How Much Does Therapy Cost in São Paulo in 2026?

Public health care in Brazil is free through the SUS, and its mental health network states this in its own words. The CAPS (Centros de Atenção Psicossocial) are "public mental health services, open to the community", "todos gratuitos pelo SUS" (all free through the SUS), and they run on an open-door basis: you can walk into your regional CAPS and ask for care, no referral needed. Privately, São Paulo practices that publish their rates span roughly R$110 to R$300 a session, with online platforms from about R$80.

These are guiding estimates. Therapists set their own fees.

The CAPS network, in the ministry's words

The health ministry describes CAPS as services that welcome people in intense psychological distress, at every age, including problems linked to alcohol and drug use; specialised units cover children and adolescents (CAPS i) and substance use (CAPS ad). Access in São Paulo is two doors: walk in directly ("os CAPS funcionam em regime de porta aberta"), or arrive by referral from a basic health unit (UBS), a hospital, UPA 24h or SAMU. For milder difficulties, the UBS itself is the entry to psychology within the SUS.

The private market

Private psychology and psychotherapy in São Paulo are priced practice by practice, and no binding fee schedule applies; pages quoting a standard São Paulo session price are quoting themselves. The reliable figure is the practice's own published rate, like those below, and asking about social-value slots (valor social) costs nothing; many therapists offer them.

What practices charge

Among São Paulo services listing their prices: psychologist Maristela Vallim Botari (CRP-SP), on Avenida Paulista, publishes R$109 for a 50-minute in-person session (R$119 for an hour online), with the first consultation also at R$109 (rates re-read at source 19 August 2026); Instituto Medicina em Foco lists psychology consultations from R$300; and the online platform Unolife charges R$79.99 a session. These are the services' own published rates, read on 28 July 2026; they are examples, not a survey, and the spread is the honest picture: independent practitioners from about R$110, clinics to R$300 and beyond, online platforms below R$100.

If you need someone now

The CVV (Centro de Valorização da Vida) offers emotional support around the clock via cvv.org.br. Our page listing verified crisis services covers Brazil.

Sources

• Ministério da Saúde, Centros de Atenção Psicossocial: the free-through-SUS statement, the open-door access rule and the referral doors. Read 28 July 2026.
• The practice rate pages linked in the text above: each service's own published prices, read 28 July 2026.

Reviewed July 2026. The public-network facts are the health ministry's own wording, read at source on 28 July 2026. The private figures are the linked services' own published rates on the same date, shown as examples; the band is their working range, not an official price.