Mental health programmes (including PTSD): what it is and how clinics abroad price it
Mental health programs are structured courses of psychiatric care and psychotherapy, delivered during a stay or as intensive daily sessions. Abroad, they are sold as residential programs or as intensive outpatient courses, including trauma-focused courses for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This page covers only licensed facilities with named, licensed clinicians; psychedelic-assisted and ketamine therapy are not part of this topic.
What does it involve?
- Residential program — a stay at a licensed facility with psychiatric assessment, individual and group therapy and a daily schedule. Programs may focus on one condition, such as depression, anxiety, eating disorders or trauma.
- Intensive outpatient course — daily or near-daily therapy sessions over a set period, with the patient staying nearby. Accommodation may or may not be included.
- Trauma-focused therapy for PTSD — the NHS lists trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) and medicines as treatments. The NICE guideline on PTSD sets out when these are recommended.
- Psychiatric review and medication — assessment by a psychiatrist and, where prescribed, medication management during the stay.
The US National Institute of Mental Health describes the main types of psychotherapy. The length of a program depends on the facility.
How do clinics price it?
- Residential mental health program — priced per program, with the number of days stated. Check the length, the condition focus, the room type and the number of psychiatrist sessions per week.
- Intensive outpatient therapy course — priced per course. Check the number of sessions or days, the therapy type (for example EMDR) and whether accommodation is included.
Items that are often charged extra include:
- psychiatric assessment and tests at admission;
- medication;
- a private room;
- extra individual sessions;
- family sessions;
- follow-up or online sessions after discharge.
Prices are only comparable within the same unit and for the same number of days or sessions. A residential program and an outpatient course are different products.
What should I ask the clinic before paying?
- Is the facility licensed, and by which authority? Can you see the license?
- Who leads your care, and what are the names and qualifications of the psychiatrist and therapists? See how to check a doctor.
- What exactly is included: sessions per week with a psychiatrist and with a therapist, group sessions, medication, room type?
- Which therapy methods are used, and are the therapists trained in them (for example accredited EMDR training)?
- What happens in a crisis during the stay, and which hospital does the facility work with?
- What follow-up is arranged with care at home after discharge, and in which language?
- What is the refund policy if you leave early, and how long is the price valid, in writing?
What this page does not tell you
This page reports what facilities publish about price and terms. It does not tell you whether a program suits you or works for your condition; those decisions belong with your own doctor. NICE recommends specific psychological therapies for PTSD in its guideline NG116; this page makes no claims about outcomes beyond what the guideline states. Psychedelic-assisted and ketamine therapy are outside this topic. For substance or gambling problems, see addiction treatment.