Can You Find Free Online Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?

Cognitive behavioral therapy, often abbreviated to CBT, is one of the most popular and widely used forms of therapeutic treatment. It has been referred to as the gold standard in therapy practice, and research has confirmed its efficacy in addressing a range of mental health disorders and helping people resolve emotional, behavioral, and relationship concerns. CBT operates on the premise that a person’s thoughts can have a direct impact on their actions, which can then impact their life. To improve a person’s life and mental health, CBT can help identify and address unhealthy or unhelpful thought patterns. 

If you are interested in accessing cognitive behavioral therapy, you may be wondering about the cost requirements and the availability of online CBT.

Keep reading to learn more about these options and determine which one might be right for you. 

Ways to access free or low-cost virtual CBT

It can be important to note that it is unlikely that legitimate cognitive behavioral therapy will be offered at no cost to a client. Therapists are professionals, and they require payment for their services. If someone online is offering free CBT, you may want to proceed with caution, as it might be too good to be true. Though free online CBT may not be an option, there may be other ways to find lower-cost therapy treatments. In some instances, the therapy itself may not be free, but your insurance might cover any out-of-pocket costs. 

Insurance coverage for virtual CBT

Thanks to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA), insurance companies are now required to provide coverage for mental health conditions in the same way they provide coverage for physical health conditions. Insurance companies that are required to comply with the ACA and MHPAEA requirements include health insurance plans provided by an employer, plans under the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), plans offered through the public federal health insurance exchange, and many forms of Medicaid. If you have health insurance, the odds are high that your policy is required to cover mental health care treatment, including online cognitive behavioral therapy.

You may still face one of two obstacles when trying to use health insurance to pay for online CBT, including:

1. Some health insurance companies may not pay for cognitive behavioral therapy unless you have a diagnosed mental health condition and CBT has been specifically prescribed as a treatment for your diagnosis. If you are seeking cognitive behavioral therapy to help you navigate a life challenge or relationship concern (rather than a mental illness), your health insurance may not cover your treatment.
2. If you are seeking cognitive behavioral therapy online, you will need to find a mental health provider that is both within your insurance plan’s network of coverage and offers online or telehealth services. While these services may be covered by the insurance plan just as in-person services would be, not all CBT counselors offer online therapy.

When planning to use insurance to help offset mental health care costs, it can be helpful to call your company to confirm that coverage will extend to your preferred treatment and provider.

Note that even with insurance coverage, online cognitive behavioral therapy might not be entirely free. You may have to pay co-pays for each appointment out of pocket, or your therapist may charge additional fees that do not fall under the umbrella of insurance coverage. You might also be referred for additional treatment techniques or prescriptions that you may have to pay for. Still, finding therapy that is covered by insurance may be less of a financial burden than therapy that is not covered.

Albert Bonfil and the CBT blog

While learning more about cognitive behavioral therapy online is not the same thing as actually receiving online CBT, understanding the technique could help you start recognizing the maladaptive thought patterns that are leading to undesirable behaviors in your life. One free online resource that could help with this process is the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Blog run by Dr. Albert Bonfil. 

Dr. Bonfil is the director of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Los Angeles and a clinical professor at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). He works in the Graduate Clinical Psychology Program and specializes in training aspiring psychologists in the use of CBT techniques. The Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Blog regularly posts about specific problematic thought patterns, how to recognize them, and ways they may be impacting your daily life. Recent posts have included explanations of overgeneralizing, doom-scrolling, and catastrophizing as well as specific ways to adjust your thought patterns to address symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Dr. Bonfil and his colleague Dr. Suraji Wagage have also produced and published A Course in CBT Techniques: A Free Online CBT Workbook. The workbook is available for anyone to download for free and contains information on the theoretical background of CBT and how to incorporate CBT principles into your own life and thought patterns. Consider that completing the exercises included in the workbook is not the same as attending CBT sessions with a qualified therapist. Still, practicing the techniques may help to alleviate some of your symptoms.

Dr.Bonfil’s blog and workbook may be useful if you don’t have access to a licensed CBT therapist or are in the process of finding one. They may be helpful resources to keep handy while you contemplate the next steps for improving your mental well-being.

Finding cost-effective care

If you are seeking cognitive behavioral therapy online, you may consider looking into an internet therapy platform with a database of licensed CBT providers such as BetterHelp. Many of these services may offer an introductory discount at the beginning of your therapeutic treatment. Still, therapy will likely not be free beyond that initial trial period. Even so, the cost of accessing online therapy through such a platform can cost less than traditional in-person therapy. 

When searching for online therapy, you may come across websites that advertise free online CBT available on a long-term basis. Since free online therapy is typically not a sustainable business model, this kind of marketing could be a red flag. You may want to research the service and find out if the therapy they are offering is from licensed and credentialed therapists. Life coaches and wellness professionals are not qualified therapists. When looking for a specific kind of therapy like CBT, it can be vital to avoid anyone who is claiming expertise without the proper education or licensing. 

Research comparing the benefits of in-person and virtual counseling

According to scientific research, there may be no difference in the effectiveness of online therapy compared to traditional in-person therapy (provided you are receiving these services from a credentialed mental health professional). One study found that online therapy based on CBT techniques had comparable outcomes to in-person therapy, and online therapy exceeded the researchers’ expectations. Participants experienced a reduction in their symptoms of depression. Specifically, 53% of online participants and 50% of in-person participants no longer met the diagnostic criteria for a depressive disorder. Finding an online CBT therapist through a vetted and legitimate online therapy platform like BetterHelp could be a way to access online CBT at a lower cost.