A Privilege to be Well?

In today’s well-being economy, if you want to be at your best, you have to choose, invest and spend . This is all dependent on being able to afford, to pay for the support that you need to be well.

Because what if you can’t? What if you don’t have a spare £10.00 for basic living costs, never mind £50.00 - £100.00 for a therapy package. 

I have over 15 years experience of working with people from all sorts of backgrounds, particularly people who are marginalised, in poverty and easily forgotten. I have worked in community group settings, in wellness centres and in therapy rooms where everyone who I’ve seen have shared one thing; they were only able to access therapy because it was low-cost or free.

If that service didn’t exist, we wouldn’t have been in the room together.

Therapy is often talked about as something anyone can access if they care enough about their well-being. In reality, it’s expensive. 

So when we say people should “prioritise their mental health,” we need to be clear about what we’re asking. For some, it’s about choice. For others, it’s not an option at all.

As a therapist starting in private practice, navigating the challenges and opportunities it brings, I am asking myself: who are these spaces built for, and who gets left out?

If we want well-being to mean something real, it has to go beyond individual choice. It has to include access.

Wanting to be well isn’t a privilege. Being able to access the support that helps you get there often is.

This article is inspired by and rooted in my work as the Co-founder of Change Collective, a small socially focused yoga and wellbeing organisation based in Glasgow. 

You can find out more about our work here: 

Change Collective Website. 

Change Collective Instagram.