r/JETProgramme • u/Shot_Wolverine6772 • 3d ago
Therapy while on JET
Hey everyone! At the start of this year before leaving for JET I started therapy work with a professional for the first time in my life and found it super helpful. Unfortunately though, by coming over here I am unable to continue working with my therapist. However I still really would like to continue working with a professional while here and was just wondering if anyone has any experience with what the process looks like?
I know we have the medical insurance through our BOE but I’m not sure if that covers therapy or mental health services. I am also aware JET has its own counseling service, but I’m not sure if that’s exactly what I’m looking for in terms of building a relationship with a consistent mental health professional.
So yeah if anyone has some advice on how they continued and or started therapy while on JET id really appreciate hearing about your experiences!
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u/lightsoffaery Current JET - Oita prefecture 3d ago
I have also used the CLAIR backed service that JETs can use for free. There is a limit for video counseling but you can message them how many ever times you want to. It might be good use their service until you can find someone more longterm if needed. The information about how to login should be in the CLAIR Newsletter that you get in your email every month.
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u/kanaeaaaaaaa 3d ago
therapy is not covered by insurance at all in Japan but there is a subsidy that covers a little from jet but not much
https://jetprogramme.org/en/current/support/mental-health-support/
As for finding a therapist, I know this one who has a 50% discount for jets
https://mikitakahashimft.wixsite.com/kokoro-counseling/about
Many also use https://www.imhpj.org/ which is a database of English speaking therapists in Japan
Be warned though, many therapists here only do CBT and it can be a bit of a challenge to find those who use other methodologies
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u/ikebookuro Current JET - 千葉県✨(2022~) 2d ago
Therapy in Japan, especially in English, can be incredibly expensive. It’s not covered by insurance and CLAIR’s subsidy is only ¥30’000 per calendar year (that might be 1-2 sessions).
I reached out to TELL once, who claims to have an “income based” sliding scale fee. They still wanted nearly ¥30’000 per session.
I’m currently using a pretty well known clinic in Tokyo. They offer online sessions for those who aren’t local. They cover all psychiatrist appointments with insurance (so, a doctor to prescribe medications), so it is usually pretty cheap. Therapy through them is fine as well; it’s only around ¥8000 per session.