Therapy Center of Philadelphia (TCP) helps women and transgender people overcome the deep and far-reaching consequences of trauma and oppression by providing relational psychotherapy that is affordable, evidence-based, and attends to aspects of social location (race, class, gender) as key to clients’ healing and transformation. TCP’s primary programs include: short and long term individual and couples therapy; group/family psychotherapy; trans-affirming therapy; social-justice oriented therapy for people of color, EMDR for trauma; a psychodrama group for queer, trans, non-binary, and gender non-confirming people.

We support women and transgender people who are on the cusp of slipping into poverty to rebuild their lives emotionally and economically. In response to the pandemic, people across the world have experienced increased stress and trauma. Our clients are reporting increased symptoms of anxiety, depression, and trauma due to concerns about protecting oneself and loved ones from the virus, limited freedom of movement, increased job insecurity and loss, reduced access life-sustaining resources (medical, legal, educational, social, etc), and increased isolation all resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic. According to a Kaiser Family Foundation poll, nearly half of Americans report the coronavirus crisis is harming their mental health. The economic and emotional impact of the pandemic is expected to last for years.

The overall goal of our grant proposal is to supplement the session fees of our clients who are not able to afford or struggle to afford our lowest fees, making therapy accessible to our most financially anxious clients and reducing their likelihood of ending therapy early due to cost. At this time, TCP absorbs the financial loss of lowering our fees on our fee scale to meet the needs of our most financially anxious clients. Without grant funding, our capacity to maintain our fee scale is in jeopardy, and we will be forced to raise our rates for the financial health of our organization. Grant funding allows our services to remain accessible to financially anxious clients, while also building a stronger infrastructure to create a pathway to maintaining our low fees in the future. Our most financially anxious clients pay between $20 to $30 per session, while our therapists are paid their full session rate by TCP. Funding would support TCP’s operating expenses incurred while servicing our most financially anxious clients immediately, allowing us to keep our lowest fees on our fee scale.