The 5 Best Text Therapy Services

by with No Comment Dating Tips, Guide and Advice

Text-based therapy can feel like a lifeline, especially for people who aren’t comfortable doing video or in-person chats, or who live in therapy deserts—places where mental healthcare is hard to find. As a licensed social worker and former therapist, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend text-only sessions, but texting can be a great support to therapy seekers who feel more comfortable, for whatever reason, behind a phone. Thankfully, therapy via text has been proven to be an effective alternative to in-person or online therapy.

While it sounds straightforward, text therapy can take a few formats. For some, it involves conducting your therapy session entirely via text message, so during your scheduled session, you communicate with your therapist exclusively via messaging, not with a video or phone session. Otherwise (or in addition), many companies offer texting between sessions, where you can ask your therapist questions and get mid-week support if you feel like the wait for your next session is too long. There are even crisis text lines where you can get emergency help without having to talk to someone on the phone.

My list of the best text-based online therapy services covers all these formats, so that you can find the right company for your needs, right at your fingertips.

Compare Our Top Picks


Best for Text-Only Sessions

Talkspace


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talkspace

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People who want text-based therapy for both individual and couples

Yes, check to see if you’re covered

$69 per week for asynchronous text-only therapy, billed as a monthly subscription ($99 to $109 per week for subscriptions with live sessions)

Individual, couples, teen, psychiatry/medication management

Text-only sessions, asynchronous messaging

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Best for Anxiety and Depression

Brightside


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brightside

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People living with anxiety and/or depression and related conditions

Yes, check to see if you’re covered

$95-$349 per month, billed as a monthly subscription

Individual, teen, psychiatry/medication management

Asynchronous messaging

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Most Text-Based Options

E-Therapy Cafe


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e-therapycafe

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People who want multiple text-based options for communicating with their therapist

No

$55-$65 per session, including subscriptions

Individual, couples, coaching

Text-only sessions, email, e-journal, asynchronous messaging

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Best for CBT

Online-Therapy.com


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Online-Therapy.com

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People who want to try cognitive behavioral therapy

No

$60 per week for unlimited messaging, billed as a monthly subscription ($90 to $120 per week for subscriptions with live sessions)

Individual, couples

Text-only sessions, asynchronous messaging

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Best for Crisis

Crisis Text Line


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crisistextline

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People in crisis who are feeling suicidal or in danger of self-harm

N/A

Free

Crisis management

Live chat

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What to Expect from Online Text Therapy

  • How much does it cost? The therapy services recommended here range in cost from $55 per session up to $480 per month. Some peer-based services and hotlines are free.
  • Who is it for? For those living with social anxiety or agoraphobia, even video or phone sessions are uncomfortable or even impossible. Similarly, kids and teens who have grown up on technology might be more uncomfortable with face-to-face services. Or you might only have time for a therapy session on your lunch break at work, where a phone conversation might be overheard. In all these cases, text therapy could be a good option.
  • Will insurance cover it? Maybe. Some of the companies on this list accept insurance, and others don’t. I’ve indicated which companies on this list do.
  • Is it confidential? Be sure to read through any company’s privacy policy to better understand whether it is HIPAA-compliant (HIPAA is the law that protects personal health information) and whether it shares any private information with third parties; we recommend opting out of data collection.
  • What’s the time commitment? Sometimes you might start feeling better after just a couple of sessions, and other times you might need to see your therapist for a few months or even years.
  • Does it work? You get out of therapy what you put in. If you are dedicated to doing the work and tackling your issues, you’re likely to see success.

Text Therapy vs. AI

People are turning to AI, like ChatGPT, for mental health advice, guidance, and even therapy—but I’m here to tell you why that might not be a good idea.

First of all, the difference between text therapy and AI is that even though you’re communicating via text, in text therapy you are still talking to a human, and a therapist to boot. This is a trained professional who follows an ethical code and who, as they get to know you, will provide personalized mental health support.

All of the companies on this list employ real (read: human) therapists. This means that, even when you are communicating via text, you are always talking to an actual person. Not so, obviously, with AI—and this is where AI falls down on the job.

ChatGPT does not know you, and—worse than that—has been trained to be a sycophant, telling you what it thinks you want to hear. Where a human therapist can and will challenge your unhealthy or inaccurate ideas about yourself and others, you cannot count on ChatGPT to do the same. And as you get sucked in further and further to ChatGPT’s potentially biased responses, you can lose sight of any objectivity that an outside (therapist) perspective might have offered.

In addition, AI conversations cannot (and should not) take the place of human interaction. It might seem nice to have a “friend” in your pocket who tells you exactly what you want to hear, but there is so much to be said for cultivating and maintaining human connection, which can open you up to new experiences, help you practice empathy, and be there for you in-person for a hang or a hug when you need it.

While ChatGPT and other LLMs can certainly be useful for some therapy-related things, such as helping you organize your thoughts around a difficult subject, provide education about different therapeutic techniques, and assist you in developing a self-care plan, they should never be used to replace therapy with a real-life human therapist.

Paying for Online Text Therapy

Most of the services on this list operate as subscriptions, meaning you are charged for a month at a time for a certain number of sessions. Some services accept insurance (like Talkspace and Brightside), while others require you to pay out-of-pocket (but might be able to provide a superbill that you can submit to your insurance company for reimbursement). In some cases, like Talkspace, text-based therapy is the cheapest subscription option, while in others text communication is included in each option. Text chats with crisis services, such as the Crisis Text Line, are free.

How I Review Online Therapy Services

I’ve spent years testing and surveying real therapy users and reviewing their experiences to help rate and share the best online therapy services. You can see a full breakdown of our online therapy research and testing process on 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. Over the past three years, I’ve published 153 reviews (here are our reviews for BetterHelp and Talkspace, for instance). I had my testers try out each company’s therapy services, and if the company offered other services (like couples therapy and kid or teen therapy) we tested those too. 

I asked each tester to try each service for at least a month, which usually meant between two and six sessions at each company. I also asked testers to switch therapists partway through, if possible, in order to get a holistic idea of the offerings and quality of each company. My testers were located all across the United States and abroad, meaning I gained extensive information about each company’s services in a variety of areas.

Texting Services

When testing companies that offer text-based services, I made sure my testers tried this format as well as video and/or audio sessions. I paid special attention to how my testers felt about this type of communication—did they feel they could connect with their therapist this way, did they come away from the session feeling heard and supported, and the pros and cons about texting versus other session formats.

User Surveys

I surveyed more than 8,000 therapy clients who are currently using one of the 55 online therapy companies tested or who had used one in the recent past, as well as users of 27 different online therapy directories. I asked users to evaluate each company’s services, from their therapist’s qualifications to whether they found a therapist who met all their needs to how they’d rate the company overall—all told, I gathered 350 different data points. 

Why Trust Verywell Mind

Hannah Owens is Verywell Mind’s Mental Health Editor. Hannah is a licensed social worker with a clinical background in community mental health. She’s worked at programs treating those with serious mental illness, providing both individual and group therapy. In her time at Verywell Mind, Hannah has designed and run years of online therapy testing, overseeing and editing reviews of the top online therapy companies out there and writing and editing roundups of the best online therapy services based on our extensive and thorough testing. Hannah brings her unique combination of both clinical and editorial expertise to her work for Verywell Mind.

  • Licensed social worker since 2019
  • Clinical background in community mental health
  • Specializes in serious mental illness
  • Believes in the mission of online therapy to make mental healthcare more accessible

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Casual Dating and Its Impact on Mental Health

by with No Comment Dating Tips, Guide and Advice


Casual dating is dating outside of a committed romantic relationship. Put another way, it involves dating someone (and possibly engaging in physical intimacy or sex) without being engaged, married, or otherwise in a long-term commitment.

Casual dating can be considered a fun way to socialize or a stepping stone toward a long-term committed relationship, or it may be viewed as immoral, especially if extramarital sex is involved. Here we cover the reasons why people casually date, its mental health effects, and tips for making casual dating a positive experience.

Reasons Behind Casual Dating

There are many reasons people might choose to date casually. They include:

  • Practicing dating to get to know what one likes and dislikes
  • Taking things slowly before deciding if a commitment is wanted
  • Just getting out of a serious relationship and not wanting a commitment
  • Wanting to have fun without the pressure of a committed relationship
  • Wanting to keep emotional attachment to a minimum

There are many benefits of casual dating. We get to spend time with someone who likes us and who we like back, but we don’t have to worry about labeling the relationship or making any life decisions that revolve around the other person.

Casual dating can be a learning experience, too. Down the line, we may learn that we want to enter into a serious relationship with this person, or we may not. Either way, we are able to better identify our needs in a relationship and what we’re looking for in future partners.

Casual sex isn’t required to casually date and it’s important that both people respect each other’s boundaries surrounding sex and physical intimacy. If we do want to establish physical intimacy, casual dating can offer consistency in this respect as well (i.e., having sex with the same partner).

When it comes to casual dating, we get to decide our own experience. We choose how many people we date at a time, whether we want to engage in physical intimacy, and how often we wish to see the person or people we’re dating.

Effects of Casual Dating on Mental Health

Casual dating comes with potential positive and negative mental health effects. On the positive side, it can increase a person’s sense of freedom and independence. It may also relieve any feeling of urgency to find a partner and allow a person to focus on themself. Dating can even provide a boost in confidence and self-esteem.

That said, research on the mental health effects of casual dating is mixed. One reason is because people’s experiences can vary so widely. Another is that a lot of the research focuses on the mental health effects of “hooking up” or having casual sex without any relationship at all.

Casual Dating vs. Casual Sex

Casual dating is not the same as hooking up. Casual dating implies a desire to maintain a relationship, even though it is deemed casual. Casual sex, on the other hand, doesn’t demand any level of emotional commitment.

It’s possible that casual sex without any type of relationship (friendship, dating, or committed relationship) may increase the risk of negative health effects like anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem. However, the mental health effects of any kind of dating or sexual encounter depend upon the people and circumstances involved.

As long as we respect our own boundaries, belief systems, and values while also respecting those of others, we can decide whether we wish to proceed with casual dating or whether we’d prefer another dating style or level of commitment.

Are Casual Relationships Less Satisfactory?

Research suggests that, overall, casual relationships can be satisfying for many people, at least for the short term. At the same time, because some people may define them differently or have different expectations, they can also be confusing.

If the casual dating relationship involves sex, other studies indicate that the individuals involved can feel satisfied sexually. Research published in the Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality found that while sexual satisfaction was higher for people in married, engaged, or exclusive relationships, a positive link between casual dating and sexual satisfaction still exists.

Casual dating in and of itself doesn’t lead to an unhappy sex life.

Casual Dating and Divorce

Relationship psychologists and sociologists have long believed that casual dating and cohabitation before marriage lead to higher divorce rates. However, this connection is difficult to establish on its own as there are several possible confounding factors, and many studies show the opposite trend.

How we ask questions and to whom we ask questions about casual dating deeply influence the type of results we get on this topic. If we ask happy couples in both casual and married relationships, they will both show similar patterns of satisfaction and happiness. The same goes for unhappy couples.

Evidence that shows couples as less happy and more likely to divorce may be influenced more by the specific couples and not the couples’ relationship styles. Casual dating may or may not lead to higher divorce rates, depending on the person we are dating and the likelihood of a long-term relationship. Researchers can’t agree because the research is so varied.

Can Casual Dating Lead to Committed Relationships?

Researchers have begun considering casual dating as a step in a progressive relationship that may eventually lead to long-term commitment or marriage. In other words, casual dating tends to be an early step toward long-term partnerships.

In a world where traditional marriage is retreating, people use casual dating as a way to test sexual and relationship compatibility with potential committed partners.

These relationships often begin with a meeting or even hooking up. The two people may start going on dates, perhaps not exclusively at first. If there is compatibility, they may become exclusive, move in together, and eventually marry.

The difference between today’s casual dating and the dating styles of previous generations is that now, casual dating more openly involves extramarital sex. This may be why more conservative groups tend to denounce casual dating as undesirable. However, since non-marital, casual sex is widely accepted in modern societies, this attitude is less influential than it used to be.

Tips for Casual Dating

While there are no official rules when it comes to casual dating, there are a few guidelines to keep in mind to make the most of this experience.

Be Honest and Open

Casual dating may be more challenging if we experience a strong emotional attachment to someone we’re dating and they don’t feel the same way. For instance, we may want to only date that one person, but they want to be free to see other people.

Similarly, if we have sex with someone we’re casually dating, we may feel hurt or betrayed if we find out this person has been having sex with other people. For these reasons, it’s helpful to be upfront about our expectations and ask for honesty from the other person as well.

It’s important that both parties understand that the dating is casual—and that they’re each okay with this. Some conversation-starters might include:

  • Are we both free to date/have sex with other people? If so, do we want to know about it?
  • Is it okay if only one of us dates and/or has sex with other people?
  • If one of us develops feelings for the other person, would we be open to discussing this?
  • Is either of us expecting this relationship to become more serious later on? Is it okay if the relationship only remains casual?

Take the Relationship Quiz

This fast and free relationship quiz can help you discover if you may in fact be ready for a relationship.

Define the Boundaries

Casual doesn’t mean that there are no boundaries. Defining our boundaries requires considering what kind of behavior is okay with us and what isn’t.

Are there limits with regard to physical and sexual intimacy? If these limits are broad, what are the rules for staying safe and protecting each person from sexually transmitted infections (STIs)? Define these parameters in advance so each party knows what they are.

Watch Out for Jealousy

If someone involved in casual dating is having a hard time controlling feelings of jealousy, it might be a sign that they need to take a step back. Casual dating can also be tough for people who are prone to co-dependence or insecurity within a relationship.

Have Fun

There are a lot of things people can do together when casual dating. Consider planning dates around a fun activity, such as:

  • Meeting up at a coffee bar
  • Seeing a movie or music concert together
  • Going out to dinner
  • Taking dogs for a walk together
  • Window shopping together

Show Respect

Mutual respect is key for any relationship, casual or otherwise. If we go on a date or two and decide that the other person isn’t right for us, we need to let the person know in a kind and respectful way versus ghosting them or not being transparent about how we feel.

Use Dating Apps Appropriately

There are pros and cons of using dating apps and online dating services. On one hand, they can help establish that both people are looking for the same type of relationship before even meeting. On the other, stress and anxiety levels may increase if we spend a lot of time on them.

One way to avoid the latter is to set boundaries with our dating app use. For instance, maybe we only check our dating app for 15 minutes three days a week instead of checking it constantly, several times a day.

It’s also helpful to try to recognize if we’re relying on a dating app to provide us with validation, which can negatively affect our self-esteem. Additionally, while using dating apps, we need to stay safe by protecting our personal information and blocking anyone who sends offensive messages.

It may take time to find what we’re looking for, but we are worthy of having the type of relationship we want.

Summary

People who enjoy the sense of freedom that comes with casual relationships should allow themselves to enjoy this style of dating. Conversely, those for whom casual dating goes against their values may want to abstain from this type of dating and that’s okay, too. Casual dating isn’t for everyone.

What if we want to casually date but find ourselves being held back by limiting beliefs? It can help to talk to a therapist or qualified mental health professional. This professional can help address and potentially reframe our mindset on this type of dating, making it feel okay.


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