HOW TO HIRE · HEALTH & WELLBEING · CHECKED OCTOBER 2026
How to hire a CBT therapist in Ireland
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.
A cbt therapist in Ireland costs €70–€150 per session, typically around €100. Here is how to check that in a minute, what to ask before you book, and what you must be handed when the job is done.
- Search and compare — no account needed
- Nearest to you first
- One score from Google, Trustpilot and Locufy reviews
THE 60-SECOND VERSION
Hiring a CBT therapist in five steps
- Are you a trader, and can I see that in writing?No register covers CBT therapist work, so trader status is what your consumer rights hang on — skill Development — clients often learn practical skills to manage their symptoms, such as relaxation techniques or problem-solving strategies.
- How does session length change the price?The longer the booking, the more it costs. — ask before the quote rather than after.
- How does therapist's experience change the price?Experience costs more per hour and shows in the finish. — ask before the quote rather than after.
- How does complexity of the issues being addressed change the price?A complicated brief needs a conversation before any work starts. — ask before the quote rather than after.
- What is not included?Behavioral Techniques — therapists may employ various behavioral techniques, such as exposure therapy, to help clients confront and manage their fears — get the exclusions named in the quote, because a CBT therapist job is priced on what was agreed and not on what was assumed.
BEFORE YOU BOOK
Check before you book
No register is open yet
Counselling and psychotherapy are designated for statutory regulation in Ireland and the register is not open. CORU lists counsellors and psychotherapists among the professions to be regulated, alongside psychologists, and separately lists the ten registers that are open today — counselling, psychotherapy and psychology are not among them. Two consequences follow, and they matter in opposite directions. Nobody practising today can be CORU-registered, so a claim to be is describing something that does not exist and is the clearest warning sign there is. And the titles are not protected yet, so anyone may use them: what distinguishes one practitioner from another is the training and the accrediting body, not the word on the door.
Look for the trader badge and the ID-checked badge on the Locufy profile — both are checked by us, not claimed by the provider.
What to check instead
The qualification, the length of the training and who awarded it — ask for all three, then look the awarding body up yourself; Accreditation by a professional body, by name, and whether it holds a register you can search and a complaints procedure you could use; Whether they are in clinical supervision, which is the ordinary standard in this work and the thing a client never thinks to ask about; Professional indemnity insurance, the insurer and the limit; The fee, the session length, the cancellation terms and how the work ends, in writing before the first session; Garda vetting where the client is a child or a vulnerable adult, which is a legal requirement for that work under the National Vetting Bureau Acts.
Ask for each of these before you agree a price, and get the answers in the same message as the quote.
Insurance
Expect professional indemnity insurance — ask for the insurer and the limit. From a company, ask for the insurer, the limit and the VAT number, and ask who actually attends: the team that turns up may be employed, subcontracted or both, and only one of those is supervised by the firm you are paying.
Ask to see the current certificate of insurance — the insurer's name, the limit and the date it runs to.
Trader or private seller
Under the Consumer Rights Act 2022 a trader must tell you they are a trader, and your consumer rights — work carried out with reasonable skill and care, and a cooling-off period on a contract agreed in your home or online — apply to traders and not to private sellers. On Locufy the trader status is shown on the profile.
Look for the trader badge on the Locufy profile, and ask anyone else for it in writing before you agree a price.
VAT
VAT at 13.5%, the reduced rate Revenue publishes for this service. Ask whether the price you were given includes it. A trader under the €42,500 registration threshold does not charge it; one over it must, and must show it separately.
Ask whether the figure you were given includes it, and for the VAT number if they are registered — Revenue publishes the rate for this service. revenue.ie →
A good answer: No register covers CBT therapist work, so trader status is what your consumer rights hang on — skill Development — clients often learn practical skills to manage their symptoms, such as relaxation techniques or problem-solving strategies.
A good answer: The longer the booking, the more it costs. — ask before the quote rather than after.
A good answer: Experience costs more per hour and shows in the finish. — ask before the quote rather than after.
A good answer: A complicated brief needs a conversation before any work starts. — ask before the quote rather than after.
A good answer: Behavioral Techniques — therapists may employ various behavioral techniques, such as exposure therapy, to help clients confront and manage their fears — get the exclusions named in the quote, because a CBT therapist job is priced on what was agreed and not on what was assumed.
A good answer: Expect professional indemnity insurance — ask for the insurer and the limit — cognitive Restructuring — CBT therapists help clients identify and challenge negative thought patterns.
A good answer: A written scope and a price before the CBT therapist starts, and an itemised invoice after — initial Assessment — the first session typically involves an initial assessment where the therapist evaluates the client's mental health needs.
Getting the quote right
- Session length — the longer the booking, the more it costs.
- Therapist's experience — experience costs more per hour and shows in the finish.
- Complexity of the issues being addressed — a complicated brief needs a conversation before any work starts.
- Initial Assessment — it sets how much preparation the job needs.
- In writing before anyone starts — a message on Locufy counts
- What is NOT included, named
- Who actually attends, and whether they are employed or subcontracted
- The VAT number, and whether it checks out on the Revenue register
Walk away if
- They will not talk about it: session length — the longer the booking, the more it costs
- They will not talk about it: therapist's experience — experience costs more per hour and shows in the finish
- They will not talk about it: complexity of the issues being addressed — a complicated brief needs a conversation before any work starts
- A price for the CBT therapist before anyone has asked the size, the access or the condition of what they are working on
- Cash only, or a large deposit before anything at all has started
- No written quote, or one that moves once the CBT therapist has begun
What a CBT therapist costs: €70–€150 per session
The figures are for the job, per session, and a quote for your own is the only number that binds anyone. Individual therapy and Group therapy each carry their own band. CBT Therapist price guide →
Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.
KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE
CBT therapists near you, with the badges that matter shown
ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.
Or post the job free and let them come to you.
- Look firstSession length — the longer the booking, the more it costs — that is what the CBT therapist is judging on the first visit, and a price given without it is a guess.
- Agree what is being doneTherapist's experience — experience costs more per hour and shows in the finish — put in writing before anyone starts, because it is the document you both read back at the end.
- The work itselfComplexity of the issues being addressed — a complicated brief needs a conversation before any work starts — and anything found on the day that was not in that is priced before it is started.
- Check it togetherInitial Assessment — it sets how much preparation the job needs — walked against the written scope rather than against the feeling of it, while the CBT therapist is still there.
- What you are handedThe itemised invoice and any guarantee on the workmanship and the parts, CBT typically requires a commitment of several weeks to months for effective results.
- Initial Assessment
- The first session typically involves an initial assessment where the therapist evaluates the client's mental health needs.
- Cognitive Restructuring
- CBT therapists help clients identify and challenge negative thought patterns.
- Behavioral Techniques
- Therapists may employ various behavioral techniques, such as exposure therapy, to help clients confront and manage their fears.
- Skill Development
- Clients often learn practical skills to manage their symptoms, such as relaxation techniques or problem-solving strategies.
- Group Therapy
- Facilitated sessions with multiple participants to share experiences and coping strategies.
- Couples Therapy
- Therapeutic sessions aimed at improving communication and resolving conflicts within relationships.
AFTER
When the job is done
Hiring a CBT therapist: questions people ask
The cost of CBT therapy can be influenced by the therapist's qualifications, location, and session length. Highly experienced therapists or those in metropolitan areas may charge higher rates.
A typical CBT session usually lasts between 50 to 60 minutes. However, the duration can vary depending on the therapist's approach and the specific needs of the client.
Same-day appointments may be available, but they are not guaranteed. It is advisable to book in advance, especially if you have a preference for a specific therapist.
Yes, many therapists allow clients to book multiple sessions in advance, which can help in establishing a consistent therapy schedule. This is often encouraged for more effective treatment.
CBT therapy primarily focuses on cognitive and behavioral issues, so it does not cover medical treatments for mental health conditions. Additionally, it may not address deep-rooted psychological issues that require different therapeutic approaches.
Counselling and psychotherapy are designated for statutory regulation in Ireland and the register is not open. CORU lists counsellors and psychotherapists among the professions to be regulated, alongside psychologists, and separately lists the ten registers that are open today — counselling, psychotherapy and psychology are not among them. Two consequences follow, and they matter in opposite directions. Nobody practising today can be CORU-registered, so a claim to be is describing something that does not exist and is the clearest warning sign there is. And the titles are not protected yet, so anyone may use them: what distinguishes one practitioner from another is the training and the accrediting body, not the word on the door.
MORE GUIDES
More hiring guides in health & wellbeing
CBT therapists near you
Sources — checked October 2026
- CORU — public protection FAQs: which registers are open
- CORU — Counsellors and Psychotherapists Registration Board FAQs
- CORU — update on the statutory regulation of psychologists
- Value-Added Tax Consolidation Act 2010, Schedule 1 — exempt activities
- Consumer Rights Act 2022
- Courts Service — small claims
- Revenue — STRESS COUNSELLING (Medical and miscellaneous services) — Reduced rate
- Revenue — current VAT rates (effective 1 January 2026)
- Revenue — VAT thresholds: €42,500 for a person supplying services only