JORDAN BOLTON
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. Online therapy can offer a convenient and affordable solution if you’re anxious about travelling home for the holidays because of COVID-19 or stressed about spending an extended amount of time with your family at this time of year.
Betterhelp
BetterHelp Review
- 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.
Faithful Counseling
Faithful Counseling Review
- 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.
Teen Counseling
Teen Counseling Review
- 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.
Talkspace
Talkspace Review
- 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.
Online-Therapy.com
Online-Therapy.com Review
- 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.
HealthSapiens
Health Sapiens Review
- 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.
ReGain
ReGain Review
- 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.
Pride Counseling
Pride Counseling Review
- 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.
Amwell
Amwell Review
- 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.
