This article contains affiliate links to products. Discover may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.
6 Best Online Therapy Platforms: The Top 6 Online Therapy and Counseling Sites for 2021
We are all striving to live a happy and healthy life, grow, enjoy relationships, improve well-being, feel understood, and become more self-aware. However, not everyone can get the support they need, or is comfortable with sharing their problems with people close to them. Some feel that the path of recovery is endless and unreachable, and others feel like they have no one on their side.
Going through any of life's challenges without a strong support system can leave us feeling frustrated, helpless, and even hopeless. But online therapy has marked great changes in the delivery of quality mental health care to everyone:
● It solves the problem of the distance between clients and licensed mental health professionals
● It makes the much-needed professional help more affordable
● It reduces stigma associated with mental health issues
The online therapy platforms are growing in popularity — both among mental health professionals and clients. They have already shown great potential for helping people who wouldn’t otherwise be able to get the help that they need. They help millions of people around the world talk through their problems without having to leave their homes.
If you are in need of therapy services but would feel more comfortable getting help from the comfort of your own home, look into these 6 best online therapy platforms in 2021 tested and reviewed by Therapy-Reviews for finding the right one for you.
Important: online therapy is not for people who need immediate help. If you’re in crisis, reach out to emergency resources for time-limited and urgent support or call 911.
6 Best Online Therapy Platforms in 2021
1. Calmerry
2. Talkspace
4. BetterHelp
5. ReGain
Calmerry
Calmerry is a HIPAA-compliant platform that connects clients and mental health professionals. This platform is on mission to make quality mental health care affordable and accessible to everyone. People can have on-demand or scheduled therapy sessions anytime, from any device, in any place using web or mobile app versions.
Calmerry’s counselors provide professional mental health support via chat and live video calls.
Pros:
● Background-checked, licensed therapists
● Pay weekly or monthly
● Unlimited messages, live video therapy
● Responsive 24/7 client support
● Free therapist switch
● Individual matching
● Free app for Android & iOS
Cons:
● Therapy via phone calls is unavailable
● The platform is relatively new
Who Is It For?
Calmerry thoroughly background checks their applicants and hires only fully-licensed mental health professionals with an experience in evidence-based therapeutic modalities.
Talk with them about:
● Career counseling
● Depression
● Stress
● Eating disorders
● Self-esteem issues
● Anxiety
● Relationship and family issues
● Grief & loss
● Trauma
● PTSD
● OCD
● LGBTQIA+
● Abuse
This list is not exhaustive.
How Much Is Calmerry?
Calmerry offers flexible subscription plans, the prices of which depend on the number of live video sessions included. Clients can pay weekly or monthly. Prices start from $42/week with the discount of $90 off the first month.
Talkspace
Talkspace has been helping people work through their issues for years — it claims that it has already helped over a million people overcome mental health problems since its inception in 2012. Today, the platform has over 3,000 available therapists and provides access to individual, couples, teen counseling, and online psychiatry consultations.
Talkspace has been reviewed by major media outlets such as CNN, Fox News, Mashable, HuffPost.
Pros:
● Multiple subscription options: individual, couples, teens therapy.
● Online psychiatry services
● Wide range of communication ways: text messaging, video, voice messaging
● Licensed therapists
● User-friendly app
● A free consultation with an expert matching agent
● Unlimited text therapy
Cons:
● May not be covered by insurance
● The matching process can take upto several days
● No refund for the unused therapy time
Who Is It For?
Talkspace hires only licensed counselors who cover a wide range of mental health issues. They can help with:
● Bullying
● Parenting
● Gender identity
● Depression
● Childhood abuse
● Anxiety
● Trauma
● Chronic illness
● Relationship issues
● Eating disorders
● Sexual health
● Anger management
● OCD
● Mood disorders
● Grief & loss, and more
Besides, Talkspace’s psychiatrists can prescribe medications and develop a treatment plan. However, prescription is not guaranteed.
How Much Does Talkspace Cost?
Talkspace has 3 subscription plans for individual counseling (unlimited messaging therapy— $65/week, unlimited messaging therapy + live video — $79/week, unlimited messaging therapy + 4 live videos — $99/week), for couples therapy ($99/week), and for teen counseling ($65/week). Initial psychiatry consultation costs $199, every consequent is $125.
Billed monthly, quarterly, and biannually.
Online-Therapy
Online-Therapy was established in 2009. Over the years, the platform has developed a 8-section program and comprehensive collection of mental health tools to help people overcome and fight emotional problems. They provide self-assessment tools, activity plan, tests, 25 worksheets, journaling, CBT from licensed counselors, yoga & meditation video lessons.
Pros:
● Comprehensive mental health toolbox
● Trained CBT therapists
● Wellness exercises
● Focus on independent and therapist-guided work
● Additional assignments to improve the progress
Cons:
● Therapists are available only 8 hours on Mon-Fri
● You can’t write your therapist anytime having a basic plan
● No mobile app available
Who Is It For?
Online-Therapy’s therapists are licensed and trained in CBT approach. They can help you with:
● Agoraphobia
● Anger
● Anxiety
● Bipolar disorder
● BPD
● Depression
● GAD
● Insomnia
● OCD
● Panic attacks
● PTSD
● Relationship
● Stress
● Weight and many other mental health problems
What’s the Cost of Online-Therapy?
This online therapy platform gives 20% off for the first month on all 3 subscription plans:
● Basic ($39.95/week). No live sessions. No therapist messaging at any time. No express replies.
● Standard ($59.95/week). No express replies.
● Premium ($79.95/week)
BetterHelp
BetterHelp has been on the market since 2013 and it’s quite a popular online counseling service. It strives to provide affordable therapy to people around the world and fosters an anti-stigma environment so that people can seek help in safe settings. BetterHelp states that they hired 19,000+ licensed therapists.
Pros:
● Webinars and groupinars available
● Financial assistance if needed
● Several client-therapist communication channels
● Multiple pricing plans
● Over 19,000 fully-licensed therapists
Cons:
● No live videos in the basic subscription plan
● No visible subscription plans available
● Unresponsive customer service (according client’s complaints)
Who Is It For?
BetterHelp licensed therapists are trained to help people with a wide range of mental health issues, including:
● Anger management issues
● Anxiety
● Depression
● Family counseling
● Grief counseling
● Sleep disorders
● Trauma
● Abuse counseling
● Intimacy issues
● Eating disorders, and more.
Also, BetterHelp provides teen and couples counseling.
How Much Is BetterHelp?
There are several subscription plans. BetterHelp one-month therapy cost starts at $65 per week ($260/month) — clients get unlimited messaging. Other packages include weekly live sessions. Financial aid can also be applied.
Billed monthly, quarterly, or yearly.
ReGain
ReGain has been in operation since 2016. It’s a US-based relationship counseling platform, a place where individuals and couples can connect with therapists and get the help and guidance they need.
Pros:
● Focused on couples and relationship therapy
● A detailed assessment before the therapy start
● User-friendly smartphone and web accessibility
● Professional mental health help from licensed counselors, not coaching
Cons:
● Not much subscription plans
● No 3-way live sessions
● Automated, no human-operated matching
● No live customer service support
Who Is It For?
ReGain counselors provide professional support and guidance to help people solve relationship issues. It’s focused on couples and individual counseling and may suit those who want:
● Build and maintain a healthy connection
● Improve a relationship
● Overcome relationship challenges
● Get advice on resolving conflicts
● Find a better understanding of each other
● Bring harmony into relationships
● Improve well-being
What Are the Prices of ReGain Therapy?
ReGain offers monthly plans with the prices ranging from $65 to $80 per week. The cost depends on the subscription length. The most popular option is $65 per week ($260 per first month). Can be billed monthly, quarterly, or yearly. Yearly subscription costs $1820.
7 Cups of Tea
7 Cups of Tea is an option for people (adults and teens) who either can't afford to see a therapist in-person or are not sure they need counseling. This platform provides the opportunity to talk to trained peer listeners or join 2-to-20 user group support chat for free. Also, it provides access to licensed counselors for money if the above is not enough.
Pros:
● Free emotional support options (listeners and group chats)
● You can make new friends and develop a support system
● The monthly plan for professional counseling services is affordable
● The platform provides self-help guides for well-being improvement
● Active listeners are available 24/7
Cons:
● No video/audio sessions
● Confusing user interface
● Most therapists don’t answer more than once a day
● A small network of therapists
● Listeners may not provide non-judgemental space
Who Is It For?
7 Cups of Tea is an option for people who need to get emotional support, feel understood and heard, and be a part of the community.
For this reason, the platform provides free access to group chat rooms and like-minded listeners who can support in dealing with many issues: stress, anxiety, depression, anxiety, relationships issues, LGBTQIA+, etc. Teens can join teen community forums to feel the support they need.
Also, it’s possible to get professional mental health help from a licensed counselor.
What’s the Cost of 7 Cups of Tea?
You can join 7 Cups of Tea for free of pay monthly — $150 per month for professional counseling services (text messaging therapy unlimited for clients and limited from the side of counselors).
Conclusion
Online therapy has helped millions of people worldwide find and get quality mental health care. E-therapy is an important way to end the stigma associated with mental health issues and get help when you need it — regardless of where you are, who you are, what device you use, or what time of day it is.
According to Therapy-Reviews, one of the most influential online therapy reviews aggregator, such 6 platforms as Calmerry, Talkspace, Online-Therapy, BetterHelp, ReGain, and 7 cups of Tea are the best e-counseling sites and apps in 2021.
You can try them yourself to start improving your life. Don’t delay your mental health and better well-being!
