Sign Up Process

The signup process is pretty simple and just takes a few minutes.

Registration

When you begin the sign-up process (either via the website or the mobile app), you have to create a nickname and password, and provide a valid e-mail address. Once you’ve verified your email address, you’ll be taken to a personal chatroom where a “matching agent” helps connect you with an appropriate counselor.

You don’t have to use your real information with the “matching agent” or your counselor, in case you’re concerned about privacy.

Stating Details and Preferences

In the chatroom, the consultation therapist will ask you basic questions to help choose a counselor for you. You can mention what kind of issue you’d like your counselor to have experience with, such as career issues, anxiety, panic attacks, eating disorders, etc.

They will explain how the service works and enquire whether you’re interested in live sessions with your counselor, as their base subscription plan only covers counseling over text chat.

Payment

After the matching agent has explained some details about how the service works and answered any questions you might have, you will be redirected to a payment page. Here you can choose which subscription plan you wish to go for.

Talkspace will also ask for emergency contact information before you can start talking to your counselor. You’ll be requested to share the name and phone number of someone who can be contacted in the vent of an emergency, but this is stored in a private database and is only accessed if your counselor believes that you (or someone else) might be in danger.

Getting Matched With A Counselor

After you’ve finished the payment, the matching agent will list a few counselors that match your needs. You can choose the one you prefer and then you’ll be immediately connected to that counselor. If you don’t like any of the choices offered by the agent, you can ask for more.

If you live in the US, you’ll be matched with a licensed counselor in your state. Users from outside the US are matched with a counselor from any state.

Talking With the Counselor

The logistics of talking with your counselor depend on how you wish to speak with them. The primary correspondence happens in the chatroom itself. The room is there when you need it, to write as much as you want and as often as you want, not having to wait a week to let your therapist know what's going on.

According to their site, your therapist will log in 5 days a week to read and reply to new messages. You will get a response that will contribute to the ongoing conversation. You'll get up to 2 responses each of those 5 days a week, just depending on when you write within the therapist's business hours.

You can also have audio or video live sessions with your counselor once a week or once a month, depending on your subscription plan. To help give an idea of pacing, according to them, one week of messaging therapy is equivalent to one 30-minute face-to-face session.

The app and website are both easy to use. The private room with your counselor is not unlike most social media chatrooms, so it’s not hard to get the hang of it. There’s a clear space to begin typing a written message or you can press the microphone button if you prefer to send an audio recording.

Each time you write a message to your counselor, you’ll receive a message that lets you know when to expect a reply. Usually, your counselor will reply within the same day (sometimes even more than once per day).

You’ll also receive an email each time your therapist replies. If you’re using the app, you’ll also get a notification on your phone via the app.

Pricing

Talkspace operates via a monthly subscription. There are a number of different plans to choose from, depending on the duration as well as services offered. As of December 2020, they offer three main plans:

• Messaging Therapy: $65/week for unlimited messaging (no live sessions)

• Paid monthly: $260 monthly payment ($65/week)

• Paid every 3 months: $708 quarterly payment ($59/week)

• Paid every 6 months: $1,248 biannual payment ($52/week)

• Messaging + 1 Live Video: $79/week unlimited messaging plus one live 30-minute session per month

• Paid monthly: $316 monthly payment ($79/week)

• Paid every 3 months: $852 quarterly payment ($71/week)

• Paid every 6 months: $1,512 biannual payment ($63/week)

• Messaging + 4 Live Videos: $99/week for unlimited messaging plus four 30-minute live sessions per month

• Paid monthly: $396 monthly payment ($99/week)

• Paid every 3 months: $1,068 quarterly payment ($89/week)

• Paid every 6 months: $1,896 biannual payment ($79/week)

Talkspace also offers a psychiatry service for those interested in both mental healthcare and prescription management. The program is staffed by both psychiatrists and nurse practitioners. Talkspace Psychiatry does require an initial evaluation fee of $199, with follow-up visits priced at $125 each. It’s a nice feature for those that want it.

They report that a lot of their users pay for treatment via their HSA or FSA programs. Since there isn’t any contract, you can cancel at any time you’d like. However, you must purchase a plan for the entire month. So after a few days. if you discover that online therapy isn’t for you, you’ll still be charged for the entire month.

Before ending the subscription, they will offer to match you with a different counselor - so you can see if another counselor would be a better fit. But they don’t push you on it. And if you’d prefer to cancel right then, it just takes a few clicks.

Qualifications

According to Talkspace, they have over 5,000 therapists available who have all been background-checked and receive training specific to online therapy.

They are licensed, trained, experienced, and accredited psychologists (Ph.D. / PsyD), marriage and family therapists (LMFT), clinical social workers (LCSW / LMSW), or licensed professional counselors (LPC). All of them have a Masters Degree or a Doctorate Degree in their field. They have been qualified and certified by their state's professional board after successfully completing the necessary education, exams, training, and practice. While their experience, expertise, and background vary, they all have over 3,000 hours of clinical experience.

They also share each provider’s licensing information so you can check on your counselor’s credentials as well.

Wide range of specializations

Since there are so many providers on the platform and you can connect with anyone online, you have easy access to counselors specializing in a large number of areas. When you first sign up, you’re able to choose a lot of preferences when it comes to selecting the correct counselor for you. Some of them are:

• Anger

• Anxiety

• Career

• Chronic Impulsivity

• Conflict

• Depression

• Eating

• Educational Assessments

• Family

• Grief

• Intimacy

• LGBTQ

• Life Transitions

• Parenting

• Relationships

• Religion

• Self-Esteem

• Sleeping

• Social Behavior

• Stress

You can pick multiple items if that fits your situation.

In traditional therapy, depending on your location and requirements, it can be quite a headache to find someone who meets your specific needs.

Scope of Help

People who have issues involving depression, anxiety, substance or alcohol use are not prevented from seeking counseling on the platform, but the company is not legally allowed to provide treatment of diagnoses for any of these disorders.

According to their website, the therapy providers are not able to make any official diagnosis, fulfill any court order, or prescribe medication. It is advised that people with more significant levels of stress or symptoms not use Talkspace. Since they can’t actually help with treatment and medication, these users are recommended to avail in-person therapy options. There are some screening protocols in the signup process to help identify users with some of these more serious issues.

For instance, those who report having recent thoughts of suicide are prohibited from registering. People who might need more support than Talkspace can provide include:

• People who have been mandated by courts or other authority figures to get treatment for a mental health or substance use issue

• People who have been recommended or need intensive outpatient, residential, or inpatient treatment

• People who are having auditory or visual hallucinations

• People having thoughts of harming others or themselves

• People needing treatment for existing diagnosed issues

• People needing help with drug or alcohol addiction

• People needing medication for symptoms of withdrawal from a substance

• People looking for prescription medications or to change their medications

• People who have been diagnosed with Schizophrenia, PTSD, Bipolar, or a personality disorder

• People who are feeling unsafe or those in need of immediate help / crisis services

Talkspace does offer psychiatry services - they allow you to book with psychiatrists for an up-front cost - but there’s limitations there, too. While Talkspace Psychiatry offers useful services, it’s worth noting that the psychiatry providers are unable to prescribe controlled substances including:

• Adderall

• Ativan

• Xanax

• Concerta

• Librium

• Klonopin

• Ritalin

• Lithium.

Suffice to say, if someone is in need of serious help, treatment, diagnosis of mental health issues, etc., Talkspace cannot replace in-person treatment with a therapist.

Some good use cases of Talkspace are as follows:

• If you’re struggling with low self-esteem, self-doubt, lack of confidence

• If you’re feeling stuck or generally unhappy in areas of your life

• If you’re going through transitions or experiencing high levels of stress

• If you have mild symptoms of anxiety or depression

• If you’re looking for help with stress reduction

• If you want to learn healthier and more effective coping strategies

But the biggest advantages that Talkspace offers are due to it being an online platform with a huge number of providers. You have a lot of choices in selecting a counselor, don’t have to travel anywhere to meet with them in person, and it works even if you have a non-traditional schedule.

Some people even prefer talking through a phone or screen rather than in person.

Privacy and Confidentiality

Many people get concerned about the privacy and confidentiality of getting online counseling. One might be worried that your privately stored information and session notes could be accessed by a malicious person since everything is available online. However, even with traditional in-person therapy, your personal information and session notes will probably be stored on a computer or online. This is just as susceptible to attack as Talkspace; however, a hacker would likely have an easier time gaining access to your therapist’s office computer rather than Talkspace’s sophisticated firewalls.

Talkspace states that it’s Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)-compliant. It says that all communication between the software and the servers, including chat data, is encrypted. The Talkspace app also requires you to enter a password and lets you create a unique password for added security. You are unable, however, to delete chat transcripts, as they’re considered medical records.

In the chatroom, all messages you send and receive are encrypted. Their databases are also encrypted and scrambled so they become useless in the unlikely event that they are being stolen or inappropriately used.

In fact, Talkspace goes a step further than traditional counseling. It does not ask for your full name when you sign up and you can get counseling under a nickname.

Cost Comparison

The biggest difference when it comes to cost is that traditional counseling is charged by session, whereas Talkspace is a subscription service. Looking at the various subscription prices, and the fact that you can have one session per week, a 30-minute session on Talkspace roughly works out to ~$99.

In comparison, the cost for a traditional in-person counselor can be anywhere between $100 to $300 (or even higher) depending on a number of factors, including where a person lives and what type of counseling they are looking for. These fees are set by individual therapists and agencies, depending on a number of factors including location, cost of living, overhead costs, market comparisons, and variance in the experience, specialties, and types of counseling offered.

Some counselors do offer sliding scale fees - which basically means that they are willing to provide discounted rates to people who are unable to afford to pay full price. If the listed price is out of someone’s budget, they should ask about sliding scale fees, even if it hasn’t been advertised. Some insurance companies also cover Talkspace, and you can take their online assessment to determine your eligibility.

Health insurance coverage is a major factor in determining whether Talkspace is more or less affordable than other options. Because each plan is different, the only way to verify the cost for outpatient counseling is to call the insurance company or use their online portal to look up the details of your plan. You can also find in-network providers this way.

If you have insurance, it might be more affordable to see a therapist who is in-network with your plan for in-person sessions. Because of the recent COVID-19 pandemic, most insurance plans have extended coverage for online counseling, but this would mean working with a therapist not on the Talkspace platform.

Conclusion

In recent years, online counseling has become a lot more common, and this growth has accelerated due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is still a relatively new practice - continuing to define its identity and secure a place in the mental health industry.

Talkspace may make counseling possible in cases where there are barriers to other counseling options. These might include situations where a person is uninsured or has a high deductible plan and cannot afford the cost of traditional counseling, or in small or rural communities with limited treatment options. Online therapy might also be necessary for those who are homebound or without reliable transportation. Still, Talkspace is not the only option for online therapy.

It is important to note that because of the recent pandemic, almost all insurance companies have declared that they are extending coverage of telehealth sessions for counselors. So right now, there are fewer obstacles in accessing online therapy that is covered by health insurance.

So, before signing up for a site like Talkspace, it’s probably in your best interest to look into the details of your insurance plan to find out the coverage and cost of in-person or online therapy. It could be more affordable to find a therapist within your insurance network. This will also provide assurance that you will get a formal diagnosis and treatment deemed appropriate for that issue.

This becomes especially important for those who are seeking counseling for a more serious issue or if they have an existing diagnosis that they need treatment for. While the counselors on Talkspace are qualified to diagnose and treat mental health or substance use disorders, they are prevented from doing so on the platform.

This means people who are struggling with mental health or addiction issues might not get the help they need on Talkspace. Keep in mind that counseling is a service that you are paying for, and like all paid services, you should shop around until you find one that is effective, affordable, and proves over time to be a valuable investment.

BetterHelp

BetterHelp is the biggest major player in this industry. It’s even more popular than Talkspace. On first glance, the services offered by BetterHelp are very similar to what one can find on Talkspace. However, there are a few key differences.

Cost

The subscription prices look identical at first, but Talkspace has some additional fees for those who want live sessions with their counselor. On the other hand, BetterHelp’s price is all-inclusive. In the top tier plan for Talkspace, members are only allowed four 30 minute live sessions per month with unlimited messaging (5 days a week) at $396 per month.

BetterHelp offers weekly live sessions in their package at $260 per month.

Live Counseling Options

While you can get live sessions on Talkspace, it is not included in their “standard plan.” The standard plan only includes messaging services, similar to text.

Talkspace allows for a range of messaging options including sending audio files, video files, pictures, or text in a private chat room with the therapist. BetterHelp also offers messaging and chat services, but includes phone and video sessions in the normal subscription plans.

In other words, the main focus on Talkspace is on the messaging, whereas on BetterHelp it’s on the live sessions.

Insurance Coverage or Reimbursement

One thing that Talkspace has over BetterHelp is that they have started the process of partnering with insurance companies, EAPs, and large corporations. And so, some people are able to use their insurance to supplement the cost of their online counseling subscription, and some are even able to receive the counseling for free through their employee benefits program. Health Savings Accounts (or HSAs) may also be used for Talkspace, even if it is not covered by the insurance plan.

Psychiatric Medication

While both BetterHelp and Talkspace offer online counseling, only Talkspace offers psychiatric services. This includes appointments with doctors, psychiatrists, and other prescribing professionals who specialize in treating mental health conditions and addictive disorders using medication.

Since psychiatric services can be difficult to access due to a national shortage of trained providers, having this service available is a major benefit that BetterHelp does not provide. Appointments can be made online, but are billed separately from the user’s subscription. Current pricing is $199 for the initial appointment and $125 for subsequent appointments.

Matching

On BetterHelp, being matched with a counselor happens through an algorithm based on your responses to a questionnaire. It is possible to choose your own counselor, but is discouraged. Talkspace has a slightly more interactive process that involves talking with a real person and selecting from three options, instead of being automatically “matched.”

If you are unhappy with the options provided, you can choose to “get matched again,” providing another 3 options. Both BetterHelp and Talkspace make it easy to switch to a new counselor at any time, for any reason.

Cancelations and Refunds

Unlike BetterHelp, Talkspace offers an option to “pause” a subscription at any time for a 30 day period. Neither site offers refunds for unused time but on the FAQ page for Talkspace, it states that refunds are sometimes granted on a case-by-case basis. Whereas, the refund policy is not discussed at all on BetterHelp’s FAQ page. Both companies have complaints about their refund policy and billing errors filed on the BBB (Better Business Bureau) website.

Choosing Therapy

Another alternative to Talkspace is Choosing Therapy. This platform matches people with independent therapists for video-based therapy sessions. Users can filter potential therapists based on various preferences, specialty, experience, availability, etc. After narrowing down the search, clients can read therapist profiles which include photos and introductory videos to find the best match for them.

Unlike Talkspace which is subscription based, the therapists on Choosing Therapy charge per session with typical rates of $100 – $135.

Choosing Therapy offers a free therapist matching consultation performed by a licensed mental health professional or you search therapist profiles to find a fit on the Choosing Therapy Directory.

Relationship Hero

If you’re looking for help that is more focused on self-help, personality development, relationships and dating, rather than mental health; therapy might not be the best choice for you. While therapy and counseling can be helpful for practically everyone, it doesn't focus on achieving specific goals that you set for yourself. That's where Relationship Hero comes in.

It’s important to note that Relationship Hero doesn’t provide any help with treating mental health issues or disorders, and is not a suitable replacement for therapy.

Relationship Hero specializes in coaching you on dating, breakups, relationships, marriage, etc. We've helped hundreds of thousands of people meet their dating and relationship goals and the number grows every day. Your coach will give you personalized advice specific to your situation so you don't have to wonder what will work or not. They will work with you to figure out exactly what is the best strategy for you and tell you the exact steps you need to take.

We have hundreds of coaches from all over the world and offer coaching via phone or video calls, texting, or chatting on the website/app. Coaches are available 24/7, so you can have a session whenever you’d like. And since they're situated all over the world and have diverse backgrounds, you can be sure you'll find someone who is the perfect match for you.

You can pay per session or avail of the subscription, depending on your preferences. Paying per hour, it might cost you $100 to $120 depending on the specialization of the coach, but If you’re on a subscription, it can come out to be as little as $60 per hour ($30 for a 30-minute session).