Get Better, Together
Online Group Therapy for Sri Lankans, join right away.
Grouport places Sri Lankan members into a small English-language therapy group led by a licensed clinician, typically right after intake. Sessions run over HIPAA-compliant video at $32 each ($140/month), routing around Sri Lanka's roughly 20-week wait for a first psychiatric appointment and a national workforce of just 0.13 psychiatrists per 100,000 people, most of whom practice in Colombo, Kandy, and Galle.
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The State of Mental Health in Sri Lanka.
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 figures above draw on WHO's Mental Health Atlas (2020 reporting cycle) for the psychiatrist workforce indicator, the World Bank's 2024 GNI per capita PPP data, and the Sri Lanka Ministry of Health's mental health service documentation together with WHO South-East Asia Region syntheses. Applied to Sri Lanka's population of roughly 22 million, the 0.13 psychiatrist ratio yields fewer than 100 psychiatrists for the entire island, most of them attached to the National Institute of Mental Health in Angoda, the Colombo teaching hospitals, and a handful of provincial general hospitals.
UNDERSTANDING THE CHALLENGE
Understanding Mental Health Access in Sri Lanka.
The Problem
Sri Lanka's specialist mental health workforce is among the sparsest in the region. WHO's Mental Health Atlas records 0.13 psychiatrists per 100,000 people, translating to fewer than 100 practicing psychiatrists for an island of 22 million. Add clinical psychologists, psychiatric nurses, and social workers and the combined workforce still sits below regional peers. The National Institute of Mental Health at Angoda, the country's principal psychiatric hospital, dating to 1926, carries a disproportionate share of specialist demand, with provincial general hospitals in Kandy, Galle, Jaffna, and Anuradhapura handling the remainder.
The Impact
The consequence is a roughly 20-week wait for a first non-emergency psychiatric appointment through the public system, which delivers most of Sri Lanka's care. The 2022 economic crisis compounded matters: the collapse of the rupee, medicine shortages, and the emigration of clinicians all reduced effective capacity. Private psychiatry in Colombo's Cinnamon Gardens, Havelock Town, or Rajagiriya is available but priced against a $14,540 PPP GNI per capita, meaning a course of weekly sessions is out of reach for households outside the professional and expatriate-remittance classes. For a resident of Batticaloa, Nuwara Eliya, or Mannar, distance to specialist care is the second barrier stacked on cost.
The Solution
Online group therapy delivered in English is a targeted answer to Sri Lanka's specific shortage. Grouport's format, six to twelve members, a licensed therapist, 60-minute weekly video sessions, draws on an entirely external clinical workforce, so it does not compete with Angoda or provincial psychiatry units for capacity. A member in Colombo, a tea-estate town in the Central Highlands, or a returnee household in Jaffna joins the same group on the same schedule, provided the connection is stable and the member is comfortable working in English. There is no channelling appointment, no queue at NIMH, and no private-clinic gatekeeping.
Grouport's immediate intake-to-first-session cycle stands against Sri Lanka's roughly 20-week domestic norm, a compression from months to days. Video infrastructure sits outside the country, so service continuity is not affected by local power cuts at a clinic, fuel-related staff shortages, or the medicine-supply disruptions that periodically hit the public system. For the roughly three million Sri Lankans in the diaspora, heavily concentrated in the Gulf, the UK, Australia, Canada, and Italy, the same account and group travel with them; only the time zone changes when they move.
Access and Availability Across Sri Lanka.
Three data points frame Sri Lankan access: 0.13 psychiatrists per 100,000, 20.3% urbanization, and a 20-week specialist wait. Together they describe a system in which most of the population lives outside the small cluster of towns where specialists actually practice, and where time, measured in months, is the primary cost of engaging with domestic care. Grouport operates independently of that bottleneck.
Geographic Barriers
Extended Wait Times
Systemic Challenges
Urban-Rural Divide
Affordable Group Therapy Costs for Sri Lanka Residents.
Affordability and Income
Set against Sri Lanka's $14,540 GNI per capita PPP, $140 a month is roughly 11.6% of the average monthly income equivalent, a meaningful figure for a lower-middle-income household still absorbing post-2022 price shocks, but structurally more predictable than paying per Colombo channelling visit plus travel. For the roughly three million Sri Lankans earning in USD, GBP, AUD, or Gulf currencies, the same fee is a small fraction of what group therapy costs in their host country, and the therapist is licensed rather than a locally self-titled counsellor operating outside any registration framework.
Hidden Cost and Barriers
Attending a Colombo private hospital or NIMH Angoda from outside the Western Province adds real costs on top of the visible fee: intercity bus or train fare, occasionally a domestic flight from Jaffna, an overnight stay with relatives or in a guesthouse, one or two days away from paid work, and Colombo traffic that can turn an appointment into an all-day commitment. For women travelling from more conservative rural districts, a family companion is often expected, doubling the travel bill. A single in-person appointment can carry indirect costs several multiples of the consultation fee itself. Video therapy strips all of this away: a private room, a device, and a stable connection are the entire cost stack.
Immediate Availability
Because members are matched right away, the cost of a 20-week wait, worsening symptoms, missed university terms at Peradeniya or Colombo, disrupted work, mounting family pressure, is removed from the calculation. Pricing is not just per-session; it is per-week-of-delay avoided, and in Sri Lanka's system that translates to almost five months of compounding cost that never gets billed.
Private psychiatric or psychological consultations in Colombo commonly channel at LKR 4,000 to LKR 8,000 per visit at hospitals such as Nawaloka, Asiri, or Lanka Hospitals, with follow-ups in a similar range. Grouport is a flat $32 per session, or $140 per month for weekly attendance, disclosed before signup, with no separate intake, assessment, or channelling fee added on. The price is a subscription, not a per-visit invoice with variable extras.
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 Sri Lanka.
Grouport runs standing groups for the conditions most commonly presented by adult members, including those in Sri Lanka: depression, generalized and social anxiety, panic disorder, OCD, PTSD and complex trauma, grief and bereavement, and interpersonal difficulties. Sri Lanka's post-conflict context, three decades of civil war ending in 2009, the 2004 tsunami, and the 2019 Easter attacks, has left a documented burden of trauma and prolonged grief, and depressive and anxiety disorders are the highest-volume categories in NIMH's outpatient data. Migration- and family-separation groups are also relevant for a country whose diaspora exceeds three million.
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's therapists are licensed clinicians, LCSWs, licensed clinical psychologists, and licensed marriage and family therapists, who facilitate groups in English. Several have prior clinical experience with South Asian immigrant and diaspora populations in the US, UK, and Australia, and matching considers cultural and linguistic context alongside clinical presentation. English fluency is required to participate, but clinicians are practiced with members whose first language is Sinhala or Tamil and pace sessions accordingly.
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 Sri Lanka.
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 Sri Lanka.
Private one-to-one therapy in Colombo typically runs LKR 5,000 to LKR 12,000 per 50-minute session, and specialists at established clinics can charge more. At weekly frequency, that works out to roughly LKR 20,000 to LKR 48,000 per month for individual care, which is a meaningful stretch on a middle-income Sri Lankan household budget.
Grouport's group therapy membership is billed in USD at a flat monthly rate that covers a weekly 60-minute session with a licensed therapist and a small, matched group. For many members in Sri Lanka this ends up being comparable to, or lower than, the monthly cost of weekly private sessions locally, while adding the peer-support element that individual therapy does not provide. Payment is by international credit or debit card, so no local insurance paperwork is required. Current pricing is shown at checkout in USD.
Sri Lanka has roughly 0.13 mental health workers per 100,000 people, one of the lowest ratios in the South-East Asia region, and public-sector referrals can involve wait times of around 20 weeks. Most in-person psychotherapy is concentrated in Colombo and a handful of urban centres, which puts consistent care out of reach for many people in Kandy, Galle, Jaffna, or rural areas.
Grouport removes the geography problem entirely. Sessions run over secure video, so anyone with a stable internet connection can join from home. There is no waitlist to enter a matched group, no travel across the island for a weekly appointment, and no need to arrange time off around Colombo-clinic hours. For working adults, parents, and people in smaller towns, an online group is often the fastest realistic path to structured, therapist-led support.
Group Therapy Available Across Sri Lanka.
Counties
Western Province, Central Province, Southern Province, Northern Province, Eastern Province, North Western Province, North Central Province, Uva Province, Sabaragamuwa Province.
Cities
Colombo, Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia, Moratuwa, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, Negombo, Kandy, Galle, Jaffna, Matara, Kurunegala, Anuradhapura, Batticaloa, Trincomalee, Ratnapura, Badulla, Nuwara Eliya, Hatton, Vavuniya.
Zip Codes
Grouport serves all zip codes across Sri Lanka. If you have an address in Sri Lanka, 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.
