Phuket offers outpatient psychiatry at private hospitals, child psychiatry in Phuket Town and counselling in English or Thai. Compare who prescribes and fees. Check services, staff, fees and availability with each provider before you book.
Bangkok Hospital Phuket's Mental Health Center sees adults and, through its child and adolescent psychiatrists, younger patients.
Bangkok Hospital Siriroj publishes mental health care through its Children's Clinic rather than an adult service.
Golden Leaf Counseling publishes per-session fees; its therapists do not prescribe.
Inpatient psychiatric care is not described on the Phuket pages we read; ask where admission would happen if it were needed.
Our method for this page
We read each provider's own web pages on mental health services in Phuket and kept only statements we could trace to a source. Nobody paid to be included, and the list is not a quality ranking. Criteria:
The Mental Health Center on Bangkok Hospital Phuket's 2nd floor focuses on diagnosing, treating and preventing mental health problems. Its page describes medication, talking therapy, counselling and outpatient follow-up, chosen according to each person's diagnosis and symptoms.
The centre's doctor directory lists general psychiatrists and two child and adolescent psychiatrists, so it can see younger patients as well as adults. Its overview page does not describe specific conditions, inpatient care or online sessions.
It is open daily 08:00–17:00 and can be reached by phone, email or LINE (@phukethospital). Fees and session languages are not published. It may suit Phuket residents and longer-stay visitors who want an outpatient psychiatrist, including for a child or teenager, within a general hospital.
At Bangkok Hospital Siriroj, mental health care is published through the Children's Clinic on the 3rd floor of Building 3, which sees children up to 15 and lists specialised psychological and neurological care. The hospital's directory lists a child and adolescent psychiatrist in the clinic, trained at Yuwaprasart Waithayopathum Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Hospital, who lists English and Thai.
The clinic page does not describe adult psychiatry, inpatient care or specific conditions such as ADHD or autism. It publishes an age-appropriate development enhancement package priced from THB 800 to 7,200.
Open daily 08:00–20:00, it may suit Phuket parents who want a child psychiatrist's opinion on development, behaviour or emotional difficulties within a general hospital.
Golden Leaf Counseling Services (Therapy Phuket) is a small counselling practice in Phuket Town. Its two therapists hold US licences, one as a professional counsellor with a Johns Hopkins master's and the other as a clinical social worker; both list EMDR training, alongside CBT and Gestalt approaches.
It sees children, teenagers, adults, couples and families, in Thai or English, in person or online, and says it welcomes LGBTQ+ clients. Neither therapist is a psychiatrist, so medication is not part of the service.
Fees are published per 50-minute session: THB 3,300 for an individual first consultation, THB 3,500 for individual therapy and THB 4,500 for couples or family sessions. It may suit Phuket families and couples who want talking therapy with a trauma-trained counsellor.
Published 50-minute session fees
Thai or English sessions
EMDR-trained therapists
In person or online
Worth confirming: Hours are not published and late cancellations are charged in full; ask about psychiatric referral if you may need medication.
Finding mental health support abroad can feel harder than finding other care. You need someone with the right training for what you are dealing with, who works in a language you can think and feel in, and whose fees and insurance terms you understand before the first session. If you take medication, you also need a plan for keeping it going.
This guide covers the types of practitioner, language, online sessions, medication, crisis support, confidentiality and cost. It is general information, not medical or psychological advice. If you are in immediate danger, call 1669 or go to the nearest hospital emergency department now.
Psychiatrist, clinical psychologist or counsellor
A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who has specialised in mental health. Psychiatrists can diagnose, prescribe and adjust medication, arrange tests and admit patients to hospital. Because they are doctors, their licence and recorded specialty can be checked on the Medical Council of Thailand's public lookup.
Clinical psychologists provide psychological assessment and talking therapies; they do not prescribe. In Thailand clinical psychology is a licensed branch of the practice of the art of healing, overseen by a professional committee under the Ministry of Public Health's Department of Health Service Support, which publishes practice standards for the profession. Ask a psychologist for their Thai licence, or for their registration abroad if they trained elsewhere.
Counsellors and therapists offer supportive talking therapy for stress, relationships, grief or adjusting to life abroad. Training varies widely, so ask where a counsellor trained, which professional body they belong to and how they are supervised.
Language and cultural fit
Therapy depends on being able to put feelings into words, so language matters more here than in most specialties. Check the language of the individual practitioner, not just the hospital or clinic.
Fit goes beyond language. You may want someone who understands expatriate life, a particular faith or culture, LGBTQ+ experience or the pressures of a cross-cultural family. It is reasonable to ask for a short introductory call first, and to change practitioner if the fit is not right.
Online or in person
Online sessions can widen your choice of language and specialism, and can let you keep seeing a practitioner from your home country. They also have limits: a practitioner abroad may not be able to prescribe in Thailand, arrange an admission or respond quickly in a crisis.
Ask an online practitioner whether they may treat someone located in Thailand and what they would do if worried about your safety, and keep a local contact, such as a hospital department or psychiatrist, for anything that needs to happen in person.
Medication and continuity
Thai drug laws are strict, even for medicines prescribed legally elsewhere. The Royal Thai Embassy in London advises that ordinary medicines can be brought in for personal use for up to 30 days of prescribed use, in their original labelled containers with a letter or prescription from your doctor. Medicines containing controlled psychotropic or narcotic substances need a permit from the Thai Food and Drug Administration, applied for online at least two weeks before travel.
Some medicines prescribed abroad may not be available or legally sold in Thailand. Ask your current prescriber about alternatives before you travel, and see a psychiatrist in Thailand well before your supply runs out. Do not stop or change medication without talking to a doctor.
Crisis pathways
In an emergency, call 1669, Thailand's free medical emergency number, or go to a hospital emergency department. The Department of Mental Health runs the 1323 mental health hotline, available 24 hours a day. The UK government lists Samaritans of Thailand on +66 (0)2 113 6789, pressing 2 for English.
Ask any practitioner you see regularly what to do between sessions if things get worse, and which hospital they would refer you to. Be aware that, according to the UK government, a person in Thailand can be admitted to hospital without consent if they appear to be a danger or need urgent treatment and cannot make decisions for themselves.
Confidentiality
Thailand's National Health Act states that personal health information is confidential and limits disclosure without the person's consent unless a specific law requires it. Even so, ask who can see your notes and what would be shared with an employer, school or insurer.
An insurer may need a diagnosis or report; ask what it will contain before you sign a release.
Costs and insurance
We have not found official fee schedules for psychiatry or therapy, so ask for the fee for a first appointment and for follow-ups, the session length, and whether medication, tests and online sessions are charged separately. The UK government describes private psychiatric care as expensive and says private psychiatric hospitals require a deposit or payment guarantee before admission.
Insurance cover for mental health varies widely between policies. Check whether yours covers outpatient psychiatry, therapy with a psychologist or counsellor, and inpatient care; whether it needs a doctor's referral; and whether there is a limit on the number of sessions.
Questions to ask before you book
Are you a psychiatrist, clinical psychologist or counsellor, and where did you train?
Are you licensed in Thailand, and with which body?
Which languages do you work in, and do you offer online sessions?
What experience do you have with the issue I am seeking help for?
What does a first appointment cost, how long is it, and what do follow-ups cost?
Can you prescribe, or will you work alongside a psychiatrist if medication is needed?
What should I do if I need urgent help between sessions?
Who can see my notes, and what would you share with my insurer or employer?
Can you provide receipts and reports for an insurance claim?
If you see clients online, are you permitted to treat someone located in Thailand?
Warning signs
A practitioner who cannot or will not say what their qualification is or where they are licensed.
Promises of a guaranteed cure or a fixed number of sessions before any assessment.
Advice to stop prescribed medication from someone who is not a doctor.
No plan for what to do in a crisis, or no local contact if sessions are online.
Unclear fees, or pressure to pay for a long block of sessions up front.
Pressure to share personal information beyond what your care requires.
Bangkok Hospital Phuket's Mental Health Center offers outpatient psychiatry and can be contacted by phone, email or LINE. Fees and session languages are not published; ask for an English-speaking psychiatrist and an estimate.
Where can I find a child psychiatrist in Phuket?
Bangkok Hospital Phuket lists child and adolescent psychiatrists, and Bangkok Hospital Siriroj lists a child and adolescent psychiatrist in its Children's Clinic. Ask which days the doctor is in clinic.
Is online counselling available from Phuket?
Golden Leaf Counseling Services offers sessions in person in Phuket Town or online, in Thai or English. Late cancellations are charged in full, so check its policy before booking.
What should I do in a mental health crisis in Phuket?
If someone is in immediate danger, call 1669 or go to the nearest hospital emergency department. For support by phone, the Department of Mental Health's hotline on 1323 is staffed around the clock.
About the writer and reviewer
PS
Pimchanok Srisawat
Health writer
Writes guides and comparisons for Thai Clinic Guide, keeping a link to the page behind every detail so readers can check it themselves.
KW
Kittisak Wongsawat
Health writer and reviewer
Goes through pages line by line against the sources listed, and flags wording that could be taken as advice for one reader.
This page sets out published information and is not medical advice. Speak to a doctor before you choose treatment. Our method.
Private tertiary hospital
