Get Better, Together
Online group therapy across South Korea.
South Korea reports just 0.13 mental health workers per 100,000 people, one of the sparsest ratios in the WHO Western Pacific region. Grouport connects residents from Seoul to Jeju with licensed therapists in English-speaking groups of 6-12 for $32 per session, bypassing a domestic system where the average wait for community mental health support stretches to 20 weeks.
Consistently Recognized as the #1 Online Group Therapy pick
.svg)
.png)
.png)
.png)
Mental health access in South Korea.
Understanding the landscape of mental health care access and the challenges
residents face across the state.
Mental Illness Prevalence
0.13 per 100,000 mental health workers nationwide data, leaving a country of 51.7 million people served by fewer than 70 dedicated professionals in the public workforce category.
Wait Time
81.2% urban population, meaning nearly 19% of Koreans in rural counties face compounded geographic barriers to the few specialists concentrated in Seoul and Busan.
Median Household Income
High-income economy classified by the World Bank, with GNI per capita placing South Korea in the OECD top tier yet mental health spending trailing peer nations at under 2% of health budgets.
Percentage Who Need Therapy
27.8% lifetime prevalence of any mental disorder among Korean adults, from the National Mental Health Survey, yet only a fraction access professional care within the first year of symptom onset.
Provider Shortage
20-week wait reported for community mental health center intake in multiple metropolitan districts, according to Ministry of Health and Welfare access surveys published in recent parliamentary reviews.
Mental Health Providers per 100k Residents
WPR region designation by WHO places South Korea alongside Japan and Australia in mental health monitoring, though its provider density ranks near the bottom of high-income WPR members.
These numbers sketch a paradox: South Korea has built one of the wealthiest health systems in Asia, yet mental health remains under-resourced relative to its GNI. The 0.13 per 100,000 workforce figure from and the 20-week community intake queues reported by MOHW combine to leave millions without timely support. Grouport addresses the access gap directly by placing Korean residents into small English-language therapy groups right after intake.
UNDERSTANDING THE CHALLENGE
Why access is difficult in South Korea.
The Problem
The shortage is structural. South Korea's WHO-reported density of 0.13 mental health workers per 100,000 residents translates to a workforce that cannot absorb even a fraction of the 27.8% of adults who meet lifetime criteria for a mental disorder. The Ministry of Health and Welfare's own reviews of community mental health centers document 20-week waits in Gangnam, Yeongdeungpo, and Suwon districts, and provincial centers in Gangwon and Jeolla often refer residents to Seoul because local psychiatric coverage is thinner still. Cultural stigma compounds the queue: national surveys show fewer than one in ten Koreans with a diagnosable condition seeks help within a year.
The Impact
The consequences are measurable at the population level. South Korea has led the OECD in suicide rate for most of the past two decades, and mental health advocacy groups tie a portion of that persistent gap to the mismatch between the 81.2% urban population's demand and a workforce concentrated almost entirely within a handful of tertiary hospitals. Workers in Ulsan's industrial belt, teachers in rural Chungcheong, and international residents across Incheon all report the same pattern: recognition of need, followed by months of trying to find a therapist who speaks their language, keeps evening hours, or accepts new patients at all.
The Solution
Online group therapy dissolves the queue. When care is delivered over HIPAA-compliant video from a network of licensed clinicians, the 0.13-per-100,000 domestic ceiling stops applying. Grouport's immediate group start window replaces the 20-week community intake wait with a same-week start, and the group format multiplies each therapist's capacity so that supply actually scales to Korean demand. At $32 per session, cost stops being a rationing mechanism.
20-week wait reported for community mental health center intake in multiple metropolitan districts, according to Ministry of Health and Welfare access surveys published in recent parliamentary reviews.
Every element of the Grouport model responds to a documented Korean barrier. English-language delivery serves both Korean bilingual professionals and the 250,000+ international residents underserved by domestic Korean-only services. Small groups of 6-12 create the peer context that individual sessions cannot, while HIPAA video from any apartment in Songpa or Haeundae removes the commute to a Seoul hospital. Because clinicians are licensed rather than credentialed through Korea's constrained pipeline, the workforce supply is effectively unlimited from the resident's perspective.
Access and availability in South Korea.
Access to mental health care in South Korea is defined by two numbers: the 0.13 workers per 100,000 that records, and the 20-week community mental health center wait that MOHW documents. Both point to a system where willingness to seek help outpaces the workforce's ability to respond, and both are structural rather than temporary.
Geographic Barriers
Extended Wait Times
Systemic Challenges
Urban-Rural Divide
Cost and value in South Korea.
Affordability and Income
The pricing math favors Korean residents even after currency conversion. A weekly Grouport session totals roughly 42,000 won at typical exchange rates, compared with the 150,000-250,000 won that Itaewon and Gangnam private practices commonly charge for English-language individual therapy. Over a month, that gap widens: $140 for four Grouport group sessions versus 600,000 won or more for the same cadence privately. Even for residents with National Health Insurance coverage, the co-pay plus travel time plus scheduling difficulty of a hospital psychiatry appointment often exceeds the fixed $32 group rate, and the group format delivers weekly rather than monthly contact.
Hidden Cost and Barriers
The hidden costs of the domestic path add up quickly. A resident of Suwon who wants a Korean-speaking clinical psychologist may face a 3-hour round trip to a Seoul appointment, lost income from time off work in a culture where daytime absences carry professional cost, and referral fees at private clinics that layer on top of the session rate. English-language options concentrate in Itaewon, Yongsan, and a handful of international clinics, all of which price in the scarcity premium. Grouport removes commute, removes the referral layer, and holds cost flat at $140 per month regardless of which of Korea's 17 administrative divisions the resident lives in.
Immediate Availability
Speed is itself a cost variable. Every week spent on a 20-week community mental health center waitlist is a week of untreated symptoms, and the OECD data on Korean workplace stress and suicide rates suggests those weeks are not neutral. Grouport's right away intake-to-match window converts a 20-week domestic timeline into a same-week start.
South Korea's high-income World Bank classification masks the out-of-pocket reality of mental health care. National Health Insurance covers psychiatry consultations at low copays, but private English-language therapy in Seoul routinely quotes 150,000-250,000 won per session, and specialist waits push many residents into the private tier by default. Grouport's $32 per session, or $140 monthly, sits well below the private-tier floor.
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.
What Grouport groups address in South Korea.
Grouport runs English-language groups for anxiety, depression, dialectical behavior therapy skills, relationship challenges, grief, and process-oriented support. The presenting concerns most frequently cited by Korean residents at intake, workplace burnout, academic pressure, expatriate isolation, and family conflict, map directly onto existing group tracks led by licensed therapists over HIPAA video from anywhere in the country.
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 clinician holds an active clinical license in social work, psychology, or professional counseling, and each has been trained specifically in the group modality. For South Korean residents, this means a therapist pool that is not throttled by Korea's 0.13-per-100,000 workforce ceiling, is available in English by default, and delivers care over HIPAA-secure video that reaches Busan, Daegu, and Sejong as easily as Seoul.
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 South Korea.
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."
Frequently asked questions from South Korea.
Local Korean options generally fall into three buckets: public psychiatric clinics (long waits, records tied to NHIS), private psychiatrists in Gangnam or similar districts charging 100,000-200,000 KRW per session out of pocket, and a small number of expat-focused English counselors in Seoul with limited availability. Group therapy specifically is still uncommon in Korea, and English-language groups are rarer still.
Grouport differs in four practical ways. First, format: you're in a small facilitated group of peers working through the same issue, which many Koreans find easier than one-on-one disclosure. Second, language: sessions run in English with licensed clinicians. Third, privacy: nothing is filed with NHIS or Korean insurers. Fourth, cost: our flat weekly rate typically undercuts private Gangnam psychiatry once you factor in session frequency, and there's no separate assessment fee to start.
South Korea has roughly 0.13 psychiatrists per 100,000 workers focused on workplace mental health, and public clinic wait times average around 20 weeks. Grouport gives you a way around that bottleneck: you join a licensed English-language group within days, not months, and meet weekly from your own home in Seoul, Busan, or anywhere else with a stable internet connection.
We're built for people who want structured, evidence-based care without waiting a full academic semester to be seen. Sessions are conducted in English by licensed therapists, billed in USD via international card, and scheduled with Korea Standard Time in mind. You won't need to navigate the National Health Insurance mental health referral pathway or worry about a diagnosis appearing on domestic medical records, which many working professionals in Korea specifically want to avoid.
Geographic coverage across South Korea.
Counties
Seoul Capital Area, Gyeonggi, Incheon, Gangwon, North Chungcheong, South Chungcheong, North Jeolla, South Jeolla, North Gyeongsang, South Gyeongsang, Jeju, Sejong, Daejeon, Gwangju, Ulsan, Busan, Daegu.
Cities
Seoul, Busan, Incheon, Daegu, Daejeon, Gwangju, Suwon, Ulsan, Yongin, Changwon, Goyang, Seongnam, Bucheon, Cheongju, Ansan, Jeonju, Anyang, Cheonan, Namyangju, Hwaseong, Pohang, Uijeongbu, Siheung, Pyeongtaek, Gimhae, Jeju City.
Zip Codes
Grouport serves all zip codes across South Korea. If you have an address in South Korea, 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.
