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Best Online Marriage Counseling

Medically Reviewed and Edited by 
Olga Kyrychenko, Psychologist

Most marriages go through difficult periods. It could be caused by the discovery of infidelity, financial hardship or the death of a loved one. But sometimes, there is no real “reason”. Sometimes, you just don’t feel connected or attracted to your partner, or maybe you don’t feel connected or attracted to yourself. 

A marriage is one of the most important relationship of any adult’s life, and requires a lot of work to maintain. Our list of the best best marriage counseling sites online will help you get on the right path to dealing with whatever issues you might have. In this article I’ll explain how to find the most suitable, budget friendly marriage counseling, how to make sure it’s effective, and how is marriage counseling different from couples therapy.

Top 5 Marriage Counseling Platforms 2023

Overall Best Site For Couples
Regain Review
Editorial Rating
98.2%
Pricing

$60- $80 Per Week

Promo

10% Off First Month

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Pros
  • Safe to use, operated by industry leaders
  • Therapists are always available and reply often
  • Only one person has to sign up
  • Financial aid programs
Cons
  • No option for 3-way live sessions
  • Doesn’t accept insurance, Medicare or Medicaid
Best For Individual Relationship Counseling
talkspace review
Editorial Rating
94%
Pricing

$65 - $99 Per Week

Promo

$80 discount on the first month

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Pros
  • Guaranteed response time 5 days a week
  • Affordable price and insurance accepted
  • Excellent customer service
  • One week free trial
Cons
  • Getting matched with a therapist can take a few days
  • No live sessions included in the basic plan
Best With Insurance
Amwell review
Editorial Rating
92.1%
Pricing

$99 - $119 Per Meeting

Promo

No Promo Available

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Pros
  • Works with many insurance companies
  • Can combine therapy with psychiatric treatment
  • Excellent customer service
  • Great quality of Therapists
Cons
  • Only live sessions - no chats or text messaging
  • Not as many therapists to choose from
Editorial Rating
82.3%
Pricing

$45 - $150 Per Week

Promo

Full Refund Even After 1 Session

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Pros
  • World class platform and app
  • Fantastic customer service
  • Free E-Books and video training
  • Refund on first 30 minutes if you cancel your subscription
Cons
  • the site only offers coaching and not therapy
  • More expensive than the competition & No insurance
Editorial Rating
81%
Pricing

$60- $80 Per Week

Promo

10% off first month

Hide details
Pros
  • Only therapy site 100% dedicated to LGBTQ+
  • Therapists are very professional, empathetic and reply often in chat
  • Affordable prices and financial aid program
  • 7 days free trial
Cons
  • Only one subscription plan
  • Can't choose your therapist when you sign up

Is Online Marriage Counseling Really Effective?

All forms of therapy and counseling can be very effective and even life changing. It ultimately comes down to finding the right therapist and fully engaging with them. 

The main disadvantage with online therapy is that the counselor is not able to observe the patient’s body language as fully as they could in face to face setting. However, virtual counseling works best for couples who have busy lives and cannot always get to a therapist’s office and is also useful for those who just don’t feel ready to open up face to face. 

Online marriage guidance can also be useful for couples who are no longer living together or are perhaps working away from home. The kind of issues that online marriage counseling can help couples with include;

  • Intimacy problems
  • Problems of communication
  • Attachment or separation issues
  • Problematic behavioral patterns
  • Trust issues
  • Conflict resolution
  • Growing together as a couple
  • Determining shared life and relationship goals

Please note that marriage counseling is perhaps not ideal for anybody who is in an abusive or “toxic” relationship. If you think that this describes your marital relationship, then it is better to seek help on your own.

Regain Counseling - Our Top Pick For The Best Marriage Counseling Platform

These days, most practicing therapists and counselors dabble in marriage counseling – after all, with marital breakdown so common, it is proving to be quite a lucrative niche. However, sometimes it is best to go and see the real experts and seek out a counselor or counseling practice that specializes in couples and marriage guidance.

ReGain is the dedicated marriage and couples counseling subsidiary of BetterHelp –  the biggest online therapy provider in the world today. BetterHelp recognized that marriage counseling demand was so high and the issues so unique that they decided to set up ReGain in order to provide fast, effective marriage counseling to as many struggling marital relationships as possible.

ReGain is the ideal online marriage therapy provider for couples who want to commence couples treatment with a qualified psychologist together. A ReGain subscription costs between $60 and $80 a week and includes live sessions (phone or video, your choice) as well unlimited text and chat messaging with your appointed counselor. 

One downside is that ReGain does not allow 3-way live sessions. So you and your loved one would have to be at the same location for video calls which could be a problem if you have separated or are working away.

If ReGain sounds like the solution to your marital challenges then, read our detailed ReGain review, or simply visit their site by hitting the button below.

Amwell - Virtual Marriage Counseling With Insurance

Like BetterHelp, Amwell is one of the most established names in the online therapy and telehealth space. Amwell boasts an extensive roster of therapists ranging from psychologists and psychiatrists to qualified counselors. They help patients with problems ranging from anxiety and substance abuse all the way to marriage guidance. 

Amwell is a great option for couples seeking marital help who have a number of “issues” going on such as depression, work stress or alcohol problems. They are also recognized by the widest number of health insurers – therefore if you can get your insurer to agree to pay for your marriage counseling then Amwell are a good option.

Keep in mind marriage counseling or couples therapy are often not included in insurance plans, even though Amwell tells us they often manage to get coverage for their patients. I suggest you first check with your insurance provider, or contact Amwell’s support team for guidance. You can also read our article about online counseling with insurance.

Unlike with ReGain, Amwell operates a book and pay method rather than a subscription. This means you only pay for what you need but you do lose out things such as unlimited 24/7 text chat support.

For more details, why not check out our full Amwell Review or visit their site just click on the button below.

Talkspace - Best for Marital Counseling on Your Own

Sometimes the problems a marital couple are experiencing are not primarily rooted in the relationship itself, but rather with the individuals who make up that relationship. For example, if your marriage is going through difficulties because you can’t stop drinking or gambling, then the simple truth is that standard married couples counseling may not be as effective as simply getting help with your addictions. 

Talkspace is a great online therapy provider for married partners seeking help as an individual. They specialize in primarily helping patients to work through their problems (be it stress, depression or PTSD) and then in helping them to reflect on how their issues are affecting their partner and the relationship as a whole.

Another big draw of Talkspace is that they are ideal for spouses who can’t convince their partner to begin marriage counseling right now but want guidance and counseling themselves. However, it goes without saying that marriage counseling can only really work when both parties are ready and willing to make it work.

Talkspace offer very affordable online marriage counseling, they accept insurance and they offer a wide range of therapists too. 

You can read more by checking out our Talkspace review or by hitting the button below to access their site.

Relationship Hero - Best Marriage Therapy App

Relationship Hero will try their best to save your marriage by helping you and your partner to search for the heroes inside of yourselves.

They are an organization specializing in relationship therapy (be it familial, corporate or sexual relationships) and as such, they have helped a lot of marriages. From this list the closest competitor is ReGain and like ReGain, Relationship Hero lets you choose from your own counselor from their long list of relationship therapists. However, some of their therapists are not fully qualified psychologists but just ‘counselors’; for this reason I did not give Relationship Hero the top spot.

Still, their service is affordable, they have one of the best apps in the teletherapy space, and you don’t have to pay anything until your first session.

If you want more information, then be sure to read our thorough Relationship Hero review.

Pride Counseling - LGBTQ Marriage Therapy

While ultimately, love is love and all relationships face the same challenges, there are still some issues experienced more acutely by non-heterosexual couples. As the name suggests, Pride Counseling provides online therapy and tele-counseling to members of the LGBTQ+ community. This could be with issues in “coming out” or it could be with marriage/civil partnership problems.

Pride Counseling is owned by BetterHelp and dedicated clientele and as such, the overall standard is very high. With this platform, you can choose a therapist who is a member of the LGBTQ+ community themselves or at least has a lot of prior experience in dealing with the community and gay issues.

If you need more details, then check out our dedicated Pride Counseling review or else just hit the button below to be taken to the site.

Online Marriage Counseling - Frequently Asked Questions

Who could benefit from marriage counseling?

Most people think that counseling is only ever a last ditch attempt to “save” a marriage but the truth is that this is not the case at all. Marriage counseling can be great for couples who are mostly happy together, but perhaps feel that their relationship has fizzled a bit or just lost focus. Marriage counseling can also be useful for long term couples who need finding the space to “grow”.

What is the best online marriage therapy site for long distance relationships?

Although we ranked Regain as our best overall pick, they are not ideal for long distance relationships as they do not allow 3 way, multi-participant sessions. Rather both partners have to be in the same location and using the same terminal. For this reason, Amwell is probably the more suitable pick.

Is there a Christian based marriage counseling site?

Yes there is. If you are looking for Christian faith based counseling, then check out Faithful Counseling.

Is there a free marriage counseling site anywhere?

At this time there is no free marriage counseling site. There are plenty of free videos and courses about marriages and relationships but nine of these are as effective or focused as having a dedicated counselor.

My Spouse is reluctant to start therapy. What should I do?

This is actually a fairly common scenario. It is not ideal if your partner is reluctant or refusing to even consider therapy and it may well be a sign that the relationship is in serious trouble. However, sometimes your partner may just need more time to come round to the idea. You could therefore consider beginning therapy on your own - even just a handful sessions could help you to decide what you need to do. Just please remember that nobody should ever be pressured into starting therapy. A patient is unlikely to fully engage with the therapy if they feel they are doing it up under some form of duress or coercion

How much does online marriage counseling cost?

The cost varies depending on which provider you use. As we saw, Regain offers a subscription option which costs between $60 - $80 whereas other services like Amwell operate a pay per session model. In all cases, online counseling is cheaper than face to face counseling.

Who offers the best online pre marriage counseling?

All of the providers we listed offer excellent pre-marriage counseling. They can provide couples therapy to partners who live together but do not want to get married, or even to divorced couples hoping to improve their relationship.

Final Thoughts

There really is no secret to a happy marriage. Every marital relationship is different and every spouse has different needs for themselves and varying expectations of their partner. But what is universally true is that a successful marriage rarely comes easily, it is something you will need to work at, and there will always be some rough patches and obstacles to overcome.

If you are considering marriage counseling, then please don’t feel somehow “ashamed” that you need help ‘‘fixing’ ’your relationship.  Rather, the fact you are willing to do whatever it takes to try to improve your marriage is testament to your love and dedication to it and to your partner.

If you haven’t found your preferred platform by reading this page, we suggest going through our full list of online therapy reviews, which has a lot of additional options for marriage therapy online.

 

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