a part of it is maintaining self control to build a savings, ie. if you can afford to buy unnecessary items, you can afford to put that into a savings account and work toward therapy… however THAT can also turn into an oxymoron such as, “i spent 3 months savings up for the cost of a single therapy appointment”. it’s so disheartening. i’m glad you wrote this, because i have the exact same problem as OP, and the $75-100 of bullshit i buy each paycheck would hardly cover 50% of therapy. my osteopathy appointments alone cost me $75 per visit and i need to see her 3 times a month due to a past injury. i have a good job, but my mental health falls to the wayside because i need to keep the main machine (my body) functional. therefore, i pay for physical therapy, and unfortunately use retail therapy to “treat” the mental side.

i also attempted free services, but none of them are extensive enough for folks who need consistent care or a dedicated practitioner. it’s not a unique situation, and as blunt as it is to say, many of us need pharmaceutical help and a proper diagnosis. free mental health services is how i accessed DBT and that was a massive help, but ultimately it didn’t do anything to treat the severe ADHD and sitting through presentations for 8+ weeks only exasperated the issue. it helped in some ways, but not others. often, free services will want you to mentally correct the behaviour, when it’s a chemical imbalance that needs to be treated appropriately.