How can an international student get therapy in Sweden?

Thank you for reaching out! 

As an international student, you can access therapy depending on a couple of conditions, and I will try to give you an informative answer. 

If you have a residence permit for 12 months or more, and thereby have a Swedish personal identity number, you are entitled to Swedish healthcare as any other Swedish resident. That means that you can access therapy through the primary health care (depending on what region you live in the primary health care centres are called Vårdcentral, Hälsocentral, Husläkarmottagning or other names). Sometimes you need a referral from a physician and sometimes it´s possible to book an appointment directly with a psychologist/counselor, depending on how things are organized at your local health care centre. The cost is subsidized and is normally around SEK 100-300 per visit, and there is a high-cost protection that makes healthcare free within the ongoing 12-month period after you reach a total of around SEK 1.500. 

The same conditions apply if you are a registered resident in an EU/EEA country and show your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). You can then access “necessary health care”, which means health care that cannot wait until you return to your home country (this can include symptoms of stress, depression, anxiety and other conditions).  

If you lack a personal identity number and don´t have an insurance covering other healthcare than emergency issues, you are not entitled to the subsidized fees stated above. In that case you need to pay the full cost, and for therapy it can mean around SEK 800-1600 per visit depending on the therapist. 

Depending on your age, there are other ways to see a therapist/counselor. If you are under the age of 23 (in some regions, you can be under the age of 25) you can visit the Youth Guidance Centres (called Ungdomsmottagning) and see a counsellor free of charge. 

Most therapists speak English, and if you see a therapist within the public health care system (or a private provider who is funded by the public health care) you can ask for a translator free of charge. Though it can be very time consuming and challenging to use a translator for therapy, so I would recommend using English or to ask is someone in the staff speaks your language, which sometimes is possible. 

There are limitations if you see a therapist within the primary health care – normally there is a waiting list and a maximum number of sessions, often around 3-10, but this can differ a lot depending on what region you live in. 

I hope this information was helpful, and if you have more questions, please dial 1177 or ask someone at your local Student health services for mor advice. 

Best regards, 

Licensed Psychologist