READ THIS FIRST. If you are in immediate danger or thinking about harming yourself, please get help now. Visit a nearby emergency service, hospital, or mental health clinic immediately. If you are in crisis, consider these helplines and suicide hotlines worldwide.
Crisis numbers in South Africa
- SADAG Suicide Crisis Helpline, 0800 567 567: Tel: 0800 567 567
- Gender-Based Violence Command Centre, 0800 428 428: Tel: 0800 428 428 | SMS: send the word help to 31531, published for people with disabilities
- Substance Abuse Helpline, 0800 12 13 14: Tel: 0800 12 13 14 | SMS: 32312
- Higher Health, 0800 36 36 36, for students and staff: Tel: 0800 36 36 36
- All crisis lines in South Africa
South Africa has 1,621 therapists listed on TherapyRoute, including clinical psychologists, counselling psychologists and educational psychologists.
At a glance
- Therapists listed
- 1,621 (Clinical Psychologists 454, Counselling Psychologists 212, Educational Psychologists 153, Registered Counsellors 153, Specialist Wellness Counsellors 65, Counsellors 47, Psychologists 47, Registered Social Workers 45). Professions given by 1,394 of them.
- Languages
- English 100%, Afrikaans 37%, isiZulu 12%, isiXhosa 8%, Sesotho 8%.
- Who they work with
- Adults, Adolescents, Individuals, Couples, Families, Children, Parents.
- Session fees
- Across South Africa: R1,100 to R1,900 for a session with a psychologist, per our South Africa fee guide. Those are advertised prices, not official rates.
The summary above sets out how the practitioners listed across South Africa differ from one another. If you know where you want to be seen, the city pages below each carry that place's own list. Filtering for practitioners who work online shows everyone in South Africa available by video, wherever they are based. Two or three enquiries is normal, and a first conversation is where most people decide.
Cities in South Africa with therapists listed
- Cape Town (453)
- Johannesburg (258)
- Pretoria (145)
- Sandton (130)
- Randburg (77)
- Durban (70)
- Gqeberha (49)
- Roodepoort (31)
- Centurion (27)
- Bloemfontein (26)
- Stellenbosch (26)
- Benoni (25)
- Pietermaritzburg (18)
- Somerset West (15)
- Boksburg (13)
- Alberton (12)
- Ballito (12)
- East London (12)
- Tygervalley (12)
- Valhalla (12)
- Waterfall (12)
- Ekurhuleni (11)
- George (11)
- Midrand (10)
Every other city in South Africa with a therapist listed (137)
A (5 cities)
B (14 cities)
C (5 cities)
D (6 cities)
F (1 city)
G (12 cities)
H (3 cities)
I (1 city)
K (12 cities)
L (5 cities)
M (13 cities)
N (4 cities)
O (1 city)
P (13 cities)
R (5 cities)
S (12 cities)
T (1 city)
A therapist who practises in more than one city is listed under each.
Places with a therapist and no page of their own yet (68)
These are recorded against a therapist on TherapyRoute and have no listing page yet, so there is nothing to send you to and no count we can stand behind.
Abaqulusi, Ba Phalaborwa, Big Five Hlabisa Local Municipality, Bitou, Blue Crane Route, Breede Valley, Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality, City of Matlosana, Dihlabeng, Emakhazeni, Emfuleni, Endumeni, Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality, Fetakgomo Tubatse Local Municipality, Greater Kokstad, Heidelberg, Inkosi Langalibalele Local Municipality, Jb Marks Local Municipality, Jeffreys Bay, Kannaland, Kareeberg, King Sabata Dalindyebo, Kouga, Langeberg, Lesedi, Local Municipality of Madibeng, Louis Trichardt, Makana, Maluti a Phofung, Mangaung, Masilonyana, Matjhabeng, Metsimaholo, Milnerton, Mnquma, Modimolle Mookgophong Local Municipality, Mogalakwena, Mogale City, Mossel Bay, Msinga, Msukaligwa, Naledi, Ndlambe, Ngwathe, Nkomazi, Nkonkobe Local Municipality, Okhahlamba, Oudtshoorn, Overstrand, Polokwane, Randfontein, Ray Nkonyeni Local Municipality, Saldanha Bay, Sol Plaatjie, Swellendam, Thaba Chweu, The Msunduzi, Theewaterskloof, Ubuhlebezwe, Umdoni, Umhlabuyalingana, Umhlathuze, Umlalazi, Umngeni, Veereniging, Western Cape, Wolmaransstad, Zinkwazi
South Africa protects some professional titles by statute and does not protect others. Psychologists, registered counsellors and psychiatrists register with the Health Professions Council of South Africa, and performing acts that pertain to the profession of psychology while unregistered is a criminal offence. Social workers register with the South African Council for Social Service Professions.
Nurses, including those holding a psychiatric qualification, register with the South African Nursing Council. Titles such as wellness counsellor and life coach carry no statutory register behind them.
You can confirm a registration with the SACSSP Find a Professional search. Verify with Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA), South African Council for Social Service Professions (SACSSP) or South African Nursing Council (SANC).
Therapy fees in South Africa are set by each practice and vary by the therapist's profession. If you are on a medical aid, the scheme pays a set rate per session against a tariff code, and where a psychologist charges more than that rate the difference is yours to pay. What a plan pays differs from scheme to scheme, and psychology benefits are often paid from savings or a limited annual allocation rather than from risk benefits.
Lower-cost routes exist: public hospitals and community health centres charge according to what you earn, university training clinics run on sliding scales, and community organisations offer counselling at low or no cost. It is worth asking any practice whether it keeps reduced-fee places.
Real choice. Authentic, independent, clinician-led care.
TherapyRoute is a clinician-led directory that champions independent practitioners who answer to you and their professional ethics, not to investors or corporate interests. We don't take commissions, sell your data, or assign therapists by algorithm. You browse, compare, and choose.
Vincenzo (Enzo) Sinisi, Clinical Psychologist (HPCSA), Psychoanalyst (IPA/SAPA), Group Analyst (IGA)
TherapyRoute is not for emergencies and does not provide medical advice. All of our content is informational and cannot replace professional healthcare. In an emergency, contact a local emergency service. For immediate support, consider a local helpline.