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What to Expect from Online Couples Counseling

• How much does it cost? Counseling services can range from $75 to $450 per session or more. Some companies offer subscriptions for less than $500 per month.
• Who is it for? Couples, people in relationships, and individuals who want to work on their relationships independently.
• Will insurance cover it? Usually, couples therapy is not covered by insurance, but this also depends on the company and whether one of the people in couples therapy has a mental health diagnosis that is being treated.
• How do we meet? Many online couples therapy companies offer weekly sessions via video chat, phone, or text. In many cases, you and your partner can join the session from different devices.
• 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? You and your partner might find that you can work out your issues in a number of weeks, while other couples might need months or even years in therapy. As for how long you’ll spend in each session, the companies on this list offer sessions from 30 to 50 minutes each. 
• Does it work? Couples therapy, even online couples therapy in particular, has been proven effective, but you’ll only get out what you put in. If you come to therapy ready to do the work, you’re more likely to see success.

How I Review Online Therapy Services

I’ve spent three 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, but 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.

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. I collected 350 different data points in which 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.

How Do You Know If You Need Couples Therapy?

If you are having trouble communicating with your partner, if you find yourselves fighting a lot, or if you are disagreeing about important aspects of your lives, these are all great reasons to try out couples therapy. Working with a couples therapist can help strengthen your relationship by improving the way you talk to and interact with each other, practicing better ways of solving problems, and really delving into the issues that are repeatedly arising in the relationship. 

But couples therapy isn’t just for people whose relationships are on the rocks. Going to couples therapy can help even the strongest of couples understand each other better and get ahead of problems that might crop up down the road. It’s a great way to practice good communication and make sure that you and your partner are doing—and will continue to do—the best things for your relationship.

Paying for Online Couples Therapy

Some online therapy companies who provide couples therapy operate as subscriptions—you pay a certain amount monthly for a certain number of sessions in that month. Other companies are pay-per-session. The amount you pay might be fixed, or might differ depending on your location or the qualifications of your therapist.

It’s important to note that couples therapy is generally not covered by insurance, because it is usually not considered a necessary service. However, if one or both of you have a diagnosed mental health condition, you might be able to use your insurance to pay for your online couples therapy sessions.

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

What to Expect from Mental Health and Therapy Apps:

• How much do they cost? Therapy apps offering online therapy services can offer subscriptions for as little as $70 or as much as $480 per month, while mental health apps are usually free to download with premium subscriptions that you can pay monthly or annually. Mental health apps often offer free trials.
• Who are they for? Therapy apps can give you access to treatment for a variety of mild to moderate mental health concerns, such as anxiety and depression. Mental health apps can be a great resource for those who want to learn or practice mindfulness and meditation or who want to improve their sleep.
• Can I use them on Android or iOS? With the exception of Worry Watch, which is only for Apple products, all apps on this list are available on both Android and iOS.
• Will insurance cover them? Some online therapy companies with apps accept insurance, but mental health apps usually do not. Instead, you’ll pay out of pocket for a monthly, annual, or even lifetime subscription.
• How do I use them? When using an online therapy app, you can access all of its services (including video, phone, or text-based therapy sessions and additional resources) through the app on your phone or tablet. For more general mental health apps, download them to your phone or tablet and interact with their exercises, meditations, and other mental health services there. 
• Will they keep my information private? 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.
• Do they work? As with any venture, you get out of it what you put into it. If you do the hard work in therapy and regularly practice the techniques that an app is teaching you, you’re more likely to see results.

How I Review Online Therapy Services

I’ve spent months trying out the best and most popular mental health and therapy apps, offering everything from meditation to sleep help to mood tracking and CBT; I’ve also 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 for both online therapy companies and mental health apps.

App Testing

I had 23 testers try 29 different mental health apps for a month each. If an app offered a “pro” or “premium” version, we tried that along with the free version in order to get a greater understanding of all the app had to offer. My testers engaged with their app every day in order to test its services and understand the impact it had on their lives with regular, consistent use.

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.

Cost of Mental Health and Therapy Apps

The price of an app can vary wildly depending on the service provided. A therapy app that you access through an online therapy company will charge you the cost of a therapy session. Often, this comes in the form of a monthly subscription, which will cover sessions for the month along with any other materials or resources offered. Other online therapy companies with apps might charge you per session, meaning you only pay for one at a time, but you can still access those sessions through the app.

Other mental health apps, like meditation or sleep apps, also offer subscriptions, but at a much lower cost. While many apps are free to download and some are free to use, many charge for “premium” or “pro” versions. These could cost anywhere from $5 to $20 a month or more, and you often have the option to sign up for an annual subscription or a lifetime subscription for a lower monthly fee overall.

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

Recommending Christian Online Therapy Services

For this article, I examined Christian-focused online therapy and support resources and evaluated them by services offered, mission statement or statement of faith, and cost. I specifically highlighted resources that provided Christian mental health counseling as opposed to biblical counseling, which does not require the provider to be a licensed mental health practitioner.

I also consulted with a practicing Christian therapist for insight into Christian counseling services:

• Taihesia Lane, M. Div., M. Ed, LPC, a counselor at Cornerstone Christian Counseling

Firsthand Experience

I’ve spent the last three years testing and surveying real therapy users and reviewing their experiences to help rate and share the best online therapy services. 

I’ve had 65 different people sign up for talk therapy with 55 online therapy companies, publishing 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. This included testing BetterHelp’s Christian-based services.

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.

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. I collected 350 different data points in which 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.

You can see a full breakdown of our online therapy research and testing process on Verywell Mind. 

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