Get Better, Together
Weekly group therapy for Upolu, Savai'i, and the Samoan diaspora.
Grouport gives adults in Samoa a licensed-therapist-led group at US$32 per weekly session, roughly WST 90 at prevailing rates, without a trip to Motootua and without a place on the Tupua Tamasese Meaole Hospital psychiatry waitlist. Groups of six to twelve peers meet in English over HIPAA-compliant video, you can join a group right away, and the same weekly slot works whether you are logging in from Apia, Salelologa, or a village on the north coast of Savai'i.
Consistently Recognized as the #1 Online Group Therapy pick
.svg)
.png)
.png)
.png)
The State of Mental Health in Samoa.
Understanding the landscape of mental health care access and the challenges
residents face across the state.
Mental Illness Prevalence
Wait Time
Median Household Income
Percentage Who Need Therapy
Provider Shortage
Mental Health Providers per 100k Residents
These figures come from the WHO Global Health Observatory Mental Health Atlas, the catalogue, and reporting from Samoa's Ministry of Health and the National Health Service. They describe a nation of 218,019 people spread across the two main islands of Upolu and Savai'i and the smaller Manono and Apolima, served by a single acute psychiatric ward at TTM Hospital in Motootua and by district hospital and health centre coverage that leans heavily on general nurses trained under the WHO mhGAP programme rather than on specialist psychologists or psychiatrists.
UNDERSTANDING THE CHALLENGE
Understanding Mental Health Access in Samoa.
The Problem
Samoa's specialist mental health workforce is one of the thinnest in the Pacific. The 0.52-per-100,000 figure Samoa, and independent reviews by WHO and the Samoa Ministry of Health have flagged extended vacancies in the resident-psychiatrist post at TTM Hospital, with cover provided by visiting specialists from New Zealand, Australia, or Fiji. There is no meaningful private psychiatry sector to fall back on, no private health insurance market of consequence for outpatient mental health, and Samoa has one of the highest documented youth suicide rates in the Pacific, giving unmet demand a particularly sharp edge.
The Impact
What that shortage means for an ordinary Samoan household is that a schoolteacher in Faleolo, a public servant in Apia, a nurse in Lalomanu, or a small-business owner in Salelologa who recognises they need to speak with a mental health professional has essentially one public in-person pathway: a referral into the Mental Health Unit at TTM Hospital in Motootua, on the north coast of Upolu just outside Apia. For a resident of Savai'i, that already means the Salelologa–Mulifanua ferry across the Apolima Strait and then the drive along the north coast of Upolu into Apia. For a village on the far side of Savai'i near Falealupo or Asau, the round trip is a full day, and repeat weekly attendance is simply not realistic.
The Solution
Online group therapy addresses Samoa's specific bind: too few specialists, high need, and geography that makes weekly in-person attendance impractical for a large share of the. One licensed therapist leading a group of six to twelve peers multiplies the effective reach of that clinician many times over compared with one-to-one work, and delivering the group over video removes the ferry, the coastal-road drive, and the day of lost work from the equation. A teacher in Apia, a returned-diaspora aiga member in Vaitele, and a hospitality worker in Salelologa can meet in the same weekly group without any of them leaving their village. It complements the TTM Mental Health Unit and mhGAP-trained district nurses rather than replacing them.
Grouport matches new members with a group inside immediate against a public-system baseline of roughly 20 weeks for a non-urgent Mental Health Unit slot. Sessions run in English, which alongside Samoan (Gagana Samoa) is one of the country's two official languages and is the medium of secondary and tertiary instruction, government, and formal business. Care is delivered by licensed therapists over HIPAA-compliant video, workable anywhere Bluesky, Digicel, or Vodafone Samoa gives a stable connection, that is, most of Upolu, most populated coasts of Savai'i, and, increasingly, the smaller islands off Upolu.
Access and Availability Across Samoa.
Access to mental health care in Samoa is shaped by three facts: a population of 218,019, only 17.5 percent classified as urban (concentrated in and around Apia on Upolu), and a specialist workforce of about 0.52 per 100,000. Every other feature of the system, the ferry to Savai'i, the district-hospital tier, the role of the aiga and the faifeau, is layered on top of those three numbers.
Geographic Barriers
Extended Wait Times
Systemic Challenges
Urban-Rural Divide
Affordable Group Therapy Costs for Samoan Residents.
Affordability and Income
Measured against Samoa's US$8,640 GNI per capita at purchasing power parity and US$5,040 GNI Atlas per capita, US$140 a month is a real household commitment and not a rounding-error line item. For the salaried public servant, teacher, nurse, or hospitality supervisor working around Apia or Salelologa, and for the substantial Samoan diaspora in Auckland, Wellington, Sydney, Brisbane, or Los Angeles funding therapy for family at home, the predictable monthly fee is manageable. There is no per-session tally, no additional charge for longer weeks, and no month-end surprise, which matters in a household economy tightly interwoven with aiga contributions, church obligations (mea alofa, faalavelave), and remittance flows.
Hidden Cost and Barriers
The subsidised sticker on a Motootua appointment is only part of the true cost for most Samoans outside the Apia Urban Area. Add the Salelologa–Mulifanua ferry fare and the wait for the next sailing, the fuel or bus fare from a Savai'i village to Salelologa, another leg of transport from Mulifanua Wharf into Apia, potentially an overnight stay for an early appointment, and a full day of lost wages or subsistence work, and the effective per-visit cost climbs sharply. Repeat that weekly and outpatient care becomes financially and logistically impossible for most rural aiga. A weekly video group removes every one of those line items and puts the money into the therapy itself.
Immediate Availability
The immediate group start window is the second half of the value equation. Against a roughly 20-week baseline wait for a non-urgent Mental Health Unit slot at TTM, being in an active weekly group by the following week reframes what the US$140 is buying. It is not only a lower effective cost per session, it is access on a timeline that actually corresponds to when Samoan clients recognise they need help, rather than five months after.
Mental health economics in Samoa are unusual because there is effectively no private outpatient market to price a service against. Care through the Ministry of Health Mental Health Unit at TTM Hospital is subsidised at point of use, but the real cost sits in the day of lost work, the ferry from Savai'i, and the family logistics around an Apia appointment. Grouport is US$140 a month, roughly WST 390 at prevailing rates, for unlimited weekly group sessions on that flat fee.
How it Works
Choose your online therapy group
Choose your desired online therapy group and sign up for our weekly plan. Most of our groups are $35/session, but our skills groups are $25/session.
Personalized match
We’ll ensure you're matched to an online therapy group that best fits your mental health challenges and schedule. Don’t worry if you’re not entirely sure which group is right for you, as after signing up, a care coordinator can help make sure you get started in the group that’s right for you. We typically match you to a group right away!
Meet weekly with your group
Join your group over video chat at the same time each week for 60-minute sessions. You’ll meet with the same members & therapist with a group of up to 12 members. Additional membership perks can include weekly handouts, symptom tracking, and one-off workshops.
Mental Health Conditions We Treat in Samoa.
Grouport runs weekly groups for anxiety, depression, DBT skills, grief and loss, relationship issues, OCD, PTSD and trauma processing, ADHD, chronic pain and illness, LGBTQIA+ experience, and parenting. These map closely to the presentations Samoa's Ministry of Health Mental Health Unit most commonly documents, alongside the youth suicide, family violence, and post-2019-measles-crisis anxiety that WHO country cooperation strategy documents have highlighted as priorities in the Samoan population.
Get Help for:
Anxiety Disorders
Mood Disorders
Trauma & Stress Related Disorders
Obsessive-Compulsive & Related Disorders
Personality Disorders
Eating & Body Disorders
Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Life Challenges
Relationship Issues, Codependency, Attachment Issues, Divorce, Loneliness, Anger Management, Self-Esteem, Grief & Loss, Chronic Illness, Gender Dysphoria, Infertility, Fertility Treatment & IVF Support, Pregnancy Loss & Miscarriage, Couples Issues, Parenting, Supporting a loved one, LGBTQIA Support
Other Disorders
Self harm
Self-Harm, Suicidal Ideation, Self-injury, Suicide Survival
Common Treatments
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Exposure Response Prevention (ERP), Exposure Therapy, Internal Family Systems (IFS), Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR), Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT), Psychodynamic Therapy, Motivational Interviewing (MI), Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), Trauma-Focused CBT (TF-CBT), Narrative Therapy, Schema Therapy, Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), Somatic Therapy, Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Prolonged Exposure (PE), Interpersonal Therapy (IPT), Behavioral Activation
Meet Our Therapists
Our therapists represent a wide range of clinical specialties & diverse backgrounds. They all undergo the most stringent credentialing process. Grouport therapists are caring, expert mental health professionals with years of experience helping people get the tools they need to see long-lasting change.
Grouport therapists are licensed clinicians facilitating groups in English, one of Samoa's two official languages alongside Gagana Samoa and the medium of secondary and tertiary education and formal business. All are experienced with remote group work over HIPAA-compliant video and with participants across many time zones, including clients in Samoa Standard Time (UTC-11), which puts Apia and Salelologa a full day ahead of Auckland and roughly 21 hours ahead of the US west coast. The group format lets shared context surface between participants themselves, which fits the collective way the aiga already discusses wellbeing.
a healthier future starts right here
Grouport’s Results
80% of our members start with moderate to severe mental health symptoms
70% of our members feel significantly better within just 8 weeks
50% of our members achieve remission levels within just 8 weeks
80%
of our members start with moderate to severe mental health symptoms
70%
of our members feel significantly better within just 8 weeks
50%
of our members achieve remission levels within just 8 weeks
Find your Group
Affordable Group Therapy & Care Options in Samoa.
Group, individual, couples, family, IOP, and teen therapy — all online, all therapist-led. Mix and match care options to fit your needs — and get discounted pricing when you bundle.
Group Therapy
$35/session
billed at $140/month
Get Started
Individual Therapy
Couples Therapy
Family Therapy
IOP Therapy
.svg)
Teen Therapy
Meaningful Results
Check out how our services have helped our members see life-changing results
Stephanie
“Grouport is time flexible and affordable and if it didn’t exist, I don’t know where I would go. I had looked into other places before Grouport and there really wasn’t any option like it.”
Michael
“I highly recommend this to anyone who is struggling with anxiety or depression. The therapists are top notch and have made me feel really comfortable and my anxiety has improved tremendously in only a few sessions!”
Isabel
"I joined Grouport to work on myself and to heal. I’m learning so much at every session! The change I see not only in myself but in my fellow group members is abundantly encouraging and profoundly fulfilling. Group therapy with Grouport is a powerful healing tool."
Sheldon
“I was feeling very down at the end of 2020 and I was ready to do something drastic that I know I'd likely regret. The group definitely helped show me that there are people who feel the same way as I do.”
Nancy
“The therapy from Grouport is high quality and convenient. I am becoming much more self aware and am liking myself more. My relationships at work are better and I’m much happier.”
Emily
“I like the connection you can make with total strangers and the confidentiality it comes with.”
Danielle
"Grouport can help you with your issues. Their therapists are well trained to work with you on your issues. I felt my anxiety greatly improve after only a few sessions. I highly recommend it!"
Glenn
"Grouport's approach to DBT is a real strength. This approach provides tools and methods for working with difficult emotions and getting a handle on them. It has given me hope where other approaches have failed."
Common Questions About Group Therapy in Samoa.
Samoa has roughly 0.52 mental health workers per 100,000 people, and referrals through the public system at Moto'otua National Hospital's mental health unit can carry waits of around 20 weeks for a non-urgent first appointment. Specialist modalities like structured CBT or DBT skills groups are rarely offered on-island at any price, and residents of Savai'i often face a ferry across the Apolima Strait on top of that wait just to reach Apia-based services. Grouport is designed to sidestep both bottlenecks. Because our licensed clinicians deliver sessions over secure video, your access is not tied to any single clinic's caseload — new members are typically matched into a weekly group within about a week rather than waiting months. Geography also stops mattering: the same group is equally accessible from Apia, Faleolo, Salelologa, or a village on the south coast, and you keep the same facilitator and groupmates each week.
Yes. Grouport runs entirely online via secure video, so you can join from Apia, Salelologa on Savai'i, or any village on Upolu as long as you have a reliable internet connection and a private space for the hour. Sessions are conducted in English, which works well for most Samoans given English is an official language alongside Samoan and is the language of most secondary and tertiary instruction. Billing is handled in US dollars through international card processors, so a Visa or Mastercard issued by ANZ Samoa, BSP, or the National Bank of Samoa will work at checkout without needing a US bank account — your card issuer converts from Samoan Tala automatically. The main practical consideration is timezone: Samoa sits at UTC+13, so most US-based group slots land in the early morning local time in Samoa. Our scheduling team can match you to a group that fits your daily rhythm, and because groups meet at the same weekly time, you can build the session into a consistent routine.
Group Therapy Available Across Samoa.
Counties
Tuamasaga, A'ana, Aiga-i-le-Tai, Atua, Va'a-o-Fonoti, Fa'asaleleaga, Gaga'emauga, Gaga'ifomauga, Vaisigano, Satupa'itea, Palauli
Cities
Apia, Vaitele, Faleula, Vailoa, Siusega, Vaimoso, Motootua, Vaivase-tai, Fasito'o-Uta, Leulumoega, Lufilufi, Lalomanu, Salelologa, Tuasivi, Safotu, Sataua, Asau, Falealupo, Foailalo, Manono-uta
Zip Codes
Grouport serves all zip codes across Samoa. If you have an address in Samoa, Grouport can serve you regardless of your zip code.
Ready To Get Started?
Let’s find the right therapist match for you, so you can get consistent & effective care.
