Mental health has been an issue for Americans since the early 20th century. With one-quarter of Americans having anxiety disorders, it is clear that we need to talk about our feelings more often than ever before.

People have always struggled with mental health issues, but in recent years, there’s been something particularly worrying: Anxiety and depression among US citizens are skyrocketing because of the impact of the pandemic and economic uncertainty.

Besides, the stigma that surrounds mental health is a reason why some people are unable to speak up about what’s going on inside their minds because doing so can make a person feel isolated rather than understood. In turn, such unhealthy dynamics can worsen the symptoms of depression or anxiety.

The journey to self-care can be difficult, especially if you are struggling with depression and feel anxious about how it will affect your life. Fortunately, depression therapy has never been more accessible than now. Those who need professional help can now get it from the comfort of their homes, with no need to commute to a therapist’s office.

Online therapy has proven to be effective when treating a vast range of common mental health disorders. Online therapy platforms offer a flexible format of treatment so you can benefit from therapy no matter how tight your schedule is.

List of the Best Online Therapy Services for Mental Health

• Calmerry — Overall Best Online Therapy Services With Experienced Counselors
• BetterHelp — Flexible Online Platform for Mental Health
• OnlineTherapy.com — Trusted Online Mental Health Counseling For Adults
• ReGain — Recommended Couple Therapy
• TalkSpace — Online Therapy With Convenient Communication

#1. Calmerry — Overall Best Online Therapy Services With Experienced Counselors

Even the Covid-19 pandemic didn’t affect the speed of life. People still have hectic schedules that include household chores, child care, and work. Calmerry offers flexible session planning so you can adjust your therapy sessions to your work schedule.

The first step to therapy is answering a few questions about your current mental health and goals. You can choose from among several subscription packages that offer different features so it’s easy to choose the one that fits your budget or includes the services you’re particularly interested in.

In just a few clicks, you can try therapy for depression with Calmerry and get access to an extensive database of therapists who are looking for new clients. Calmerry helps match each one of them with a client, taking into account clients’ specific problems, therapists’ experience, and licensing.

You can enjoy live sessions from the comfort of your home or while traveling. All you need is an internet connection, and you’ll be able to use video or voice calls, as well as messages. Calmerry has convenient Android and iOS apps, and its support team is available 24/7.

Calmerry is one of the most affordable mental health platforms with subscription plans starting at just $42 per week. They have hand-picked therapists and counselors who are licensed to practice in their states.

Advanced matching allows you to discuss personal matters without the fear of being judged. A compassionate counselor will help heal your emotional wounds or boost self-esteem with their professional guidance.

Highlights

User-Friendly Interface: Calmerry’s website has a user-friendly, intuitive interface with a convenient message box for live chats and video calls. The site works well on all kinds of devices, and you can also use a convenient mobile app.

Customer Support Team: Calmerry is a perfect company to work with if you’re looking for an excellent customer service experience. The team has friendly, responsive staff that will answer any questions or address any concerns immediately.

HIPAA-Compliant Platform: Calmerry takes your privacy seriously and ensures that no one but you will know what you discuss with your therapist. Your messages are encrypted, so only the two of you can read them. This platform also supports anonymity, so you aren’t required to sign up with your real name.

Mood Tracking Chat Bot: Minutes after registering with Calmerry, you’ll be able to chat and interact with your therapist directly through the app or website. In addition, Calmerry offers some nice free tools, including its daily reflection bot. You can write down what’s on your mind or how the day went. Such a practice will help you see what events and experiences trigger certain emotions, and you’ll be able to discuss some of the insights with your therapist.

Flexible Subscription Plans: Clients can choose from several subscription plans. It’s also possible to get started with a cheaper plan and then buy another plan with more features. If you have a limited budget, you might also appreciate discounts. If you’re not satisfied with your therapist for some reason, you can request a new therapist free of charge.

Pros

• Friendly and professional customer support team
• HIPAA-compliance
• First-month discount
• Quick matching process
• Free self-care tools
• Great reputation

Cons

• Switching to another therapist takes some time
• Not for children and teens

#2. BetterHelp — Flexible Online Platform For Mental Health

BetterHelp is one of the most popular online therapy services for a reason. It’s easy to use and relatively affordable so many people choose it as their first online therapy platform.

Betterhelp has already helped roughly 1 million users deal with relationship problems, self-esteem issues, depression, anxiety, grief, and many other mental health problems.

Therapists’ bios are available on the website so you can make sure that you’ll work with a professional. The weekly cost starts at $150 per week, which is still cheaper than in-person therapy, even though it’s definitely not the cheapest online platform.

BetterHelp matches you with an experienced therapist according to your needs. The matching process may take some time, but you can get a therapist with the necessary background who has some experience in treating your specific issue.

Conversations between you and your therapist take place in a secure virtual room, and all clients’ data is securely protected. Clients can find detailed information about how their data is being used on the website.

Highlights

Privacy: BetterHelp’s chat room is a good place to get professional help for your mental health. You can save all of the conversations so they’ll be accessible in between sessions, which means that you will never have any trouble remembering what you’ve said before. This platform is HIPAA-compliant so no matter how much personal information you share during sessions, it will remain safe.

Groupinars: Groupinars are a great way to get the most relevant, real-time information on different topics. You can learn more about mental health by engaging in discussions with other participants in real-time.

Flexibility: The platform allows you to talk to your therapist through a voice chat, messages, or video calls. Customers can send messages 24/7 and schedule video appointments ahead.

Financial Assistance: BetterHelp provides financial assistance to those who have a limited budget. If you’re eligible for the program, BetterHelp can provide financial aid so you can benefit from their services at a lower cost.

Pros

• Some people can get financial aid
• Simple therapist switching
• Therapists’ bios are accessible on the website

Cons

• Lacks free trial

#3. Online-Therapy.com — Trusted Online Mental Health Counseling For Adults

Online CBT services can be just as effective as in-person therapy. This Swedish company has developed a program to help people who are suffering from anxiety or depression through cognitive behavioral techniques that work best for them, and they offer this at an affordable price.

With the platform’s library of resources, users can get interactive worksheets and a check-in journal to note their emotions daily. There are also yoga tutorials available, no matter what subscription plan you have.

The $48 a week subscription plan includes one live video chat session per week. These short 30-minute chats may not be enough for complicated cases but they might help clients with mild symptoms of mental health disorders.

The therapy toolbox on the platform records all of your conversations, including any important matters discussed during these quick Q&A sessions, and you can choose who will see your records.

Highlights

Therapy Toolbox: The therapy toolbox at Online-Therapy.com offers plenty of resources for self-care, including videos, blog articles, and case studies on how other people have successfully used this platform.

Licensed Therapists: There are many licensed therapists with different kinds of clinical backgrounds on the platform. You can easily find a therapist who is familiar with your problem.

Comprehensive Blog: The website is an excellent resource for those who want to learn more about mental health and different kinds of therapy.

Pros

• Yoga and meditation tutorials are included
• The website has a detailed FAQ section
• Therapists practice cognitive behavioral therapy

Cons

• The basic plan lacks live sessions
• Doesn’t offer group or couple therapy

#4. Regain — Recommended Couple Therapy Service

The ReGain platform was created for couples that want to work on their relationships and strengthen their bonds. The counseling services offered by this platform are aimed to help clients deal with the emotional consequences of breakups, adultery, or toxic relationships.

Your therapist will work with you to create an individually tailored treatment plan for your relationship issues. You will have to explain what bothers you, how long it has been happening, and answer some other questions to help your therapist understand how to help you.

When you and your partner login to ReGain, the matching process will be already completed and you’ll be able to enter a secure chat room with 24/7 access. However, you may need to schedule live sessions in advance.

ReGain also offers marriage counseling. Despite the lack of customer service during registration, this platform’s advantages outweigh its drawbacks thanks to a simple user interface and relatively affordable prices.

Highlights

Relationship Counseling: All the experts at ReGain have the necessary licenses and experience in relationship counseling. Licensed marriage and family therapists (LMFT) and social workers will help you deal with a vast variety of relationship issues.

Discounts: There’s a wide variety of discounts available for specific people, such as military veterans and college students.

Exceptional Privacy: ReGain offers a safe space to discuss private concerns. With encrypted sessions and live help, you can get rid of your emotional difficulties while being sure that the platform won’t share your personal information with anyone.

Pros

• Specialization in couples therapy
• The price for two people is the same as for one client
• A secure website
• Discounts

Cons

• The registration process lacks customer support

#5. TalkSpace — Top Online Therapy With Convenient Communication

Talkspace offers helpful environments and a wide range of services for individuals, couples, and teens who need help with anxiety, anger management, depression, self-esteem, or relationships. The prices of services are affordable, and some insurance companies may cover therapy at TalkSpace.

TalkSpace uses manual matching with therapists, which makes the platform different from some other platforms that rely on advanced matching algorithms.

You can register by filling out a simple form and providing some basic information about your mental health and things that bother you. After providing all the necessary data, including some personal details, users can get access to the communication board.

The platform offers an easy way of scheduling sessions with its 24/7 chat room, including video and voice calls, as well as text messaging. However, don’t expect immediate replies from therapists — usually, they reply once or twice a day.

Highlights

Discount Offers: Talkspace frequently offers discounts that you can check out on the company’s website. The cost of therapy depends on your subscription plan. If you want unlimited texting and video messaging, you will be charged $65 per week. However, if you add one live video call a month, the cost will increase to $79 per week (or up to $99 if you go for one video chat per week).

Free 10-Minute Video Chat: You can introduce yourself to a therapist in a 10-minute video chat. Given that video chats are rather expensive here, many clients appreciate free introductory calls.

Therapy For Every Age Group: Talkspace has professionals from different fields, so you certainly will find someone who meets your needs. There are therapists who can help you with many kinds of mental health problems and relationship problems. This platform also offers therapy for teens.

Pros

• Offers evaluation and medication management
• Provides treatment for people of every age group
• Allows you to introduce yourself in a 10-minute video chat for free

Cons

• Prefers medication over therapy
• Therapists might take hours to respond to your messages

How We Made This List of the Best Virtual Therapy Services

We searched for the most reliable companies. We know that clients are looking for companies with a good reputation and features. When you’re looking for an online therapist, it’s important to be specific about your needs. Do you need a clinical or couples-oriented therapist? What types of issues should they be familiar with?

There’s no need to worry about finding the best online therapy services because we’ve got you covered. We selected 5 online therapy platforms that might help all kinds of clients. We also made sure that every company offers flexible fees and different communication options.

What We Looked For

Communication Methods: Live video chats and phone calls are the most popular types of online therapy. However, there’s no need to feel restricted by these options. If you’re not comfortable with a live chat for some reason, then unlimited texting might work well for you.

Health Insurance: Unfortunately, not all insurance providers can cover the cost of online therapy, but some companies offer such options.

Licensed Therapists: Licensing boards are there for your protection and will not allow unqualified people into this profession; they also have rules about how much experience is required before someone can help others with mental health issues.

Choosing a Therapist: The process of matching with a therapist can be manually controlled or based on an algorithm. Both of these approaches can deliver good results when people who match clients with therapists have the necessary knowledge and when algorithms analyze the input data properly.

Client’s Guide: How to Choose Online Mental Health Counseling

When choosing an online therapy platform, some factors are more important than others. For instance, it’s important to define a clear budget. You should also decide on the type of communication — some people prefer live video calls while others may choose audio or text messages.

Price

Therapy doesn’t have to break the bank. With so many online services available, you can find high-quality therapy at an affordable price. Additionally, some insurance companies may cover the cost of your online sessions.

Flexible Schedule

Virtual counseling is a great way to get help when you’re too busy. With virtual therapy, you can schedule your appointments in advance and adapt them to your schedule, no matter how tight it is.

App Security

When new clients start therapy, they often feel anxious discussing personal matters with their therapists. It’s natural for them to worry about data security and ask if the platform is secure enough. Therefore, it is important to make sure that the company you choose is HIPAA-compliant and protects its customers’ data.

Licensed Therapists

Licensing is the key to making sure that your therapy sessions will bring the desired results. Your therapist should be licensed in your state, and they should also be familiar with your issue to suggest effective coping practices.

Credentials

In order to practice as a therapist, one must first have an accredited degree. In this case, the license depends on what type of degree a particular specialist holds: master’s or doctorate (Ph.D.). Therapists and counselors also should have the necessary clinical experience to be allowed to practice.

Customer Reviews

There are many aspects to consider before subscribing to online therapy services. One important factor is what past clients have said about the platform, so first, visit review platforms and check clients’ feedback.

FAQ

Is online therapy effective?

Talk therapy is effective when dealing with many kinds of mental health issues, including depression, anxiety, grief, self-esteem issues, etc. Research data proves that online therapy can be as effective as in-person sessions, which is no surprise given that live video sessions imitate traditional therapy.

How expensive is online therapy?

The cost of virtual therapy depends on the chosen provider and subscription plan. The average price ranges from $40 to 120 per week, with some companies offering discounts or financial aid for certain categories of clients.

Subscription plans are a great and affordable alternative to buying individual services. They often offer more value for your money, and you don’t need to worry about paying for each session or message separately.

In-person therapy is typically more expensive than online sessions. The price can range from $90 to over $150 per hour, depending on where you live. Obviously, online therapy is more affordable so it’s a great option for people with a limited budget.

Is teletherapy safe and secure?

Reliable online therapy providers are HIPAA-compliant, which means that they protect their clients’ privacy. When using such platforms, you can be sure that only you and your therapist will have access to your conversations.

Wrapping Up

Online therapy is a nice opportunity to get the help you need with no need to commute to a therapist’s office. You can discuss all of your worries with an online counselor during virtual sessions, you can also use text messaging.

The mental health industry is booming with more and more options becoming available to suit any need. We’ve found some of the best online therapy services for you, so check out our guide and feel free to learn more about the companies from our list at Therapy-Reviews.com.