Get Better, Together
English-Language Group Therapy Across Every District in Sierra Leone.
Sierra Leone's mental health workforce sits at just 11.63 clinicians per 100,000 residents, and the great majority of that roster is anchored to the Sierra Leone Psychiatric Teaching Hospital in Kissy on the eastern edge of Freetown. For a resident in Bo, Kenema, Makeni, Koidu, or Kailahun, that concentration typically means a first specialist appointment is nine weeks away, if it can be arranged at all. Grouport matches Sierra Leone residents into facilitated 6-12 person video groups led by licensed therapists for $32 per session, with intake to first group usually completed right away.
Consistently Recognized as the #1 Online Group Therapy pick
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The State of Mental Health in Sierra Leone.
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
The 11.63-per-100,000 workforce figure is a national average that overstates the reality on the ground: Sierra Leone Psychiatric Teaching Hospital in Kissy is the country's only dedicated inpatient psychiatric facility, and the small cadre of trained mental health clinicians is heavily concentrated in Freetown's Western Area Urban district. Sierra Leone's per capita income of roughly $1,910 PPP sits within the lower-middle-low income band, and out-of-pocket spending remains the dominant mode of payment for specialist care. The long shadow of the 1991-2002 civil war and the 2014-2016 Ebola epidemic has left a well-documented elevated burden of PTSD, depression, and complicated grief that the domestic system was never resourced to meet.
UNDERSTANDING THE CHALLENGE
Understanding Mental Health Access in Sierra Leone.
The Problem
Sierra Leone's specialist mental health infrastructure is, in practical terms, one hospital and one hospital unit: Sierra Leone Psychiatric Teaching Hospital in Kissy on the eastern outskirts of Freetown, and the mental health service attached to Connaught Hospital on Percival Street in the city centre. The country's Mental Health Policy and Strategic Plan has for years flagged the acute shortage of psychiatrists, a national workforce density of 11.63 per 100,000 that, once the concentration around Freetown is stripped out, leaves the majority of the sixteen districts with no resident specialist at all. For someone based in Kailahun in the east, Pujehun in the south, or Kambia in the north-west, the nearest psychiatrist sits at the end of a road journey that in the July-September rains can stretch across two full days on the Bo-Kenema corridor or the Makeni-Kono highway.
The Impact
The direct consequence is a 9-week wait for a first psychiatric appointment through Freetown's public channels, and for the eastern districts of Kono, Kailahun, and Pujehun, no clear appointment pathway at all outside episodic Ministry of Health and Sanitation outreach. Private consultations along Wilkinson Road, Aberdeen, and around Congo Cross are cash-quoted in Leone and US dollars and can consume a meaningful share of monthly income measured against the $1,910 GNI per capita PPP. English is Sierra Leone's official language and the medium of instruction from upper primary onward, which removes the translation barrier common elsewhere in the sub-region, but scarce clinician supply dominates the equation. Professionals working in mining concessions around Koidu, banking on Siaka Stevens Street, UN and NGO staff based in Aberdeen and Freetown, and diaspora returnees regularly defer care rather than absorb a two-month queue.
The Solution
Facilitated online group therapy reorganises those constraints. Rather than joining a nine-week queue for one of the very few psychiatrists on Sierra Leonean soil, members sit in a scheduled weekly video group with the same licensed US facilitator and a stable cohort of 6-12 peers working through comparable concerns. The group format is exactly what keeps the price at $32 per session and $140 per month: clinician time is shared across the cohort. It also delivers the week-over-week continuity that Kissy Psychiatric Hospital and Connaught's overstretched services cannot reliably provide even to patients who eventually reach a first appointment.
Grouport matches members into an appropriate group right after intake, replacing a nine-week domestic queue with a same-week start. Sessions run in English, which is Sierra Leone's official language and the working medium of the school system, government, and commerce, so no translation layer is required. There is no drive from Aberdeen down Wilkinson Road to Kissy in Congo Cross traffic, no poda-poda ride from Bo or Kenema into Freetown, and no cash transaction at a clinic front desk. The $140 monthly subscription is billed in USD, which sidesteps Leone exchange volatility and fits both diaspora returnees paid in foreign currency and expatriates on international payroll.
Access and Availability Across Sierra Leone.
In Sierra Leone, where you happen to live inside the country's sixteen districts largely determines whether specialist mental health care is a scheduling exercise or an impracticality. Western Area Urban holds nearly every trained mental health clinician on the register; Bombali, Kenema, Bo, Kono, and the eastern and southern districts rely on periodic outreach and community mental health nurses. Grouport takes geography out of the equation by delivering the same licensed therapists and the same weekly group format whether a member logs in from Hill Station, Makeni, or a compound outside Kailahun.
Geographic Barriers
Extended Wait Times
Systemic Challenges
Urban-Rural Divide
Affordable Group Therapy Costs for Sierra Leone Residents.
Affordability and Income
Measured against Sierra Leone's $1,910 GNI per capita PPP, $140 per month is a genuine commitment, and yet it is often lower than the true all-in cost of pursuing specialist care in Freetown when poda-poda and shared-taxi fares from Aberdeen or Lumley to Kissy, lost workdays, and unpredictable cash-quoted fees at Wilkinson Road clinics are added up over a month of visits. Diaspora returnees paid in USD or GBP and expatriates on international payroll experience the price as a small fraction of the international coverage their employers typically carry, and the subscription is billed in USD so there is no exposure to Leone exchange movement between billing cycles.
Hidden Cost and Barriers
Traditional care in Sierra Leone carries costs that never appear on any invoice. A cross-Freetown trip from Aberdeen or Lumley to a Kissy clinic during peak-hour traffic on Wilkinson Road or through Congo Cross can burn two hours each way. A journey from Bo, Kenema, or Makeni into the capital means poda-poda or Sewa Group taxi fare along the highway, at least one night's accommodation in Freetown, and two to three days of lost income. Residents of Kono, Kailahun, and Pujehun face a full-day road journey each way and often several nights away from work and family. Video sessions strip all of that away: the only marginal cost is the mobile data or fibre subscription a member is already paying to Orange Sierra Leone, Africell, or a local ISP.
Immediate Availability
The pricing is straightforward, and so is the timeline. Members complete intake, are matched into an appropriate English-language group right away, and begin weekly sessions immediately, rather than sitting in a nine-week queue for Kissy Psychiatric Hospital or Connaught, or hunting for an opening across the small private circuit in Aberdeen and Wilkinson Road.
Mental health care in Sierra Leone almost always means an out-of-pocket payment at a Freetown clinic, with fees quoted at the front desk in a mix of Leone and US dollars and rarely published in advance. Public psychiatric services at Kissy Psychiatric Teaching Hospital and Connaught Hospital are subsidised but severely capacity-limited, which is precisely what produces the 9-week wait. Grouport's $32 per session ($140 per month) typically sits at or below the private cash-pay range in Freetown while offering weekly cadence and a consistent licensed facilitator.
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 Sierra Leone.
Grouport groups address the concerns Sierra Leonean professionals, diaspora returnees, and expatriates most often raise: work stress and burnout across the mining sector in Kono and Tonkolili, banking on Siaka Stevens Street, UN and NGO roles in Aberdeen, and public sector work in central Freetown; anxiety and panic; depression; grief and loss, including the long tail from the Ebola epidemic and the civil war years; relationship and family strain; social anxiety; and trauma processing. Groups are organised by focus area so members join peers working through comparable experiences, and every group is facilitated by a therapist licensed and trained in evidence-based modalities.
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.
Every Grouport therapist working with Sierra Leone-based members holds a clinical license and facilitates weekly sessions in English, which aligns with Sierra Leone's official language and the standard medium of instruction from upper primary through university. Many carry meaningful experience with West African, post-conflict, and diaspora caseloads, including clients navigating the specific weight of the Ebola aftermath, extended overseas postings, and return-migration dynamics between Freetown and the US, UK, and Gulf. Sessions run on GMT-friendly evening and weekend slots, and members keep the same facilitator week after week to preserve the continuity Sierra Leone's single dedicated psychiatric hospital cannot deliver at scale.
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 Sierra Leone.
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
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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 Sierra Leone.
Private mental health care in Sierra Leone is limited and, where available in Freetown, is typically paid out of pocket at rates that are steep relative to average household income. A single private session with a psychiatrist or counselor can consume a meaningful share of a monthly budget, and consistent weekly attendance often becomes financially unsustainable.
Grouport charges a flat weekly subscription for unlimited group sessions, billed in US dollars via international card. Because the cost is spread across a small group rather than a one-to-one hour, the per-week rate lands well below what most private local providers charge for a single session, while still giving you a licensed clinician and a structured evidence-based curriculum. For people in Sierra Leone who want ongoing weekly support, that pricing model tends to be more predictable and sustainable than paying per-session locally, especially when you factor out the transport costs of getting to a Freetown clinic.
Sierra Leone has one of the lowest densities of mental health workers in the world, with roughly 11.63 professionals per 100,000 people and reported wait times averaging around nine weeks for a first appointment. Most of the country's psychiatric capacity is concentrated in Freetown, which puts specialist care out of reach for many people living in Bo, Kenema, Makeni, or rural districts.
Grouport's online groups sidestep those geographic and capacity constraints entirely. As long as you have a stable internet connection and a private space, you can join a licensed clinician-led session from anywhere in the country, usually within days rather than weeks. Because groups are structured (CBT, DBT, and other evidence-based curricula) and capped at a small size, you get consistent weekly support without needing to travel to Freetown, take time off work for in-person visits, or sit on a months-long waitlist.
Group Therapy Available Across Sierra Leone.
Counties
Western Area Urban, Western Area Rural, Bombali, Bo, Kenema, Kono, Kailahun, Pujehun, Tonkolili, Port Loko, Kambia, Moyamba, Bonthe, Koinadugu, Falaba, Karene
Cities
Freetown, Bo, Kenema, Makeni, Koidu, Kailahun, Port Loko, Kambia, Magburaka, Moyamba, Pujehun, Bonthe, Kabala, Waterloo, Lunsar, Segbwema, Aberdeen, Lumley, Hill Station, Wellington
Zip Codes
Grouport serves all zip codes across Sierra Leone. If you have an address in Sierra Leone, 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.
