What is online therapy?

Like traditional therapy, the goal of online therapy is to improve one’s well-being, reduce symptoms of mental health conditions like anxiety and depression, and treat their root causes. The primary difference is the medium: rather than attending in-person sessions, patients and their virtual therapists communicate via text, live chat, or voice or video calls.

Online therapy has many benefits over traditional in-person therapy, as it allows people who otherwise wouldn’t be able to make it to an office to access therapy. Even more attractive is the flexible pricing, which is typically more affordable than in-person providers.

Online therapy – also called teletherapy or virtual therapy – isn’t right for everyone. Individuals experiencing an acute mental health emergency, having thoughts of self-harm, or managing severe symptoms of conditions like schizophrenia may benefit more from intensive in-person counseling.

If you are in a life-threatening situation or mental health emergency, contact 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or 911 for help.

How does online therapy work?

You can access most of the best online therapy apps using your computer, phone, or tablet.

While every online counseling platform is different, you can expect your journey to look something like this:

1. You’ll start by filling out a short questionnaire regarding your current and past mental health, your reasons for seeking therapy online, and who you are as a person.

For example, you may encounter questions about your religious or spiritual beliefs, your gender identity and sexuality, or your relationships status. Of course, you won’t be required to answer any questions you don’t want to, but doing so can help a lot with the next step.

2. This step involves being matched with a therapist online. Some online counseling services provide you with a shortlist of online counselors to choose from, while others will match you with the therapist they think best meets your needs and preferences.

All online counseling apps allow you to ask for a new therapist if you feel you’re not making progress with your current one.

3. After you’ve matched with an online therapist, you can begin messaging them immediately. Otherwise, they might reach out to you to introduce themselves and explain more about their treatment approach.

Depending on the platform and plan you’ve chosen, you’ll also have the option of setting up a voice or video call.

The best online therapy apps offer a huge variety of specializations, making it much easier for you to find the right online therapist for your situation. These include the following:

• Family counseling, divorce, infidelity depression
• Infertility, pregnancy, postpartum, adoption depression
• Anger management
• Child or teen counseling
• Depression, anxiety, OCD, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder
• Religious and spiritual counseling
• Grief, trauma, PTSD
• Chronic pain depression
• Eating disorders, including anorexia, bulimia, and obesity
• Sleep disorders and insomnia
• LGBTQ+ issues

With the huge number of online therapists available today, just about every specialization is represented. Counsellors who conduct therapy online have the same accreditations as: in traditional therapy, including:

• Accredited psychologists (PhD. PsyD)
• Licensed professional therapists (LPC or LPCC)
• Licensed clinical social workers (LCSW/LMSW)
• Licensed marriage and family therapists (LMFT)