Mental health is important for all areas of our lives because it can impact our productivity, relationships, everyday behavior, and motivation. You can boost your personal and professional growth and improve your relationships by getting the right kind of support. Therapy allows you to better understand yourself so that you’ll feel understood by those around you. It can also help you improve self-awareness and self-esteem.

Those diagnosed with mental health disorders can receive treatment in the traditional face-to-face setting, or they can also benefit from therapy in a more flexible way, with no need to commute to a therapist’s office. The latter option can be appreciated by those who have busy work schedules. Besides, online therapy is cheaper than traditional sessions. When using various online therapy platforms, you can choose texting packages so that you can send a message to your therapist whenever you want to share something, and you can also opt for live video sessions.

• Online therapy solves the problem of the distance between clients and licensed mental health professionals;
• It makes the much-needed professional help more affordable;
• It reduces the stigma associated with mental health issues.

Online therapy platforms from our list offer countless benefits for both mental health professionals and their clients. They allow those who don’t have enough time for in-person meetings to address their mental health issues and improve their well-being. At the same time, therapists don’t need to spend a lot of time searching for clients, as platforms do this work for them.

Important: Online therapy isn’t sufficient when it comes to emergencies. If you need immediate help, call 911. If you consider self-harm, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

Sometimes, people feel alone when going through personal struggles, and it’s important to keep in mind that you don’t need to cope with all of your difficulties alone. A licensed therapist can help you understand the causes of your inner struggles and suggest effective coping strategies. There’s nothing wrong with searching for professional help, and getting it has never been easier. Reputable online therapy platforms usually have mental health experts with different kinds of backgrounds so that they can help clients with a vast variety of mental health issues.

Here are the top 5 best-rated online therapy platforms.

5 Best Online Therapy Platforms in 2022

1. Calmerry
2. Talkspace
3. Online-Therapy
4. BetterHelp
5. 7 Cups

1. Calmerry

Calmerry is a platform that offers secure and private chat sessions between clients and therapists or counselors. Clients have to answer a few questions about their symptoms, and then an advanced algorithm matches them with therapists who have the necessary credentials and experience. The website works well on any device, and Calmerry also has iOS and Android mobile apps so you can use this platform from virtually anywhere.

Calmerry’s counselors provide professional mental health support via live video calls, and you can also use unlimited texting to exchange messages with your therapist. Usually, therapists reply once or twice a day. Along with professional online therapy, clients can also get access to various self-care tools, including a mood-tracking chatbot.

Pros:

• Background-checked, licensed therapists
• Weekly and monthly packages
• Unlimited messages, live video therapy
• 24/7 client support
• Free therapist switching
• Individual matching
• Free self-care tools
• Free app for Android & iOS

Cons:

• Therapy via phone calls is unavailable
• The platform is relatively new

Who Is It For?

Calmerry goes the extra mile to make sure that its employees are qualified, experienced, and familiar with various evidence-based therapy modalities.

Talk to therapists about:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Stress
• Self-esteem issues
• Relationship and family issues
• Trauma
• Grief and loss
• PTSD
• OCD
• LGBTQIA+ issues
• Abuse
• Eating disorders, etc.

No matter what kind of help you’re looking for, then chances are that you will find it on the Calmerry platform. Here, you can get help with self-esteem problems or try grief and depression counseling.

How Much Does Calmerry Cost?

Calmerry offers flexible subscription plans, and their prices largely depend on the number of live video sessions included. Clients can pay weekly or monthly. Prices start at $42/week, and this company also offers first-month discounts.

2. Talkspace

The platform Talkspace provides individual consultations, as well as couples and teen therapy sessions that can be accessed by all types of clients with troubles ranging from depression or anxiety issues that don’t need medical intervention to severe cases that require more intensive care and medication management.

Talkspace is endorsed by many celebrities so it’s a quite popular platform. Medication management, however, is the only thing that makes this platform stand out, and it’s not included in any of the subscription packages so it might be quite expensive for most clients.

Pros:

• Multiple subscription options: individual, couples, and teens therapy.
• Online psychiatry services
• A free consultation with a matching agent
• Unlimited text therapy

Cons:

• It may not be covered by insurance
• The matching process can take up to several days
• No refunds for the unused therapy time

Who Is It For?

Talkspace only hires licensed counselors who work with a wide range of mental health issues. They can help you with:

• Anxiety
• Trauma
• OCD
• Bullying
• Gender identity issues
• Depression
• Childhood abuse
• Chronic illness
• Relationship issues
• Eating disorders, etc.

How Much Does Talkspace Cost?

Talkspace has 3 subscription plans for individual counseling (messaging — $65/week, messaging + 1 live video — $79/week, messaging + 4 live videos — $99/week), couples therapy ($99/week), and teen counseling ($65/week). Initial psychiatry consultation costs $199, every consequent consultation is $125.

3. Online-Therapy

Online-Therapy is a nice platform to consider if you’re looking for comprehensive and user-friendly mental health tools. They have an 8-section program with 25 worksheets in each section, as well as videos of counselors giving advice on self-assessment and self-care, including yoga.

Pros:

• CBT therapists
• Wellness exercises
• Focus on independent and therapist-guided work
• A comprehensive mental health toolbox
• Additional assignments to improve the progress

Cons:

• Therapists are available only 8 hours on Mon-Fri
• You can’t text your therapist anytime having a basic plan
• No mobile app is available

Who Is It For?

Online-Therapy therapists are licensed and well-trained. Most of them practice cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). They can help you with:

• Agoraphobia
• Anger issues
• Anxiety
• Bipolar disorder
• Depression
• Insomnia
• OCD
• Panic attacks, etc.

What’s the Cost of Online-Therapy?

This online therapy platform gives 20% off for the first month with all 3 subscription plans:

1. Basic ($39.95/week). No live sessions. No therapist messaging at any time. No express replies.
2. Standard ($59.95/week). No express replies.
3. Premium ($79.95/week)

4. BetterHelp

BetterHelp is an online counseling service that provides affordable therapy to clients from all over the world. This company creates a safe, stigma-free environment and has over 19 thousand licensed therapists.

Pros:

• Webinars and groupinars available
• Financial assistance for certain categories of clients
• Multiple pricing plans
• Multiple communication channels

Cons:

• No live videos in the basic subscription plan
• Some customers complain about the unresponsive customer service

Who Is It For?

BetterHelp therapists are licensed to practice in their states and trained to help people with a wide range of mental health issues, including:

• Anger issues
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Family counseling
• Grief counseling
• Sleep disorders
• Trauma, etc.

BetterHelp also provides teen and couples counseling.

How Much Does BetterHelp Cost?

There are several subscription plans. The cost of one month of therapy starts at $65 per week ($260/month). This cost includes unlimited messaging. Other packages include weekly live sessions. Some categories of clients may also apply for financial aid.

5. 7 Cups

The 7 Cups platform is a nice option for people who cannot afford to see a therapist in person or are unsure if they need counseling, in the first place. The service allows clients to talk to trained peer listeners and join support groups with up to 20 participants. Such services are free, and you can also buy paid plans to talk to licensed counselors.

Pros:

• Free emotional support options (listeners and group chats)
• You can make new friends
• A monthly plan for professional counseling services is affordable
• Self-help guides

Cons:

• No video/audio sessions
• A confusing user interface
• Most therapists only reply once a day
• A small network of therapists
• Some listeners can be judgemental

Who Is It For?

7 Cups is a platform for people who are looking for emotional support or want to become part of a community. The platform provides a safe space for people to grow and share their stories without judgment. Users can join communities, like teen chat rooms or communities dedicated to stress, anxiety attacks, depression, and other common mental health problems. Besides, it’s possible to get professional mental health help from a licensed counselor.

What’s the Cost of 7 Cups?

You can join 7 Cups for free and talk to peer listeners, or you can pay $150 per month for professional counseling services with unlimited text messaging.

Conclusion

Mental health is a subject that affects everyone, and yet many are hesitant to seek help. Online therapy has proven to be effective in helping those who suffer from various mental health disorders, no matter where they live or how strict their work schedules are.

We know that choosing an online therapy platform may take some time so we decided to help you with our list of the top 5 platforms. If you want to learn more about the companies from our list, feel free to check out more detailed reviews on DrMental.org.