Going to the psychologist is expensive. Sometimes very expensive. With the morale of French people at half mast (to put it mildly), the government launched “My Psy” in 2022, a system allowing you to benefit from sessions with a psychologist fully reimbursed by Health Insurance.
Almost three years later, we can say it, it’s a big flop. Gabriel Attal, then Prime Minister, himself admitted that this system, renamed “My psychological support”, “did not work”. The reason: a price considered too low by psychologists (very few of whom have participated), an insufficient number of sessions and a compulsory prior visit to the criticized general practitioner. The government therefore modified the system and the brand new one came into force on January 1st. What does it consist of? We’ll explain it to you.
How does it work?
You will no longer have to go through your general practitioner to benefit from “free” sessions. All you need to do is go to the Health Insurance directory listing the psychologists participating in the operation and make an appointment directly with one of them. If the latter deems it necessary, you will be able to benefit from 12 reimbursed sessions per year (compared to eight in the old system), or two sessions per month for six months.
Who is entitled to it?
Each person who is “anxious, depressed or suffering from mental distress” will be able to benefit from it, explains Health Insurance, specifying that the system is reserved for mild to moderate disorders. Adults are not the only ones affected. Children from the age of 3 and adolescents also have access.
How much will this cost me?
To attract psychologists, the price of the session increased from 30 to 50 euros. As in the old version, Health Insurance will reimburse you 60% of this amount. If you benefit from mutual insurance or additional insurance, you will always be fully reimbursed. But if you don’t have any supplement, you will have to put your hand in your wallet and pay these 20 euros (40%) out of your pocket.
Our file on Mental Health
Concretely, you will have to pay the psychologist directly at the end of each session. He will then give you a care sheet, which you will then have to send to Health Insurance. “Soon, the use of the Vitale card by partner psychologists will be deployed in order to simplify your procedures,” specifies Health Insurance. Will these modifications allow “My psychological support” to finally take off? Response in a few months.
