How to Find an English Speaking Therapist in Paris & France?

Paris, the City of Love, is home to people from many parts of the world. Of course, not everyone speaks French fluently to work with a therapist who only speaks French. So if you’re looking for an English-speaking therapist Paris, you have to know where to look exactly.

Although Paris and France, as a country, have many psychologists, most of them have studied and trained in therapy in French. It’s their native language, and unless you speak French too, they can’t be of much help to you. But English is still one of the common languages, with as much as 39 percent of the population speaking it, according to some estimates.

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We’ll in that article, that online platform for therapy can be very usefull while looking for an English speaking psychologist in Paris or France.

Mental Healthcare in France

Before we talk about where to find English-speaking therapists in France, it’s important to understand how mental healthcare or healthcare, in general, works in Europe’s fourth most populated country.

France has a universal public healthcare system that is accessible to everyone regardless of age or income status. This system is funded partly by the social security payments collected from the public.

There are several programs and departments providing public healthcare insurance. For instance, some are designed for those with low income or those waiting for a decision on their residence application.

The good thing is that the French healthcare system does cover mental healthcare, including therapy. In most cases, mental healthcare is provided by Medical Psychological Centers or Centre Medico Psychologique (CMP). These are public institutes that provide free services through public insurance.

However, there are other therapists and psychiatrists as well that operate in other places and may be covered under the public health insurance system. This means that you may be reimbursed when you see a therapist in the public healthcare system. However, if you see a therapist outside the public system, you will need private insurance or pay out of pocket.

Even though France is a highly developed country with one of the best healthcare systems in the world, there has been a growing concern recently that the mental healthcare system is lacking. It does not lack in terms of quality but numbers as there aren’t enough therapists and psychiatrists for the growing population of the country.

To support the work of the people working on TherapyHunter.com, we may receive compensation if you sign up for online counseling through the links provided.

How to Find English Speaking Therapist Paris?

Many people who don’t speak French fluently and can speak English would want to see a therapist who speaks English for effective therapy. In a major metropolis like Paris, you can find therapists who provide therapy in English. However, you’ll need to narrow down your search a little bit.

As an expat, foreign student, or traveler, you may be searching for an English-speaking psychologist Paris. Here are your options when it comes to therapy in English in Paris or France at large:

Online Therapy Platforms

As you can see, finding an English-speaking therapist in Paris is not so straightforward. Rather than spending so much time looking for a therapist in search engines or directories, a more viable option would be to use an online therapy platform.

Online therapy platforms list professional, certified therapists specializing in different areas of psychotherapy such as specialist in blended families, lesbian sexologist, BPD disorder and much more. If you’re specifically looking for a therapist who speaks fluent English, BetterHelp.com is the answer. The therapists on this platform are from the US, so most are native English speakers.

More importantly, you will be matched with someone based on your answers, so there’s not much searching involved anyways. That said, you can easily change a therapist if you’re not happy with one. Make sure that they fit you and your needs well, regardless of their qualification or experience.

Keep in mind that most online therapy platforms, including BetterHelp, provide therapy privately. What this means is that they may not be covered by public or private health insurance. For this reason, their rates are also somewhat lower than what you would pay for in-person therapy.

Search Online

One of the options you have is to search online ‘English speaking therapist near me’ or ‘English speaking therapists in France.’ This is more of a laborious task, as you’ll have to go through different websites to find an English-speaking therapist.

While searching online, here are the three things you need to ensure:

• The therapist is located in Paris (unless you’re open to doing therapy online)
• They can speak English
• They specialize in the therapy you seek or have an appropriate qualification

You can usually confirm these things on their professional website or social media page. If this information is not readily available, you can call them or send an email asking questions.

Of course, this option is time-consuming, which is why the second option is recommended as it’s more convenient.

Search in Directories

Another way to look for a therapist online is to use therapist directories. There are many online directories that list therapist contact along with their profile. Many of these directories also state the language the therapist speaks, so you can look for those who speak French.

To make things easier for you, here are some online directories where you can search for an English speaking therapist located in Paris, France:

• Angloinfo: Angloinfo Paris and Ile-de-France maintains a directory of English-speaking therapists on its platform. You can find information and contact of these professionals.
• Therapy Route: Therapy Route is a mental health website that also features a list of therapists. Its search tool has a location and language filter.
• Paris Therapy Service: The Paris Therapy Services website also has a list of therapists. However, it doesn’t mention the languages they speak, so you’ll need to contact them or see their website to confirm.

Bottomline

Finding an English-speaking psychologist Paris is not a herculean task, but it will certainly take some good searching skills. Many therapists practicing in France speak multiple languages simply because France has a diverse population.

But if you’re having trouble finding a therapist who speaks English in France, and in Paris, in particular, you can give online therapy a chance. That will allow you to get therapy in English from anywhere around the world.