Best Online Therapy Options

Before online therapy became an option, to see a therapist, people usually had to take time out of their busy schedules, tackle traffic to get to an office, and spend time waiting for their appointment to begin. These factors are often an inconvenience and can become a barrier to spending time with therapists. Online therapy allows for the convenient option of working with a licensed mental health professional from the comfort of your home via secure chat, phone, and video sessions.

With online therapy, you can meet with a therapist at times that are convenient for you. You can eliminate travel time, wait times, and the stress of traffic or public transportation.Importantly, you can find a therapist who is best suited to your specific needs and lifestyle. You can choose to work with a provider for individual therapy or for couples therapy. Online licensed mental health professionals can work with you to address your individual areas of concern or desired areas of growth. As a treatment method, it has proven efficacious for treating a wide range of mental health disorders and helping people cope with varied life challenges. Examples include addressing mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder; working on relationships; managing grief or loss; developing healthier behaviors; setting goals for healthier thoughts, feelings, and behaviors; managing grief or loss; or working on topics like career or school exploration or life transitions.

When you're seeking online therapy, making sure your therapist is a licensed mental health provider can be the best first step. That way you’ll be confident that you’re on the path to finding the support you’re seeking—support from a professional who has expertise in the areas you’d like to address.

Mental Health Disorders Are Common—Online Therapy Can Help

According to the American Psychiatric Association, nearly one in five adults in the United States is living with a mental health condition. One in twenty-five people has a serious mental health disorder, and one in twelve people has a diagnosable substance use disorder. About twenty percent of Americans are living with anxiety, depression, and other mental health concerns.

Mental health disorders are very common. They are also very treatable. The vast majority of people living with a mental health concern are able to function in their daily lives. Effective treatments can help people successfully handle their mental health.

Seeking treatment for a mental health concern is a sign of strength and resilience. Just as there is noshamein seeking help for a physical health issue, there should be absolutely no shamein pursuing treatment for mental wellness. In fact, it can be the smart, responsible thing to do.If you broke your arm,you would likely quickly seek advice and treatment from a professional healthcare provider. If you are living with a mental health concern, seeking help and treatment from a licensed mental health profession can be similarly important.

Online therapy is a positive option to bridge the gap between people living with mental or behavioral health concerns and effective treatment and professional care.

Today's clients who are seeking mental healthcare can get help by chat, phone, and video sessions, from wherever they have an internet connection. Reputable online counselingcan help people immensely with mental health concerns.

Best Online Therapy Options To Try

BetterHelp

BetterHelp specializes in online therapy for mental health concerns. A mission of BetterHelp is to make therapy with a mental health provideraccessible, affordable, and convenient so that more people can access the help theyneed. This leading therapy platform offers numerous, confidential therapy options with licensed mental health professionals.

Benefits of BetterHelp include:

Working with therapists who are experienced licensed mental health professionals:

• Therapists who partner with BetterHelp must meet high standards of professionalism and licensing.  
• Each mental health professional who works with BetterHelp is an experienced licensed clinical social worker, licensed marriage and family therapist, licensed professional counselor, or licensed psychologist. 
• All therapists on BetterHelp are experienced and hold an advanced degree in their field (a master’s degree, doctoral degree, or both). 

• BetterHelp has a careful procedure to verify that every mental healthcare provider on the platform is up to date on their licensing and in good standing. Licensing information is available for users to view in an easy-to-find format. Therapists go through a thorough process of providing documentation of identity and licensure. Their licensing and identity are cross-checked by BetterHelp through the state licensing board that issued the license.   
• All therapists on BetterHelp must successfully complete a case study exam and are evaluated in a video interview. 

Connecting with a therapist who is a good fit for you:

• An important goal of BetterHelp is to help people find a therapist who best suits their needs and preferences.
• BetterHelp can match you with a therapist who fits with your goalsand the types of issues you would like to address.
• The matching process may take just a few hours or a few days.  
• Therapists at BetterHelp are trained in a variety of therapy disciplines and can provide a wide range of therapy services, including treatments for concerns related to substance use, panic, stress, parenting, anxiety, depression, relationships, disordered eating, sleep, anger, family, grief, loss, self-confidence, trauma, career goals, life transitions, and more.

Assurance that BetterHelp prioritizes privacy:

• BetterHelp provides a safe, secure platform for users to interact with therapists and counselors. The platform utilizes banking-grade 256-bit encryption.
• All therapists on BetterHelp are HIPAA compliant. They follow the national standards of the HIPAA Privacy Act to protect individuals’ medical records and health information. HIPAA requires appropriate safeguards to protect privacy, and all of the providers on BetterHelp use these safeguards to ensure and honor clients’ privacy.  
• You may find you have greater control over your privacy. After all, you can connect with your therapist from your home (or wherever you feel comfortable). 
• BetterHelp does not sell clients’ data. BetterHelp is committed to privacy, security, and confidentiality. 

Convenient options for accessing your therapist:

• You have access to unlimited messaging with your therapist, whenever you want. Once you are matched with a therapist according to your personal needs and what you're looking for, you will both get a secure and private "room" where you can communicate. The room is open 24/7, so you can choose whenever you want to write to your therapist about issues that are concerning you, ask questions, or talk about the things going on in your life. You will get notified when your therapist replies, typically within a day.
• You will alsobe able to schedule live sessions with your therapist. You can connect via live chat, phone call, or videoconferencing in realtime.

ReGain

ReGain specializes in providing support and resources for relationships. The ReGain platform is one of the United States' leading couples therapy platforms. The popular platform specializes in therapeutic services to help couples or individuals find support for relationships. Therapists can offer guidance for strengthening relationships,improving communication, and learning healthy steps to move forward after a breakup or a relationship change.

Therapists on ReGain are licensed mental health providerswho have expertise in relationship counseling. They may be licensed marriage and family counselors,practitioners whoutilize cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), orprofessionals who specialize in other therapy methods.

ReGain Online Therapy Features At A Glance:

• Phone, video, and audio sessions
• SMS text message sessions
• Secure, encrypted chat room
• Discreet, affordable, convenient relationship therapy from the comfort of your home (or wherever you have a strong internet connection)

Online Therapy Allows You To Get Help Today

Top therapy sites are available to you. Online therapy is a convenient option for working with a licensed therapist for professional support and guidance.Not only can you connect from any place where you have an internet connection for video or phone sessions with your therapist, you can find other convenient ways to communicate with them. For instance, rather than waiting until the next session to connect with your therapist, you can message them online between meetings. You can also use helpful online tools like online journals that you can keep confidential or share with your therapist. How you use online therapy for mental health care is up to you. But remember that it's an effective, accessible form of treatment.

One of the advantages of online therapy is how easy it is to sign up and start treatment.For example, once you sign up with BetterHelp, you’ll simply answer some questions so that you can be matched with a therapist who matches your needs and preferences. Taking that first step to sign up can feel empowering—it can be the beginning of a positive journey towards healing or finding more productive ways to live.

Below are some commonly asked questions on this topic:

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