Best Online Family Therapy

LifeStance Health is an online and in-person therapy service that offers mental health care and resources for numerous issues including families and individuals of all ages. The company was founded in 2017 by Michael Lester, Gwen Booth, and Danish Qureshi, with the goal of providing accessible nationwide mental health services. The company accomplishes this goal through both telemedicine and in-person patient care. LifeStance Health currently employs more than 5,200 healthcare professionals which include psychiatrists, psychologists, therapists, and nurses.

LifeStance Health is our best overall choice because of the company's effort to make mental health services for families both more accessible and affordable. It offers care for all family members together and individually. These options make it a great choice for the constantly evolving needs of a family.

Read Verywell Mind’s full review of Lifestance.

If you chose to pay out-of-pocket, the website lists therapy costs ranging from $75 to $300 per session. These prices are based on your location, your clinician’s qualifications, and the type of therapy. Typically, family therapy is more costly than individual therapy sessions since it can be difficult to get your insurance provider to cover the sessions. 

It is in-network with most major medical insurance providers, making it more financially accessible to those insured. Prior to selecting your therapist at Lifestance, you can see if your insurance plan is accepted.

Lifestance was given a glowing 88% overall positivity review, 73% felt their provider was able to meet most of their needs, and 90% of users found their therapist to be well-qualified.

Talkspace is an online therapy service that offers therapy services to individuals, couples, families, and teens; it's a great option for most family needs. The co-founder of Talkspace, Roni Frank, intended to create a therapy service that was both affordable and highly accessible. Since its start in 2012, Talkspace has become one of the largest online therapy services. On average, it serves over 60,000 therapy seekers each year and has totaled over 1 million users during its 10-year run.

Its subscription-based fee models include options to communicate with a mental health professional at any time through text messaging, voice calls, and video chat.

Users may select one of three plans available: text message-based therapy, live video sessions, and a mix of the two. Medication management and psychiatry services are available separately and priced differently.

To begin therapy at Talkspace, users complete some basic intake information, which includes a simple questionnaire and insurance information. Upon completion of the intake forms, the company will match you with a therapist. Matches are made based on the reported needs and preferences of users. Its website also guarantees that services can be paused or canceled at any time. Currently, no free trials are offered.

Talkspace offers three different subscription options, all priced differently:

Messaging Therapy ($69): Message your therapist anytime. Daily responses 5 days a week

Video + Messaging Therapy ($99): 30-min video sessions and messaging. Send messages and schedule video calls

Video + Messaging + Workshops ($109): Get access to everything Talkspace offers. Send messages, meet live, and attend weekly workshops

Additionally, both couples and teen therapy services are typically $109 per week and include four live 45-minute sessions per month.

Psychiatric services are in addition to talk therapy. To start, there is a $249 initial evaluation cost, then $125 for every subsequent visit.

Ninety percent of Talkspace users surveyed responded with an overall positive rating, describing the overall service as good, very good, or excellent; 83% reported that they would likely recommend Talkspace to others. Additionally, 92% of users felt their therapist’s qualifications were excellent, very good, or good.

Talkiatry is a telehealth psychiatry practice that connects adolescents, teens, and adults with licensed psychiatrists and is designed to diagnose and treat patients. Talkiatry is not intended for talk therapy. Psychiatry services can include treatment plans and medication management. After the first initial assessment, most psychiatry appointments are conducted every four weeks but this varies on a case-by-case basis.

While Talkiatry does not offer therapy services on its own, they do have sessions available in addition to psychiatric services for cases that warrant it. 

Overall, Talkiatry is intended to be a user-friendly and convenient service. Its sessions are easy to schedule, and its psychiatrists were rated as highly responsive by our users. Its prescribers will also send prescriptions to your designated pharmacy.

With Talkiatry, there is no monthly subscription fee. Each session is paid for at the time of service. Session costs are based on insurance coverage and copay charges. There are no out-of-pocket options for those uninsured.  

Additional costs could include a $100 cancellation fee if you fail to cancel at least 48 hours before your appointment. Medication/prescription costs are also in addition and contingent upon your medical insurance coverage. Based on reports from our survey, 69% of Talkiatry users could get at least a portion of their care covered by insurance.

Talkiatry received a glowing overall positivity score of 95%. Similarly, 87% of users reported that they would recommend Talkiatry to others. When asked specifically about their psychiatrists qualifications, 86% said that they were either excellent, very good, or good. Eighty-one percent were either satisfied or very satisfied with the choice in psychiatrists.

Founded in 2013, Teen Counseling is an online therapy company owned and operated by the larger therapy company, BetterHelp. It serves teens between the ages of 13 and 19.

Its licensed therapists provide teen therapy sessions through a variety of modalities including messaging, live chat, live phone, or live video. Therapists at Teen Counseling are all experienced with the common issues that most teens face, including depression, anxiety, relationships, bullying, and trauma.

After answering a few short questions, teens are matched with a therapist with a specialization that meets their individual needs. Teens and their parents can attend sessions separately, together, or a mix of the two. All sessions are confidential as long as safety is not a concern.

Teen Counseling offers a monthly subscription fee model. This is similar in structure to its parent company BetterHelp. It only offers one plan, which includes four live online therapy sessions, coupled with an unlimited messaging feature.

Unfortunately, the company is not very transparent about its costs. With some digging, we found that on average, the weekly cost of therapy ranges from $60-$90, to be billed monthly. The website explains that therapy costs are based on a combination of location, preferences, and availability.

Our survey respondents reported that 85% had an overall positive experience with their matched therapist, and 76% reported that most or all of their needs were met. However, because therapy sessions at Teen Counseling are only 30 minutes in length, the brevity of these sessions can inhibit the quality of care and ability to form a relationship with a provider. On average, Teen Counseling did not rate as high as some other companies when it came to therapist understanding and care.

Thriveworks was founded in 2008 and has grown exponentially since, including adding children’s TherapyLand ultimate play therapy centers in some US state. The company serves 46 states and employs a large base of therapists, psychologists, and psychiatrists. This wide range of services and locations makes it a great choice for families seeking group and individual care.

The website is easy to navigate and offers extensive filters when searching for a therapist. Most commonly, families use filters to set location preferences, in-person or virtual session therapist capability, and service type (individual, teen, couples, family, etc.).

Thriveworks is also available as an app, which can make searching and scheduling even easier. Additionally, all sessions are conducted in person or via live video Zoom sessions, requiring only a tablet, smartphone, or computer with video capabilities.

Our survey results reflected that 69% of our users found their website to be easy to navigate, and 68% reported that it was relatively easy to find a therapist.

Thriveworks has a pay-per-session model. Each therapy session varies based on the type and the clinician you choose. The range spans from your copay if using insurance to $99-$130 per session without insurance.

Thriveworks is in network with most major insurance providers and has this as a filter option when searching for your therapist to easily verify your insurance eligibility.

On the whole, Thriveworks received glowing reviews from our survey respondents. Impressively, our survey users gave the company a 90% overall positivity rating. Similarly, 89% of users were pleased with the number of providers available to them, with 68% reporting that it was relatively easy to find a therapist. Our survey users reported that only 47% found the services to be affordable, and of our 105 users, 67% found that Thriveworks was covered by their insurance, though not all were attending family therapy.

Little Otter is an online therapy company that offers mental health services for the whole family. Finding quality virtual care for young children can be a real challenge, and Little Otter fills that void (albeit in a limited number of states) through expansion, which is a major focus for the company.

Even for those not able to use its therapy services in their state, the website houses extensive resources that include a blog with regularly updated posts, a page full of additional resources addressing specific concerns, assessment quizzes, and a page to “Ask a Child Psychologist” a question for free where you’ll receive a personalized response.

Primarily, it offers personalized pediatric mental health care and psychiatric services that aid in early intervention practices, from sleep training to early-teen mental health needs. There's also parent training and support, couples therapy, and psychiatric services including medication management. Little Otter serves only 11 states, but that is impressive considering that it just recently launched in 2021, founded by Helen Egger, M.D., and her daughter Rebecca Egger.

Services with Little Otter are paid one of two ways: pay-per-session, or through session bundles. There is no subscription fee. The plans offered are as follows:

• Initial “welcome” session: $20
• A session with a therapist: $200
• Bundle : $2,040 for 12 sessions ($160 per session)
• Psychiatry evaluation: $500

The Kelp chatline is an additional parent resource that is available to parents, granting them access to mental health experts for behavioral support during business hours. This feature is subscription-based and runs $29.99 per month. 

Little Otter received an overall positivity rating of 75% from our respondents, and 79% felt that their therapist was well-qualified. Even better, 81% found this service to be better than companies that they had previously used. Our survey reflected that most of our users found this service to be costly, with only 54% finding it to be relatively affordable, and 72% finding the services to be of good financial value. Unfortunately, the high cost of this service, paired with the fact that it does not accept insurance, can be a barrier to care. 

Octave is a virtual therapy service founded by Sandeep Acharya in 2018 with the goal of making mental health care more accessible for everyone. According to its website, its name comes from the musical term that describes a collection of musical notes. Applying that to mental health care, it is intended to represent therapy services that “can be tuned to each person’s unique needs.”

Octave offers individual, couples, and family therapy options for anyone over the age of 18, making it a great option for families with grown children. It can be utilized for parents and their adult children, adult siblings, or a combination of the two.

The website boasts that it is well-equipped to counsel patients experiencing relationship tension, family conflict, trauma, depression, anxiety, and anger management.

Octave serves residents of California, Connecticut, Florida, New Jersey, New York, Texas, and Washington D.C. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, only virtual sessions are available.

Octave offers a pay-as-you-go fee model. The session costs vary based on the type of service, location, and clinician. To get an accurate idea of cost, therapy seekers can utilize the cost estimator on its website. Exact costs are presented after you are matched with your therapist.

On average, individual therapy sessions range from $170-$250, while couples and family therapy run $190-$275 per session. All these costs can be offset by insurance coverage, which can vary based on your individual plan.

The results from our survey users reflect that 89% found therapy at Octave to be relatively affordable, with only 8% finding it to be not at all affordable. Additionally, 44% of our users were able to find at least partial coverage with their insurance provider.

Our survey respondents reported an overall positivity rating of 71%. Seventy-five percent found their provider to be well qualified, and 82% felt that their provider was able to meet their therapy needs. Additionally, 88% of users who had used other therapy services found Octave to be of better quality.

7 Cups was founded by clinical psychologist Glen Moriarty in 2013. His intent was to create an online platform that people could use for emotional support and understanding, with a lesser emphasis on therapist-based treatment. The company has over 300,000 trained listeners who monitor its variety of mental health chat rooms.

The signup process with 7 Cups is simple and straightforward. After clicking on the “get started” link, users are directed to enter their email address, choose a username, and create a password. The username is intended to help anyone looking for anonymity when entering chat rooms. 

Many chat rooms are free to users, but there are fee-based premium chat rooms designed for more individual and specialized needs. Additionally, there are therapists available for one-on-one chat through their messaging system, though this service seems to be secondary in focus.

At 7 Cups, most chatrooms with trained “caring listeners'' are free. Premium chat rooms are available for a $13 monthly fee or an annual $95 subscription. For therapy services, there is one subscription plan that runs $150 a month. The therapy subscription does not offer live therapy sessions, only communication with a licensed therapist via messaging.

In 2021, 7 Cups users stated that 66% were overall satisfied with the services offered. Other therapy companies did score a bit higher overall, but the free options available at 7 Cups make it unique among its competitors. That said, 85% said they would recommend 7 Cups to a friend or relative–likely due to the free resources. 

To be trained as a “caring listener” at 7 Cups, there are no particular degrees or experience required; they base qualifications purely on a person's ability to participate in their active listening training, which can create a disparity in satisfaction between groups.

At Amwell, users can browse and select their therapist from the directory of available professionals in their state. Each therapist’s bio page indicates what types of therapy they are equipped to handle, such as individual, couples, teen, or family therapy services. 

Additionally, Amwell offers an initial video consultation with a therapist and/or psychiatrist who will ask various targeted questions to determine the best therapy match. Next, providers will develop a personalized treatment plan for you or your child.

The therapists and psychiatrists at Amwell offer a variety of affordable therapy options. All sessions are virtual, and most clinicians offer a variety of session times (daytime, nights, and weekends).

If you pay out of pocket, the cost will vary depending on the level of therapist expertise. Therapy with a therapist who holds a master’s degree is $109 per session. Therapy sessions with a therapist who has a Ph.D. is $129.

Psychiatry costs are separate. Each psychiatry client needs to attend an initial online visit that costs $279. After this visit, all follow-up visits with a psychiatrist are $109.

Amwell is currently in-network with over 126 different insurance plans.

Our survey of 105 Amwell users reported that 73% of users found services at Amwell to be either very good or excellent. Additionally, 86% felt that their provider met their needs, and 88% of our users stated that they were likely to recommend Amwell to others. Ninety-one percent of our users found Amwell providers to be well-qualified, and 24% found them to be more qualified than therapists on other platforms. Also, 66% of Amwell users reported that they found Amwell’s therapy services to be generally affordable, and 88% of users found their services to be of great value given the cost.

Since its start in 2013, the company’s mission has been to create a therapy platform that prioritizes inclusivity and culturally-sensitive practices. LGBTQIA+ affirming care is a pillar of the support practices at Kip. Many therapists are well-trained to deal with gender dysphoria, life transitions, and questions about sexual and gender identity. 

In addition to the above specialty, Kip also claims that its providers are equipped to provide counsel for a variety of mental health conditions, including trauma, depression, anxiety, loneliness and isolation, and relationship struggles. Sessions are offered to New York residents both virtually and in person with a licensed professional.

AJ Ruben-DeSimone, Kip Clinic Director, explains the company’s mission on the website: “Kip continues to disrupt the profession by providing care for people who have been excluded by therapists, and by investing in practitioners from historically marginalized groups. This is most evident in our unique expertise working with LGTBQ+ populations, but it shapes every aspect of our work.”

Kip offers a variety of fee models. Unlike some of its competitors, Kip does not offer a subscription-based fee system. Instead, it offers a three-tiered system that varies in cost. There’s also a sliding scale for rates which would be outlined during a free consultation.

• Associate Therapists: $85 per session
• Resident Therapists: $125+ per session
• Senior Therapists: $165 per session
• Teens and Relationships: $195 per session

Despite these sliding scale costs, our survey results reported that only 40% of our users found this service to be either affordable or very affordable and 16% found it to be not affordable at all.

The results of our survey yielded an overall positivity rating of 73%. Our users also reported that 70% felt that their provider was able to accommodate most or all of their needs; 71% found their therapist to be well-qualified and 83% claimed that therapy with Kip was superior to other services that they had tried.

Inclusive Therapists is a therapy directory with a clear mission: therapy for every identity. Its website displays messages that corroborate this vision. The “About Us'' section of the website states, “All people with all abilities in all bodies deserve equal access to identity affirming, culturally responsive care … We center the needs of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and 2SLGBTQIA+ intersections (QTBIPOC). We amplify the voices and expressions of the Neurodivergent and Disabled Communities of Color.”

This social justice-motivated approach sets Inclusive Therapists apart from other therapy directories. Combine that with the implicit inclusion of the neurodivergent, and it is almost unparalleled in likeness. One practice that Inclusive Therapists has developed to incentivize a diversity-rich directory is offering Indigenous and Black therapists free or reduced-fee directory listings.

Finding a therapist with Inclusive Therapists is simple and straightforward. After selecting search filters (location, type of therapy, identity filters, insurance, etc.), seekers can then peruse therapy bios to find a provider that resonates with them.

Inclusive Therapists is not a membership-based therapy service. It serves as a directory that’s intent is to connect therapy seekers with qualified professionals. As such, there are no listed prices or price scales. All prices vary and are set by the individual clinicians. 

It is worth noting that there are insurance and sliding scale filters. The sliding scale filter begins at $25 and extends to a $125+ option.

Our survey results reflected highly on Inclusive Therapists. Of users who had previously attended therapy elsewhere, 73% found it to be either generally better or much better than the other services they had used. Additionally, 45% found that their provider was better qualified and experienced.

Headway is a mental health directory service that is free of charge. Created in 2019 to offer quality mental health care options within most insurance networks, its founders, Andrew Adams, Kevin Chan, Daniel Ross, and Jake Sussman, have sought to make therapy services more accessible to the general population.

Headway is available in 17 U.S. states and offers over 20,000 mental health providers. Its website claims to add more providers daily and intends to expand to other states rapidly. Providers include therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, counselors, psychiatric nurses, and social workers, and you can look for any in your search.

After finding a clinician who fits your needs, booking can happen immediately; you can see the provider’s availability and book instantly. When booking, the website will generate the cost of your sessions based on the individual provider and your insurance plan.

Session costs vary based on your insurance provider and plan. In an effort to make mental health care more accessible to the masses, Headway has a team ready to handle all insurance and payment options.

Headway’s website advertises that, after insurance coverage, most therapy seekers will only pay $20-$50 per session on average. If you are not looking to use medical insurance to cover your sessions, Headway is not the directory for you as there is no self-pay option.

Overall, Headway received primarily positive responses from the users in our survey. When asked if they would recommend Headway to others, 76% responded affirmatively. Moreover, 73% claimed that they would use Headway in the future and 64% are still currently using a therapist that they found in Headway’s directory.

It is worth mentioning that 25% of our users were disappointed with the lack of diversity in Headway’s directory. In the “Cultural Values” section of the website, the company claims that it’s “dedicated to building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive company.” Hopefully, this is a beacon of changes to come.