Compare 1760 psychologists in San Francisco, CA. Check ratings, insurance, and availability.
1,760
Psychologists
100%
Accepting patients
48%
Most common: PhD
Ranked by Clarity Score, based on profile detail, verification, and patient activity.
San Francisco punches well above its weight in healthcare. UCSF is a top-10 national hospital, and the city's 95%+ insurance coverage rate is among the highest anywhere. The tradeoff is cost: provider fees here reflect the city's overall cost of living, and even insured patients can face significant out-of-pocket expenses.
San Francisco has 1,760 psychologists. The most common credential is PhD (48%). 100% are currently accepting new patients.
SF is compact enough that most residents are within 20 minutes of a major hospital. UCSF's two main campuses (Parnassus and Mission Bay) anchor the western and eastern halves of the city. California Pacific Medical Center on Van Ness serves the northern neighborhoods. Muni and BART make car-free healthcare access genuinely possible here, which is unusual for a US city.
Providers practice throughout San Francisco. Mission District is a vibrant, diverse neighborhood with community health centers serving a large Latino population. Pacific Heights is an affluent neighborhood with concierge practices and proximity to CPMC and UCSF. SoMa is the South of Market area is close to Zuckerberg SF General, a Level I trauma center. Castro is a historic LGBTQ+ neighborhood with strong affirming care options and community clinics.
Nearby hospitals include UCSF Medical Center, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, and California Pacific Medical Center. Local training programs run through University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and University of San Francisco. UCSF Medical Center is among the top 10 hospitals in the nation, specializing in cancer and neurology.
A therapy intake is similar to a therapist visit: a comprehensive interview about your history, current symptoms, and goals. If you are there for testing, the process is different. It usually involves multiple sessions of standardized tests, questionnaires, and interviews, followed by a written report with diagnoses and recommendations.
SF has a large therapist community, but most are in private practice and don't accept insurance. If you need in-network care, community health centers like RAMS (Richmond Area Multi-Services) or the SF Community Clinic Consortium are good starting points.
See a psychologist if you need psychological testing (ADHD, learning disabilities, cognitive evaluations), if you want evidence-based therapy from a doctoral-level provider, or if you have complex mental health concerns that may benefit from specialized assessment. Psychologists are also a good choice for treatment-resistant conditions where a deeper diagnostic picture could help.
Therapy session: $150-300 · ADHD evaluation: $1,000-2,500 · Full psychological evaluation: $2,000-5,000
Housing insecurity, tech-industry burnout, and social isolation are recurring themes in SF mental health. The city also has a well-established harm reduction community and extensive substance use treatment infrastructure.
Psychologists conduct comprehensive evaluations for ADHD, learning disabilities, autism spectrum, cognitive function, and personality. A clear diagnosis is the foundation for effective treatment.
Psychologists treat generalized anxiety, social anxiety, panic disorder, and phobias using structured therapeutic approaches with strong research support.
Psychologists offer evidence-based trauma treatments including EMDR, cognitive processing therapy, and prolonged exposure therapy. These approaches help you process traumatic memories safely.
Psychologists use structured therapeutic methods like behavioral activation, interpersonal therapy, and CBT that have been rigorously studied and shown to be effective for treating depression.
A comprehensive ADHD evaluation from a psychologist includes standardized testing, clinical interviews, and behavioral observation. This thorough approach ensures an accurate diagnosis and guides treatment planning.
San Francisco, CA has 1,760 licensed psychologists. 100% are currently accepting new patients, so finding an available provider should be straightforward.
Yes. 100% of psychologists in San Francisco, CA are currently accepting new patients. You can filter your search on FindClarity to show only providers who are taking new patients.
SF has Healthy San Francisco, a city program that provides basic healthcare access for uninsured residents regardless of immigration status. For employer coverage, Kaiser, Blue Shield, and Anthem are the most common carriers. Medi-Cal managed care runs through SF Health Plan. Covered California participation is strong.
Therapy sessions range from $150 to $300 per session. An ADHD evaluation costs $1,000 to $2,500. A full psychological evaluation runs $2,000 to $5,000. Actual costs in San Francisco, CA depend on the provider and your insurance plan. Therapy sessions are covered like other mental health visits. Psychological testing coverage is less consistent. Ask the office to verify testing benefits with your insurer before scheduling.
In San Francisco, the main healthcare systems are UCSF Health (academic, highly specialized), Sutter/CPMC (broad community coverage across four campuses), Kaiser Permanente (closed network with its own facilities on Geary), and Zuckerberg SF General (the city's public safety-net hospital). Your insurance plan will often determine which system you use.
PhD stands for Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology and PsyD stands for Doctor of Psychology. Both are equivalent qualifications. In San Francisco, CA, 48% hold the PhD credential and 29% hold PsyD. The difference is in training pathway, not quality of care.
13% of psychologists in San Francisco, CA accept Medicare. Medicare covers therapy sessions with psychologists. Psychological testing may be covered when ordered for diagnostic purposes, though prior authorization is often required. You can filter for Medicare-accepting providers on FindClarity.
Healthy San Francisco is a city-funded program that provides healthcare access to uninsured San Francisco residents, including undocumented immigrants. It covers primary care, prescriptions, and hospital visits through the SF Department of Public Health network. It's not insurance, but it fills a real gap for residents who don't qualify for other coverage.
Many SF primary care panels are full, especially in popular neighborhoods like the Marina, Pacific Heights, and Noe Valley. UCSF and Sutter/CPMC periodically open new patient slots. One Medical and Carbon Health offer membership-based primary care with same-day availability. Community health centers also accept new patients on a rolling basis.
Top accepted carriers in San Francisco, CA include unitedhealthcare, medicare, qhp-56707, qhp-17091, and qhp-33602.
Therapy sessions with psychologists are covered similarly to other mental health providers under parity laws. Psychological testing coverage is more variable. Some plans cover it fully, others partially, and some require prior authorization. Ask the psychologist's office to verify testing benefits before scheduling, as evaluations can be costly without coverage.