For those who can’t afford to see a therapist, who suffer from agoraphobia or similar anxiety issues, or are hesitant to embrace the experience, online therapy may posit a more accessible path to continued support.
Read on for our list of the top 8 best online therapy websites.
1. Best overall: Betterhelp
2. Best for couples: ReGain
3. Best for Christians: Faithful Counseling
4. Best for non-urgent anxiety: Online-Therapy.com
5. Best for therapy on the go: Amwell
6. Best for teenagers: Teen Counseling
7. Best for long-term therapy: Talkspace
8. Best for LGBTQ support: Pride Counseling
9. Best for complete discretion: HealthSapiens
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Unlimited access to licensed therapists
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Our Top 10 Best Online Therapy Services
- Best forBusy professionals dealing with anxiety
- Pricing$60-$80per week
- Modes of communicationVideo, phone, message, live chat
Betterhelp’s mission is to foster easier access to professional therapy and mental health support. With thousands of licensed therapists on call for remote counseling via video, messaging, and phone, they seem to be succeeding.
Outlets such as the Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, and the New York Times have written about Betterhelp, and for good reason: it’s arguably the largest and most trustworthy of online therapy services. To start with, all of its therapists are accredited and licensed therapists. They’re required to have at least 3 years and 2,000 hours of hands-on experience. This is an important distinction, as Betterhelp clients know they are receiving care from therapists who are thoroughly trained and experienced in counseling.
Signing up entails a short questionnaire about your background and current issues after which you’ll be paired with a counselor. Sessions can be conducted via message, live chat, phone, and video conferencing, all of which take place in a private online “room” dedicated to the client and counselor. Betterhelp’s therapists are trained in a wide variety of issues including anxiety, depression, relationship counseling, and eating disorders.
Pros- Licensed PsyDs, LCSWs, and LPCs
- Sessions by chat, phone, and video
- High privacy standards
Cons- Typically not covered by insurance
- Weekly pricing
![Faithful Counseling Best Online Therapy Services]( "Faithful Counseling Best Online Therapy Services")
- Best forChristians looking for clinical therapy
- Pricing$60-$80per week
- Modes of communicationVideo, phone, message, live chat
Blending therapy with some spiritual guidance, Faithful Counseling provides Christians with a full-spectrum, faith-based approach to mental health.
Faithful Counseling is a logical avenue for those who want traditional support but want to make sure their faith is part of the therapeutic process. All of its therapists are not only fully licensed and accredited in their field, but practicing Christians committed to fusing clinical therapy with biblical-rooted beliefs. By using evidence-based practices in tandem with biblical wisdom, their goal is to both draw from and strengthen clients’ emotional and psychological wellbeing.
Sessions may be conducted over the phone or through video, messages, or live chats. Each client and therapist will have their own online “room,” a private portal for sessions, messages, questions, and check-ins.
Pros- Evidence-based therapy from licensed counselors
- Counselors are practicing Christians
- Sessions via video, phone, message, and live chat
Cons- Niche target audience
- Best forTeenagers and concerned parents
- Pricing$60-$80per week
- Modes of communicationVideo, phone, message, live chat
Teen Counseling connects teens aged 13 to 19 with licensed therapists who can help them work through anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and other age-specific issues.
A partner site of BetterHelp, Teen Counseling is privy to the same sophisticated platform and credentialed therapists. That means that after signing up, the teen is matched with a licensed therapist and provided a designated “room” where they can communicate through video, live chat, phone calls, and messaging. All therapists are vetted and required to have 3 years and 2,000 hours of hands-on experience.
Teen Counseling also makes it easy for parents to initiate the process for their children. They can register, speak to and approve the therapist, and stay up to date on any needed interventions.
Pros- Licensed and accredited therapists
- Specializes in teen mental health
- Parents must give permission to begin therapy
Cons- Weekly pricing
- Best forLong-term remote therapy
- Pricing$65-$100per week
- Modes of communicationTexting, audio and video messages
With more than 5,000 licensed therapists—and nods from the Wall Street Journal and Glamour Magazine—Talkspace has made a name for itself as a premier destination for remote and internet-based therapy.
One major appeal of Talkspace is its fluid platform. Chat rooms, mobile apps, and an unlimited messaging option—including guaranteed daily responses from your therapist—ensure seamless support. Additionally, the site offers specific plans such as couples therapy and a teen counseling service, as well as therapists whose specialties range from cognitive behavioral therapy to psychodynamic, mindfulness, and numerous other approaches.
Talkspace’s pricing goes by a flat weekly rate that’s easy to understand and allows clients to choose an approach that best meets their needs and schedules. There are no contracts, and clients can discontinue their plan at any time.
Pros- Weekly subscription plans
- Variety of therapeutic approaches
Cons- May not be covered by insurance
- Not as intimate as face-to-face
- Best forTreating non-urgent anxiety
- PricingFREE access
- Modes of communicationVideo, phone, text chat sessions
Online-therapy.com’s counselors utilize cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and its suite of self-assessment worksheets, activities, and journaling to help clients overcome their mental health struggles.
Unlike other online therapy services, this fully HIPAA compliant platform isn’t built solely around therapy sessions. Instead, clients are given CBT worksheets and activities to complete throughout the week, which are discussed during 30-minute consultations with their therapists. While more autonomous than other services, this approach is in line with traditional CBT, which emphasizes independent work in tandem with a therapist to help identify and root out illogical fears and anxieties.
Each section in Online-therapy.com’s 8-section program includes a suite of videos, worksheets, and diary-activities. Throughout the process, your therapist is available for feedback and assistance. Therapists are available 8 hours a day on weekdays for appointments and check-ins. Online-therapy.com is currently offering free access to its platform due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Pros- Evidenced-based cognitive behavioral therapy counseling
- Credentialed therapists
- Supplemental activities and wellness exercises
Cons- Therapists work only on weekdays
- Best forComplete discretion and privacy
- Pricing$149/month
- Modes of communicationPhone, email, live video
Health Sapiens takes the online health industry to a new level, using blockchain technology to provide super affordable healthcare of any kind to anyone in the US, anytime. Private therapy with network availability, privacy, and doctors in almost every field, including licensed psychiatrists and general care physicians, so you can get your prescriptions though the platform too. There are EMR (electronic medical records), speeding up and streamlining your treatment. Each therapist will have access to your previous sessions, notes, and medical information allowing you comprehensive counseling without long wait times or repeat information.
All physician ratings are based on a peer-to-peer rating system, allowing patients to rate their experiences with a doctor, publish a review, and share it with prospective patients. It’s super easy to schedule appointments with your chosen practitioner by phone or via the online member portal. A care coordinator will then call you, update your records, and assign you a practitioner. You can speak to a therapist by phone, email, or live video call.
Pros- Available 24/7 from anywhere
- Large network of licensed professionals in every state
- Blockchain privacy ensured
Cons- Can’t choose your own therapist
- Not specific to only mental health
- Best forMarried or engaged couples
- Pricing$60-$80per week
- Modes of communicationVideo, phone, message, live chat
Regain is an online therapy service dedicated to relationship counseling. Individuals and couples can connect to licensed and accredited psychologists, family therapists, and clinical social workers to discuss any and all issues relating to their personal relationships.
Though Regain is dedicated to relationship counseling, individuals often partake on their own. If they wish, they can invite their partner to join their sessions. Clients and counselors are given their own online “room” where all communications occur.
Pros- Licensed and accredited counselors
- Focus on marriage and relationship counseling
- Secure communication
Cons- For couples wanting video sessions you must be in same location
- Best forCompassionate LGBTQ support
- Pricing$60-$80per week
- Modes of communicationVideo, phone, message, live chat
Pride Counseling is an online oasis dedicated to members of the LGBTQ community looking for support or therapy. Its PhD/PsyDs, LMFTs, and LCWSs boast 2,000 hours each of hands-on experience and specialize in issues relating to LGBTQ issues.
Sessions can be conducted by phone, video, message, or live chat, and take place in designated “rooms” that are only accessible to the client and therapist. Clients can use any of these methods throughout their time with their therapist as long as schedules permit. This flexible platform allows them to send messages, communicate in real time, converse through video, and save conversations for future reference.
Pros- Video, phone, message, and chat
- Secure communication portal
Cons- Narrow scope of practice
- Best forTherapy on the go
- Pricing$99-$110per week
- Modes of communicationVideo sessions
Though AmWell’s services resemble those of other online therapy platforms, there are some distinctions that set it apart from others in the growing field.
To start with, AmWell is a whole-health platform, meaning that in addition to therapists it also hosts online doctors, pediatricians, nutritionists, and psychiatrists. On the one hand this means that the site isn’t exclusively dedicated to therapy, but on the other, it means that there is space for crossover, for instance if you need to consult a psychiatrist you can do so on AmWell, and even get prescriptions to supplement counseling. Additionally, since AmWell is used for medical checkups and other clinical uses, its video platform is HIPAA-compliant, reliable, and has solid privacy and security measures in place.
As far as the therapists themselves, AmWell offers licensed practitioners at the doctoral and master’s levels. The therapists specialize in a wide range of approaches, including CBT therapy, support for anxiety, depression, life transitions, LGBTQ counseling, and couples therapy. Sessions run 45-minutes and are done through secured and reliable video technology. Lastly, AmWell offers an exceptional mobile app that allows clients to speak to their counselors even when they’re away from home.
Pros- Licensed therapists at the master’s and doctoral levels
- HIPAA-compliant video platform
- Psychiatric services available as well
Cons- Site isn’t exclusively dedicated to therapy
- Payment required upfront
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What Is Online Therapy and How Does It Work?
Like the name suggests, online therapy is a term used to describe mental health counseling that you can receive from the comfort of your own home in front of your PC or right at your fingertips on your smartphone.
Often referred to as “e-therapy” or “internet therapy,” online therapy isn’t meant for people who are in the midst of a mental health emergency or who need urgent medical care. Instead, it’s a way for people to get easy, convenient, and reliable counseling that tends to be much cheaper than in-person therapy. In addition, it can also be a real help for people who have mobility issues or simply live too far away from a licensed therapist for it to be convenient.
Why Experts Are Pushing for a Huge Expansion of Online Therapy
One of the biggest benefits to online therapy is its ability to reach people who otherwise couldn’t make it to a therapist’s office in person. David Kaplan, the chief professional officer of the American Counseling Association, told The Atlantic, “Online counseling can be especially useful with individuals in rural America, as a great many rural counties do not have a single licensed mental-health professional.” The magazine also mentions patients with agoraphobia, or those whose anxiety limits their mobility, as other potential benefactors of online therapy.
The web may just be catching on to this phenomenon, but the US military is no stranger to the benefits of distance therapy. For more than 20 years, the military has been using a form of teletherapy to help soldiers work through anxiety and PTSD.
A recent study published in Behaviour Research and Therapy compared the effects of remote therapy compared and traditional face-to-face counseling. Researchers chose 132 military veterans with PTSD and provided each with 10-12 prolonged exposure therapy sessions. Half of the veterans were given face-to-face counseling at a VA center while the other half’s sessions were conducted by video conference from the comfort of the patients’ homes.
“Our effects with PTSD were just as good in person vs. home based telehealth,” psychologist Ron Acierno, who led the study, told the Huffington Post. While those who were given at-home treatments were less prone to completing the program than those who visited the VA center, Acierno and his colleagues were surprised and inspired by the lack of success between the two modes of therapy.
There’s been less pushback than you might expect from the psychology community, given that online therapy services could pose a real threat to traditionalists in the field. The American Psychological Association (APA) has covered the topic extensively, offering a hopeful, yet cautious endorsement of what it sees as a new avenue to helping those who need it find support.
“With some caveats, the Internet continues to be extremely useful for disseminating health and mental health information,” the APA said back in 2001. A more recent APA article, titled “A Growing Wave of Online Therapy,” celebrated online therapy’s potential and stated that “the onus is on psychologists to make sure they comply with federal and state laws.”
How Can You Connect With Your Online Therapist?
Most online therapy companies offer 3 main types of counseling: real-time chat, video chat, and phone chat.
Email and text message counseling is popular with people who want to be able to think out their questions and write them out before asking. These tend to not be free-flowing conversations like with phone or video chats, but being able to write out what you want to say can be preferable. Typically these chats are done through your personal email to a special, secure email provided through the site, which can help safeguard your anonymity.
Video chat will require a reliable internet connection and will allow you to speak with a counselor face-to-face, if not in the same room. It’s intimate, personal, and allows you to establish a rapport that can be more difficult with the written word.
Real time chat puts you into a secure line and allows you to chat back and forth with a counselor in real time. Think of it like having your own personal, private chat room with a counselor who’s there to listen to what ails you.
When you sign up for an online therapy service, you’ll typically be asked to take a short quiz to determine which sorts of issues you’re dealing with, which can be used to help the service match you with a counselor who may specialize in your concerns. If you’re seeking out online counseling for your child, the quiz will ask you a lot of questions about what you think the child needs help with, before sending the child an invitation on your behalf.
How Much Does Online Therapy Cost?
The prices vary by company, but typically online therapy services charge a monthly fee to use the service, and don't charge by minute or hour or text. For instance, BetterHelp , one of the bigger names in the industry, charges a flat fee of between $40-$70 per week, including all messaging, chats, phone, and video sessions.
These memberships tend to be quite flexible, and allow you to quit at any time.
Most online counseling is not covered by insurance, so while it’s cheaper than in-person therapists, you will typically have to pay out of pocket.
Choosing Your Therapist
There are several important things to ask your therapist when you are first introduced to each other. Some of these questions might include:
- When and how often do you typically respond?
- Do you work evenings and weekends?
- What is your therapeutic approach?
- What are your areas of expertise?
So what should you do if you get matched with a therapist that you don't like? If you don’t feel connected to your therapist, most sites give you the option to request a new one. While you shouldn’t necessarily play switcharoo each time you dislike or disagree with your counselor’s input, you should make sure you are working with someone you trust — and who you can relate to. It shouldn’t take too long to be comfortable, but it does take some time to build a working, reliable and dependable relationship with your therapist.
However, therapy takes work and commitment, so remember that it is your counselors’ job to challenge you sometimes and hold you accountable to yourself. The process can be uncomfortable, and that oftentimes means you are making progress. Be sure to distinguish the difference between someone who is inspiring you to confront what you need to work on while holding you accountable with someone who you are unable to connect with.
Choosing the Right Online Therapy Service for You
Before you sign up for an online therapy service, do a little research. Take a look at how the company screens its counselors and if their certification checks out. You can also look at online testimonials by customers to get an idea about the quality of service.
You’ll want to decide which types of counseling you want—chat, video, or email—and if they’re available through the service. If you’re interested in using the service on your smartphone, see if the company has an app and if you’re allowed to have sessions with your counselor by chat on your phone.
In addition, check what type of security they provide and if your chats will be encrypted, and if you’ll have the ability to remain anonymous to your counselor.
Look at the price also, and see if it fits your budget. In addition, see if you can quit the membership at any time, or if its binding.
