Teen Counseling is an online therapy site offering therapy services for teens aged 13-19 through online chat, text messaging and weekly live sessions. If your child is reluctant to start therapy or is unable to leave their home for it – virtual therapy can be an excellent solution.
In this day and age, many kids would also prefer chatting through an app as opposed to meeting face to face, so online therapy is often the most effective approach.
This TeenCounseling review will help you determine if the platform is the right place for you and your child. We’ll highlight everything good or bad about the site, and explain how to use and get the most out of it. Teen Counseling is a great place for teens to get help, and for their parents or guardians to receive the necessary tools to help them through that journey.
TeenCounseling.com is part of the Betterhelp therapy group, which is owned by the prominent public company Teladoc (NYSE: TDOC), the current Telemedicine leader in the United States. Betterhelp and all its subsidiaries are highly regulated and HIPAA compliant. They are well known for having one of the best customer service operations in the industry, as well as an excellent vetting process for new therapists applying to work on the platform.
| Year Founded | 2013 |
|---|---|
| U.S Based Company | Yes |
| Number of Licensed Therapists | 9,000 |
| Accepts Insurance? | No |
| Hipaa compliant | Yes |
| Therapy Modes | Text, Audio and Video |
| Available Treatments | Therapy For Teens Aged 13-19 |
| Average Price | $60 – $80 Per Week |
| Sign Up Time | Several Minutes |
| Response Time | 24/7 |
| Mobile App | Yes |
| Website | www.teencounseling.com |
| Customer Reviews | 97% positive |
| Our Editorial Rating | 4.5 Stars |
| Current Promotion | None |
Signing up and using Teen Counseling is extremely easy and straightforward. The first thing you’ll notice is that there are 2 separate paths you can take – one for parents and one for teens seeking help on their own. Both paths are actually quite similar with the only real difference being that for parents, they first meet and approve the potential therapist and are then given a link they can use to invite their kid to the platform.
Either way, the signup process begins by answering a quick questionnaire. You’ll need to provide details about the issues you are dealing with, a short demographic survey and what type of therapist you think will suit you the most. You’ll then be given a few therapists to choose from – the system recommends these automatically based on the answers you provided.
You can browse the profiles of those potential matches and see if you like any of them. If none of them match your expectations, simply request to get new matches – there are over 9,000 therapists on the platform you can choose from!
Once you select someone you like, you’ll have to wait until they confirm their availability. This usually happens within a day or less. Then, a private and secure chat room will be created where you will be able to talk to them directly.
As soon as therapy begins, parents do not have access to the private room. Sessions are between the teen and their therapists alone, and everything is completely confidential. Parents are able to speak to the therapist any time they wish and get updates on the treatment’s progress, but the therapist will only reach out to parents in case there’s an emergency and immediate intervention is required.
Teen Counseling currently has only one available subscription plan on offer. It costs $80 per week which is charged on a monthly basis. In return, you get access to unlimited chat and text messaging with your therapist as well as a weekly, 45 minutes long, live session.
There is also an option to request for financial aid, which can amount to as much as a 40% discount. You will be given the option before you make your first payment. Simply fill out a short survey to check your eligibility and you will get a response within a few seconds.
Teen Counseling unfortunately does not accept any type of insurance. You may contact your provider independently to check if you are eligible for coverage or not.
Teen Counseling is part of the Betterhelp network, which is known for having the best vetting process for new therapists wanting to join their various platforms. All therapists are licensed and hold a certificate from their state’s board, as well as a minimum of a Masters degree and at least 1000 hours of clinical experience. They are then provided with specific training to adjust to the requirements of online based therapy.
Most of the counselors on site are psychologists, but you can also find some family therapists, social workers and professional counselors. Our experience with therapists on the site have been overwhelmingly positive, and so were the user reviews we found online. Therapists are very responsive, make an effort to include the parents in the process as much as possible, and provide an overall supportive and safe environment for treatment and healing.
Teen Counseling therapists usually specialize in the following:
Please note that as of now, there are no psychiatric services available on Teen Counseling. Therapists are not able to prescribe any medication and are not the right choice if your kid is dealing with severe mental issues.
