Compare 7818 therapists in San Francisco, CA. Check ratings, insurance, and availability.
7,818
Therapists
100%
Accepting patients
7%
Most common: MFT
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 7,818 therapists. The most common credential is MFT (7%). 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.
The first session (often called an intake) lasts about 50 to 60 minutes. Your therapist will ask about your background, current concerns, goals, and any relevant history. They are not judging you; they are building a picture of how to help. Together you will set a direction for treatment. Follow-up sessions are usually weekly.
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.
Consider seeing a therapist if you are struggling with persistent sadness or worry, difficulty sleeping, relationship conflicts, the aftermath of a traumatic event, a major life change (divorce, job loss, grief), substance use concerns, or simply feeling stuck. You do not need a diagnosis to benefit from therapy.
Session (in-network copay): $20-50 · Session (out-of-network): $100-250 · Sliding scale: varies
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.
Therapists use evidence-based approaches like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to help you understand anxiety triggers, challenge unhelpful thought patterns, and build practical coping skills that work in real life.
Therapy for depression helps you identify the patterns keeping you stuck and develop strategies to re-engage with life. Most people notice meaningful shifts within eight to twelve sessions.
Whether you are navigating conflict with a partner, family tension, or patterns that keep showing up in your relationships, therapy offers a space to understand what is happening and change course.
Chronic stress erodes your health, your focus, and your patience. Therapy helps you identify what you can change, set boundaries where you need them, and build resilience for what you cannot control.
Losing someone you love changes everything. Therapy provides a safe space to process grief at your own pace, without anyone telling you to move on before you are ready.
San Francisco, CA has 7,818 licensed therapists. 100% are currently accepting new patients, so finding an available provider should be straightforward.
Yes. 100% of therapists 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.
In-network sessions typically have a copay of $20 to $50. Out-of-network sessions cost $100 to $250 per session. Many therapists offer sliding-scale fees based on income. Actual costs in San Francisco, CA depend on the provider and your insurance plan. Mental health parity laws require most insurance plans to cover therapy at the same level as medical care. Out-of-network therapists are common in this field. Ask about superbills for possible insurance reimbursement.
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.
Some therapists in San Francisco, CA accept Medi-Cal, the state's Medicaid program. Medicaid covers mental health services in all states. The number of covered sessions and provider types vary by state. Some states require prior authorization for ongoing therapy. Contact the provider's office directly to confirm Medi-Cal participation before scheduling.
Most people in therapy attend weekly sessions, especially at the start. As symptoms improve, sessions may shift to every two weeks or monthly before tapering off entirely. The right frequency depends on your needs and goals. With 7,818 therapists in San Francisco, CA, you can search on FindClarity to find a provider who fits your schedule.
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 qhp-56707, medicare, unitedhealthcare, qhp-33602, and qhp-17091.
Mental health parity laws require most insurance plans to cover therapy at the same level as medical care. You will typically pay a copay or coinsurance per session. Check whether your plan requires a referral, how many sessions are covered per year, and whether your therapist is in-network. Out-of-network therapists are common. Ask about superbills for possible reimbursement.