Looking for successful online therapy

August 15, 2018 6:55 AM

Which online therapy sites have you used and was it successful? I am interested in finding something for a college student with depression and anxiety because moving between home and school has made it too challenging to do traditional therapy.

I am particularly interested in them learning CBT (prior therapists always focused on talk therapy for the most part). I also thought online may be more flexible with their always changing schedule and time demands. If there are any to avoid, let me know as well.

posted by maxg94 to Health & Fitness (8 answers total)

Best answer: Wirecutter has reviewed online therapy services. (Sorry I don’t have personal experience.)
posted by bluloo at 7:02 AM on August 15, 2018

Best answer: Betterhelp.com is easy to get started with and includes messaging/emails and video sessions. I don't have long term experience, but it can be in place within a day. Student would need to participate and be willing to type and read the messages. You can specify CBT along with some other categories of request such as age. You are matched to a single therapist and can change upon request. Fees are quoted as a weekly price that goes down the longer the sign up period - something like $80/week if pay for one week or $45/week if pay for 3 months. It may be worth a try if you think your student will participate. You could ask that your student regularly schedule video sessions once a week or something like that. I've read that you can ask for a refund if it is not a good option within a short time, say 7 days I'd guess.
posted by RoadScholar at 7:17 AM on August 15, 2018

In case it's of interest: New Hampshire Public Radio's program The Exchange had a “Telemedicine in N.H.” episode (.mp3 link) last month, specifically covering online therapy during one segment.
posted by XMLicious at 7:55 AM on August 15, 2018

Best answer: I had really horrible experiences with both BetterHelp and 7cups. I don't think they should be allowed, honestly. You don't chat in real time and it's like they don't even read what you wrote when they actually respond.
posted by Violet Hour at 9:48 AM on August 15, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Mood Gym is a self-directed online CBT program for depression and/or anxiety developed by Australian researchers. It's free, and the student can start today and use it whenever. I've found it helpful in the past.
posted by momus_window at 10:53 AM on August 15, 2018 [6 favorites]

I also had a truly horrible experience with 7Cups.

My suggestion would be finding a trained therapist unaffiliated with a larger online therapy company that you like on Psychology Today, and then finding out if they offer sessions over phone or Skype.
posted by colorblock sock at 11:34 AM on August 15, 2018 [4 favorites]

I found my online therapist through Plus Guidance, and still talk to her when necessary over two years later.
posted by LoonyLovegood at 7:14 AM on August 16, 2018

I'm having an all right experience w/Talkspace -- been doing that for a year or so, because it was easier to fit in my schedule, & because it works for me to be able to send tons of messages in the middle of the night when I'm freaking out (previously with face-to-face therapy, I'd often find myself unwilling or unable to actually talk during the session, which is... less than helpful). You can ask therapists what modalities they use & request CBT if you want. Mine uses kind of a combo of CBT and DBT (the latter is more helpful to me currently).
posted by diffuse at 2:49 PM on August 20, 2018