Someone else can now pay for your therapy on Mytherapist.ng, and they never see what you talk about. Here’s why we built it, how it works and what to expect.
Pay for me turns one session into a link. Send it to anyone. They pay by card or bank transfer with no account, and your session books itself.
Sponsors are for the people who’d rather not be asked every time. A sponsor pays for your sessions from their own account, up to a monthly limit they set. You pick them at checkout like any other way to pay.
Both are in the Mytherapist.ng app and on the web.
Why we built it
For a lot of people, the money for therapy isn’t theirs. It comes from a parent, a partner, an older sibling or an uncle abroad. That person wants to help, and the person in therapy wants to go. The payment is where it falls apart.
The usual workaround is a bank transfer into your wallet, then a top-up, then the booking, then a screenshot to prove it went through. By the time the money lands, the time you wanted might be gone. And you have to ask again next week.
There’s a second problem. The people who pay often expect to know what they’re paying for. Therapy only works if what you say stays between you and your therapist, so we built both features to keep the payer and the session apart.
How Pay for me works
Pay for me is for one session, paid by anyone, with no account on their side.
- Pick your therapist and a time, then choose Pay for me at checkout.
- Add a note if you like (“Thank you so much for helping with this”), then create the link.
- Send it on WhatsApp, through your phone’s share sheet, or copy it anywhere.
- They open the link and see your first name, the amount and your note. They enter their name and email and pay by card or bank transfer through Paystack.
- Your session books itself the moment the money lands. You get a notification with their name, and they get a receipt.
The link stays open for 48 hours, or until an hour before the session, whichever comes first. You can have three links waiting at a time and cancel any of them from your wallet. Pay for me covers one one-to-one session per link, at the full price (promo codes don’t apply), plus the ₦500 anonymity fee if you booked anonymously without Prime.
The time isn’t held while you wait. If someone else books it before your link is paid, the money goes to your wallet instead and you can book another time with it.
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At checkout you’ll also see Make them a sponsor. Tick it, and once they’ve paid we’ll invite them to keep paying for your sessions.
How Sponsors works
A sponsor pays for your sessions from their own Mytherapist.ng account, up to a monthly limit they choose. Either of you can start it.
- You ask them. Go to Sponsors, tap Invite a sponsor, and send it by email or text message. They pick their limit and how they’ll pay when they say yes.
- They offer. A sponsor can send an offer to your email, or make a one-time link and share it however they like. You see the offer and accept it in the app.
Invites stay open for 7 days. You can have up to three sponsors, and a sponsor can pay for up to five people.
A sponsor sets a monthly limit between ₦1,000 and ₦1,000,000 and chooses how to pay:
- Their wallet, which pays when you book.
- A saved card, charged when you book.
- Their bank account by direct debit. A bank payment can take a few hours, so we keep their wallet topped up to an amount they choose and your bookings are paid from that.
When you book, your sponsor shows up as a way to pay, with what’s left of their limit this month. If you have more than one, tap Change sponsor to pick who pays. If a sponsor is low on funds, you can ask them to top up with one tap.
Your sponsor gets a message after each payment with what’s left for the month, and a statement on the 1st. If a session is cancelled or refunded, the money goes back to them and their limit frees up. Either of you can end it at any time, and sessions already paid for stay booked.
What they see
Whoever pays sees money and dates. Your therapist, your session and anything you say stay private.
| Who | What they see | What they never see |
|---|---|---|
| Someone paying a Pay for me link | Your first name, the amount, your note | Your therapist, the session’s time or type, your account |
| Your sponsor | What they paid and when, what’s left of their limit | Your therapist, the session’s time or type, anything about your care |
| Your therapist | That the session is paid | Who paid for it |
A sponsor’s wallet shows “Session for Ada (sponsored)”, never a therapist’s name. Inviting someone never tells you whether they already have an account.
What to expect
Both features work in the Mytherapist.ng app from version 2.1.0 and on the web at app.mytherapist.ng. Sponsors lives under Profile and in your wallet. Pay for me is a payment option at checkout.
- Pay for me needs a little notice. The link has to stay open for at least 30 minutes before it closes, so it won’t work for a session starting within the next hour and a half.
- One session per link. Couples sessions and multi-session bookings aren’t supported yet.
- Your organisation comes first. If your employer or school covers your sessions, you won’t see Pay for me or your sponsors, because there’s nothing to pay.
- Limits protect sponsors. A booking that would go over a sponsor’s monthly limit is refused before anyone is charged.
Next, we’re working on letting you choose to share more with a sponsor, and letting your therapist send them updates with your permission.
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Our ask
- If someone has offered to help pay for your therapy, send them a Pay for me link for your next session, or invite them to be your sponsor.
- If you’re the one who pays for someone, offer to sponsor them. Set a limit you’re comfortable with and stop worrying about transfers.
- Tell us what’s missing. Reply to this post or message us in the app.
