Weindependently evaluateall of our recommendations.
If you select links we provide, we may receive compensation.
Online therapy can be a convenient, affordable, and accessible alternative to in-person therapy.
Verywell Mind / A. Huang
Ive spent the last three years reporting on the best online therapy services.
As with most healthcare-related things, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer.
Therapist-Recommended Services
Seean in-depth comparisonof all the online therapy providers we recommend.
My testers were connected with therapists who were highly professional, warm, and accommodating.
Another thing my testers loved about Talkspace was the communication options.
So its unfortunate that the text-based sessions are the companys most affordable subscription.
But what about the therapy itself?
Overall, our experiences can be summed up as: decent.
Establishing rapport with your therapist is one of the most important aspects of therapy, and BetterHelp generally succeeds.
Eighty-seven percent rated BetterHelp as very good or excellent overall, which was the middle of the pack overall.
We didn’t find this kind of pay structure at any of the other companies we tested.
Instead, Brightside therapists really made us feel supported and cared for at all times.
Brightside also did what it promised to: effectively treat anxiety and depression.
(Another great thing about Brightside, though, is that it also offers psychiatry services.
So, if youdoneed medication, youre covered.)
The 100 Brightside users I surveyed had equally positive experiences.
My therapist was warm and made me feel at ease.
There was no pressure to unload everything immediately.
She made sure I felt comfortable.
In another case, the person conducting my testers intake session was cold and unapproachable.
Across the board, our therapists were professional and incredibly informed but also relatable and kind.
I also surveyed 100 Teladoc users and found that their experiences mirrored those of my testers.
Overall, I was very satisfied with the quality of care I received at Teladoc.
The out-of-pocket prices might deter some therapy seekers as well.
What stood out to me the most, though, was the companys online psychiatry services.
And not only that, my teen tester had a great experience with his psychiatrist.
He and his mom appreciated both his psychiatrists candor and the detailed and personal process of his treatment.
This approach very much impressed me.
What stands out to me, though, is how incredibly (and unusually) inclusive this directory is.
This is what stood out to me as well.
If you are looking for a therapist of a specific ethnicity, theres a filter for that.
Literally nowhere else have I found this level of inclusion.
And not only that, but the therapists we found on TherapyDen?
Excellent professionals in their own right.
Meet these inspirational therapists who specialize in and are competently trained in supporting the trans community.
It then highlights nine bios of its providers who specialize in therapy for the trans community.
This earns an A+ in my book.
I was so impressed by how engaged and attuned my therapist was from the beginning.
Their clinical expertise was apparent in how they asked intake questions and offered observations throughout our session.
So depending on what you are looking for, you might have to compromise a bit.
Basically, E-Therapy Cafe offers great therapy for low out-of-pocket prices.
Across the board, our providers supported us with skill and compassion.
This gave my testers the feel of a small private practice with the reach of a large telehealth service.
[My therapist] was funny and a little quirky, but I think our dynamic worked.
He was kind and attentive.
Id also love to see more diversity amongst the E-Therapy Cafe providers.
Online-Therapy.com: Although our past experiences with this company have been decent, most recently we were disappointed.
Sessions cut off automatically at 40 minutes, often leaving my tester hanging mid-sentence.
you might see a full breakdown of our online therapyresearch and testing processon Verywell Mind.
Here is an overview of how I capture and evaluate firsthand experience and survey data.
Firsthand Experience
I had 65 different people sign up for talk therapy with all 55 online therapy companies reviewed.
These out-of-pocket prices can be fixed, or they can be based on your location or your providers credentials.
In addition, some companies are in-connection with insurance plans.
Medication and Online Therapy
Therapists, whether online or in-person, are not allowed to prescribe medication.
(In a handful of statespsychologists can, but this is the exception.)
For the most part, onlypsychiatristsand psychiatric nurse practitioners can prescribe medication to treat mental illness.
From there, the company will usually match you with a prescriber.
2021 Nov;28(6):1535-1549. doi: 10.1002/cpp.2594.
Epub 2021 May 5.
David D, Cristea I, Hofmann SG.Why Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Is the Current Gold Standard of Psychotherapy.Front Psychiatry.
2018 Jan 29;9:4. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00004.
PMID: 29434552; PMCID: PMC5797481.
