It is a Tuesday in late November. It gets dark at four, you have been in Warsaw for two years, your Polish is good enough for the pharmacy and hopeless for anything that matters. Something has been wrong for months. You open a search box and type: how do I find a therapist in Warsaw who speaks English.

This guide answers that, and a few things people usually discover far too late.

You are part of a much larger group than you think

According to Statistics Poland, foreigners now make up close to 15 percent of Warsaw residents. Roughly one person in seven you pass on the street was not born here. In December 2024 there were around 291 thousand foreign nationals in registered employment in the city.

Two consequences follow. The demand for care in English is large and growing, and almost nobody explains the Polish system to newcomers in a language they actually read.

The part that surprises almost every foreigner

Poland has one genuinely good feature that people from the UK, Ireland or the United States rarely believe at first.

You do not need a referral to see a psychiatrist. Not from a GP, not from anyone. Psychiatry is one of the specialities you can book directly, in both the public and the private system.

There is more. Adults can walk into a Centrum Zdrowia Psychicznego, a Mental Health Centre, without an appointment, without a referral and without paying. The entry point is called a Punkt Zgłoszeniowo-Koordynacyjny, an intake and coordination point, usually open on weekdays from 8:00 to 18:00. A nurse, psychologist, psychotherapist or psychiatrist talks to you and sets an initial plan. If the situation is urgent, the centre is expected to arrange help within 72 hours.

If you are employed in Poland and your employer pays ZUS contributions, you are insured and this care costs you nothing. The same applies if you pay contributions yourself as a business owner.

And the part nobody warns you about

In practice, that public pathway runs in Polish. Intake points, ward staff, therapy groups and the paperwork are Polish-language by default, and there is no obligation to provide an interpreter for outpatient mental health care.

So the real barrier for most foreigners in Warsaw is not money and not bureaucracy. It is language. That is also why so many expats spend a year telling themselves it is not that bad, when what they actually mean is that explaining it would be exhausting.

Private care solves the language problem and costs money. In Warsaw an English-language therapy session typically runs between 250 and 350 zloty, and a first psychiatric consultation between roughly 350 and 450 zloty. At Holisens an individual session in English is 290 zloty for 50 minutes, a couples session 375 zloty for 80 minutes, and a psychiatric consultation 420 zloty with follow-ups at 320 zloty. Full pricing sits on our English-speaking psychologist and psychiatrist page.

Therapy in your second language is not the same thing

This is the part almost no one writes about, and it matters more than the price list.

Research on bilingual speakers has shown repeatedly that emotional language loses some of its charge in a second language. Swear words sting less. Painful memories described in a later-learned language are recalled with less physiological arousal. Moral dilemmas are judged more coldly. Psychologists call it the foreign language effect, and it is measurable rather than anecdotal.

In a therapy room this cuts both ways.

The distance can help. Many people find they can say the shameful thing in English precisely because the words feel slightly further away, and shame is often what keeps someone out of therapy for years. Starting in a second language is better than not starting.

The same distance can also get in the way. If the memory lives in Ukrainian, Spanish or German, working on it in English can feel oddly flat, like describing a fire rather than standing near it. Trauma work in particular tends to need the language in which the event was encoded.

A reasonable rule: if you are in Warsaw for a couple of years and want support with stress, work, relationships or mood, English is entirely fine. If you are settling here for good, or the work touches childhood and trauma, it is worth asking whether your first language is available. At Holisens, sessions are offered in English and in French as well as Polish, so for francophone patients this question has a practical answer. It is also worth saying out loud in the first session which language each topic lives in. A good therapist will work with that rather than around it.

What to do first, in order

Start with one consultation rather than trying to decide in advance what you need. A first session with a psychologist exists precisely to sort out whether the answer is therapy, psychiatric assessment, or a few practical changes.

Bring nothing. There is no paperwork, no referral, no medical history to collect. If you already take medication, note the name and dose, that is all.

If a psychiatrist prescribes something, you receive an e-prescription as a code by text message, and any pharmacy in Poland will fill it with your passport or PESEL number.

Sick leave works the same for foreigners as for Poles. If you are insured through ZUS and a doctor decides you cannot work, they issue an electronic certificate that reaches your employer automatically, and your employer never sees the diagnosis.

If it is an emergency

Call 112. It is the European emergency number, it works from any phone in Poland and operators can usually continue the call in English.

For a mental health crisis you can also go directly to the emergency department of a psychiatric hospital, without a referral and regardless of your registered address. In Warsaw the main adult psychiatric hospital is the Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology in Mokotow, at Sobieskiego 9.

Poland also runs a 24-hour crisis helpline on 116 123 and a helpline for children and teenagers on 116 111, both in Polish.

Getting help at Holisens

Holisens is a private mental health clinic with two offices in Warsaw: Wilanow at Al. Rzeczypospolitej 2/190 and Ochota at ul. Filtrowa 30/24, plus online sessions across Poland. A number of our psychologists, psychotherapists and psychiatrists work fluently in English, including trauma-focused and LGBTQ+ affirming specialists, and we run ADHD and autism assessments in English as well. Sessions are also available in French with Aleksander Kolecki, a psychologist working at both offices and online, which is rare in Warsaw. There is a page in French with all the details.

You can see the full team, prices and booking options on our English-speaking mental health page, or call 48 530 333 112. No referral is needed and you can usually be seen within a few days.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a referral to see a psychiatrist in Poland?

No. Psychiatry is one of the specialities that can be booked directly, in both the public and private systems, and no referral from a GP is required.

Can I get free mental health care in Poland as a foreigner?

Yes, if you are insured. If you are employed in Poland or pay your own contributions to ZUS, you are covered by the public health fund and can use a Mental Health Centre without paying. The practical limitation is that this care is delivered in Polish.

What is a Centrum Zdrowia Psychicznego?

It is a local Mental Health Centre for adults. You can walk into its intake and coordination point without an appointment or referral, on weekdays roughly between 8:00 and 18:00, talk to a specialist and receive an initial plan. Urgent cases are meant to be directed to help within 72 hours.

How much does an English-speaking therapist cost in Warsaw?

Private sessions in English generally cost between 250 and 350 zloty for 50 minutes, and a first psychiatric consultation between roughly 350 and 450 zloty. At Holisens an individual session is 290 zloty, couples 375 zloty and a psychiatric consultation 420 zloty.

Is therapy in English as effective as in my native language?

For everyday concerns such as stress, work, mood and relationships, yes. Research on bilingual speakers shows that emotional material carries less charge in a second language, which can make it easier to start talking but harder to process deeply. For trauma and childhood material, working in your first language is often better if it is available.

Does my employer find out why I am on sick leave?

No. Electronic sick leave in Poland reaches the employer with the dates only. The diagnosis code goes to the social insurance institution, not to your workplace.

Can I get an e-prescription as a foreigner?

Yes. You receive a code by text message and any pharmacy in Poland will dispense the medication using that code together with your passport or PESEL number.

Do you offer therapy in languages other than English?

Yes. Alongside Polish and English, sessions in French are available with Aleksander Kolecki, a psychologist at our Ochota and Wilanow offices and online. If your first language is something else, it is still worth asking, because availability changes.

Where do I go in a mental health emergency in Warsaw?

Call 112, where operators can usually help in English, or go directly to the emergency department of a psychiatric hospital. No referral is required and your registered address does not matter.

---

Sources

Foreigners in Warsaw, statistics, City of Warsaw.
Mental Health Centres, list and how they work, Ministry of Health.
How to find psychiatric help, Akademia NFZ, National Health Fund.
EZOP II mental health survey, Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology.

Photos: AllGo, Christina @ wocintechchat.com, Vitaly Gariev, Mindspace Studio / Unsplash.