's national guided digital CBT service. It offers structured online programmes based on cognitive behavioural therapy for stress, anxiety and depression, usually run over six to eight weeks. You work through the material yourself, and a supporter checks in with you weekly through the platform. It is designed to give people with mild to moderate anxiety or low mood a fast, free option and to relieve pressure on face-to-face HSE services.

It is free, but it is not self-serve. You need a referral from your GP, an HSE primary care psychologist, a Counselling in Primary Care therapist, a community mental health team or Jigsaw. Once the referral is processed you get an invitation email to set up your account, and the HSE says access can begin within 24 hours of referral. The referral step, rather than the programme, is where the delay usually sits.

Nonprofit and Charity Options:

Turn2Me is an online mental health charity offering one-to-one counselling and peer support groups. Irish residents aged 18 and over can create a free account and self-refer for up to six free counselling sessions, delivered by video, phone or text chat depending on the counsellor. It also runs free online support groups on topics such as anxiety, depression and bereavement.

MyMind is a not-for-profit offering individual, couples and child and adolescent therapy, online or face to face at more than ten centres around Ireland. No GP referral is needed and it states that appointments are available within 72 hours. The standard rate is €60 for a 50-minute session. People earning under €25,000, full-time students, pensioners and those on social welfare payments can access a reduced rate of €30 per session for a limited number of sessions, subject to documentation and availability.

Jigsaw is the national youth mental health charity, working with young people aged 12 to 25. Its services are free, and it offers both in-person support through 18 local services and online support including one-to-one and group chats with a therapist. Young people can reach out directly, and Jigsaw says it aims to see everyone within a few weeks of first contact. Jigsaw can also refer into SilverCloud.

Private, Pay-Per-Session Options:

CounsellingOnline.ie (Irish Online Counselling & Psychotherapy Service) has been offering counselling online since 2011. You book directly with a therapist for sessions by video, phone or instant messaging. At the time of review its site lists €65 for video or phone sessions and €60 for messaging sessions.

BetterHelp is a US-based subscription platform that accepts Irish users. Rather than paying per session, you pay a weekly fee billed every four weeks; BetterHelp's own FAQ lists this as $50 to $90 per week, with the euro amount varying by location and the exchange rate. Therapists are credentialed in their own jurisdiction, which is often outside Ireland, so it's worth checking whether a given therapist holds accreditation with an Irish or UK professional body if that matters to you.

Fettle is an Irish online therapy platform offering individual, youth (12 to 17) and couples therapy by video. You self-refer by answering a short questionnaire and choosing from matched therapists, or by booking a free 20-minute call to be matched. Individual sessions start from €85 for 50 minutes, with bundles available, and matching typically takes 24 to 72 hours. Therapists are accredited with IACP, PSI or ICP, and sessions can often be part-claimed on Vhi, Laya and Irish Life Health plans.

Beyond platforms, a large number of individual counsellors and psychotherapists in Ireland offer online sessions directly. The IACP and PSI both maintain public directories of accredited members, which is a sound place to start if you'd rather find someone independently.

At a Glance:

A Note on Regulation:

In Ireland, "counsellor" and "psychotherapist" are not yet legally protected titles. Anyone can use them, regardless of training. Statutory regulation is under way through CORU, the health and social care professionals regulator. CORU published its final Standards of Proficiency and education criteria for both professions on 11 July 2025, setting Level 8 on the National Framework of Qualifications as the minimum for counsellors and Level 9 for psychotherapists, but the registers have not yet opened and the titles are not yet protected. Education providers have been given a multi-year transition period before programme approval begins, so full registration is still some way off.

The picture for psychologists is similar. CORU's Psychologists Registration Board is preparing a register with divisions for clinical, counselling and educational psychology. Opening was previously projected for early 2026, but CORU now says phase one is expected in 2027, with a consultation on the wider psychologists division due in autumn 2026.

Until the registers open, accreditation with a recognised professional body is the practical proxy for quality. The main ones are the Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (IACP), the Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI), the Irish Council for Psychotherapy (ICP), the Irish Association of Humanistic and Integrative Psychotherapy (IAHIP) and, for UK-trained practitioners, the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). Accredited members have completed recognised training and supervised practice hours, attend ongoing supervision, hold professional insurance and are bound by an ethical code with a complaints process. Whichever service you use, it is reasonable to ask which body your therapist is accredited with.

How to Choose:

• If cost is the deciding factor: Turn2Me offers free counselling sessions for adults, Jigsaw is free for under-25s, and MyMind's reduced rate is €30 a session for those who qualify. If you have a medical card, ask your GP about Counselling in Primary Care, which provides up to eight free sessions.
• If you already see your GP and there's no urgency: Ask about a SilverCloud referral. It's free, structured, and can start within a day of the referral being processed.
• If you want to skip the referral and book yourself: Turn2Me, MyMind, CounsellingOnline.ie, BetterHelp and Fettle all take self-referrals. MyMind and Fettle both publish expected turnaround times of 72 hours or less. Which one suits you comes down to budget, whether you want to choose your own therapist, and whether Irish professional body accreditation matters to you.
• If you're under 25: Jigsaw is built specifically for you and is free. Fettle and MyMind also offer therapy for adolescents, paid, if you'd prefer a private option or Jigsaw's wait doesn't suit.
• If you have private health insurance: Check your plan's outpatient benefits before choosing. Many Vhi, Laya and Irish Life Health plans refund part of the cost of sessions with an accredited practitioner, which narrows the gap between free and paid options. Unreimbursed costs may also qualify for 20% tax relief through Revenue.

None of these routes is the wrong one. The free public and charity services exist because plenty of people are well served by them, and the private options exist because plenty of people want to start sooner, choose their own therapist or go beyond a fixed number of sessions. The right choice is the one you'll actually start.

Sources:

• HSE, "SilverCloud - a guided digital CBT service", www2.hse.ie/mental-health/services-support/silvercloud-cbt/ (accessed 7 September 2026).
• SilverCloud by Amwell, "HSE Digital Mental Health" patient resources, silvercloud.amwell.com (accessed 7 September 2026).
• Turn2Me, turn2me.ie (accessed 7 September 2026).
• MyMind, "Individual Therapy" fees and eligibility, mymind.org/services-fees/individual-therapy/ (accessed 7 September 2026).
• Jigsaw, "About Jigsaw", jigsaw.ie/about-jigsaw/ (accessed 7 September 2026).
• Irish Online Counselling & Psychotherapy Service, counsellingonline.ie (accessed 7 September 2026).
• BetterHelp, "Frequently Asked Questions", betterhelp.com/faq/ (accessed 7 September 2026).
• Fettle, "Pricing", fettle.ie/pricing/ (accessed 7 September 2026).
• CORU, "Statutory Regulation of Psychologists", coru.ie (accessed 7 September 2026).
• CORU, Counsellors and Psychotherapists Registration Board, "Standards and Criteria" and "Update for Education Providers", coru.ie (published 11 July 2025; accessed 7 September 2026).
• IACP, "CORU Counselling & Psychotherapy State Regulation Process", iacp.ie (accessed 7 September 2026).
• Citizens Information, "Registration of health and social care professionals", citizensinformation.ie (accessed 7 September 2026).
• Revenue, "Health expenses" tax relief guidance, revenue.ie (accessed 7 September 2026).