Founded all the way back in 2009, Online-Therapy.com is one of the longest standing, most reputable therapy platforms online. Prioritizing quality over quantity, this site has managed to maintain an impeccable reputation and help tens of thousands of Americans find the help they need.
In this Online-Therapy.com review we’ll try and show exactly why we like this platform, and how it differs from its main competitors – for better or worse. While we do feel Online-Therapy.com is a great place to consider as your first stop for getting help online, it’s by no means perfect or suitable for anyone. We encourage you to read this review carefully and compare online therapy sites first, before making your choice.
Online-Therapy.com is owned and operated by CRN Solutions AB – a privately owned company based in Sweden. Founder and current CEO Carl Nordstrom read many studies which suggest CBT is just as effective online as in person – and thus decided to create a platform dedicated solely to that specific treatment method.
Even though they are based in Europe, the company has an extremely strong U.S presence. Celebrity psychologist Dr. Elizabeth Lombardo (who has been featured 100s of times on TV) is in charge of their training and learning operations, and she also offers her counseling on the site. Online-Therapy.com itself was reviewed and recommended on trusted media outlets such as CBS on numerous occasions.
| Year Founded | 2009 |
|---|---|
| U.S Based Company | Main office is in Europe, but it serves U.S clients and therapists are mostly American as well |
| Number of Licensed Therapists | 75 |
| Accepts Insurance? | No |
| Hipaa compliant | Yes |
| Therapy Modes | Text, Audio and Video |
| Available Treatments | CBT Only and No Teen or Couples Counseling |
| Average Price | $39.99 – $80 Per Week |
| Sign Up Time | 2-3 Minutes |
| Response Time | 24/7 |
| Mobile App | Yes |
| Website | www.online-therapy.com |
| Customer Reviews | 95% positive |
| Our Editorial Rating | 4.5 Stars |
| Current Promotion | 20% Off For The First Month |
Online-Therapy.com has one of the quickest and most intuitive signup processes out there. It will literally take a minute or less for you to complete it. All they do is ask what issues you are dealing with, and what type of therapists you feel would suit you the most. Then you are prompted to provide a nickname, password and email address – and your registration is complete.
This allows you to remain completely anonymous while interacting with your chosen therapist. You don’t have to share any additional information with them aside from the nickname you have chosen while signing into the platform. When you complete the process, you’ll immediately be matched with an available counselor based on the information you just provided.
You’ll be able to view your potential match’s profile, as well as read reviews written by their past clients. If you are not unhappy with the match suggested to you, all you have to do is click the ‘change therapist’ link and you’ll be presented with a list of all available therapists on site.
We really like the way they handle this and how easy it is to choose your own counselor and switch between any number of them – it is quite different than what other sites normally do, trying to hide this feature and making you have to contact support to make a switch or even just to be able to choose a therapist by yourself.
On the other hand, this is also where Online-Therapy.com’s weakest point really comes to light. At some instances, our testing team was only able to see 10 available therapists to choose from. This is due to the overall low number of counselors working on the platform, as well as the system only displaying what they believe are good matches based on the answers you provided.
Once you find an appropriate therapist and are ready to begin, you will need to select a plan and subscribe to it. It’s worth mentioning there’s no time limit – you are free to browse the site and think for as long as you want before committing to anything. When you are ready to begin, you’ll get access to 24/7 live messaging with your therapist 5 days a week, a weekly live session, and a bunch of extra tools and features available on the site.
One of the things which really sets Online-Therapy.com apart from their competitors is the wealth of resources they provide their users. These are all free to use as long as you subscribe to any of their plans. The advanced dashboard gives you access to the following:
Online-Therapy.com is one of the most affordable therapy sites there is. They offer a flexible subscription module which allows you to select the most effective package for your needs. Both their basic and standard plans are the cheapest on the market.
We realize the terminology used by the site can be confusing and you might not be entirely sure exactly what type of services you’ll enjoy with each package. If that’s the case, we encourage you to first read our available treatments section right below this one for a more detailed explanation.
Online-Therapy.com currently does not work with insurance providers, or offer any type of financial aid. You may contact their support team and they’ll try and help you with tips on how to contact your insurance company directly, as well as provide you with all necessary documents to do so.
Please note that even though pricing is per week, billings occur on a monthly basis. The subscription is automatically renewed each month – so make sure you cancel it if you don’t plan to use their services any longer.
As mentioned already, Online-Therapy.com therapists only offer CBT or similar behavioral based treatments. These are highly effective in dealing with specific problems you are facing, but less so if you are looking for a more holistic, long term treatment.
As such, the site’s services are tailored to accommodate the techniques used by its therapists. The basic plan gives you no access to direct messaging or live sessions – your counselor will only add daily notes based on the info you provide through your worksheets and journal. Subscribing to the standard plan adds in an option for direct text messaging, as well as a weekly session once a week.
All therapists are reviewed and approved by the Online-Therapy staff before they are able to offer their services on the platform. They are required to present credentials which include a Masters degree or PhD in relevant fields, state board’s certificate and at least 2000 hours and 3 years of clinical experience.
Online-Therapy.com counselors offer help dealing with the following problems:
There are no psychiatric treatments available and therapists can not prescribe any medication. Online-Therapy’s website says group and couples therapy is soon to be added – but as of now only private sessions are available.
