I Tried Online Therapy At Online-Therapy.com. Here’s How It Went

The best therapists have their own therapist, but when you live in a rural state like South Dakota, it’s hard to find providers with whom you don’t have a pre-existing professional relationship—and this is exactly my problem. So the great thing about the rise of telehealth platforms is that they allow me to connect with a provider I’m not already connected to.

Recently, I had the opportunity to test out Online-Therapy.com’s services and resources to get a first-hand feel for what the company has to offer and the care it provides to clients. In addition to completing the self-guided course and using many of the resources on the site, I tested its individual therapy service for two weeks. Here’s how my trial went.

What I Knew About Online-Therapy.com Before Signing Up

I’ve spent a lot of time talking about and researching online therapy companies, so before I signed up, I was aware that Online-Therapy.com is an online therapy company that specializes in cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT. While this approach won’t be right for everyone, it can be very helpful for people struggling with anxiety and depression—and every provider at Online-Therapy.com is an expert in CBT. Personally, I find CBT skills really helpful in managing the stress that comes with my job and addressing my own anxiety issues. 

Beyond that, though, my knowledge about Online-Therapy.com was pretty limited, though I was also aware that the company offered some resources, like a self-guided educational course based in cognitive behavioral therapy, worksheets, journals, and activities designed to help clients make and achieve measurable goals.

When I went to sign up, I also learned that the company offers couples therapy, not just individual therapy, and that its providers are trained in using cognitive behavioral therapy to treat a variety of diagnoses and presenting issues, including agoraphobia, anger, anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, social anxiety, PTSD, and more. 

I was happy to learn that, other than receiving awards and accolades for its evidence-based treatment approaches, Online-Therapy.com does not seem to have made many news headlines. Unfortunately, many other online therapy companies have gotten a lot of negative attention recently for the misuse of confidential client information and other ethical concerns. 

That said, I did review the company’s informed consent form and while it is thorough, it uses some language that may be confusing or overly clinical for those who do not have a background in mental health. 

For example, the terms and conditions state:

Essentially, it's telling you to “use this platform at your own discretion.”

Signing Up at Online-Therapy.com

Signing up for therapy was pretty easy with Online-Therapy.com. First, I was prompted to input basic demographic information and answer questions about my personal history and mental health. The questionnaire addressed a lot of information without feeling overwhelming, and I appreciated that there weren't many questions with the option to give open-ended answers. This made me feel in control of how much I wanted to share. I was able to hit high points that were important to me without feeling pressured to give details about anything I did not want to disclose.

Next, I was prompted to pick a therapy subscription plan. This is different from in-person therapy (where you pay per session).

The subscription that I signed up for, the standard plan, is a mid-tier plan and offers one live session a week and unlimited asynchronous messaging with a therapist. It costs $80 per week, billed monthly ($320 per month), with a 20% discount for the first month. It also has a referral program, which claims that you receive a $100 discount if someone you refer signs up for Online-Therapy.com.

I could have chosen the basic plan (which costs $50 a week, or $200 a month) but that one does not in include any live therapy sessions, only asynchronous messaging.

I could have also paid more for the premium plan, which offers twice-weekly sessions and “express replies” from your therapist for $110 per week (or $440 per month). The website does not specify how quickly your therapist responds with express replies. I decided I didn’t need to find out—and I didn’t need two sessions a week for this review. If I changed my mind, though, I found that I could purchase additional live sessions for what the FAQ page on the website calls a “minor fee”—but it did not disclose what that fee actually is. 

Matching With a Therapist

After signing up, I was immediately matched to my therapist—which then allowed me to see my therapist’s availability and request an appointment. 

The therapist I was matched with primarily had evening appointments available. I had signed up on a weekend, and my therapist did not have weekend availability, so I could not chat with her live right away. I could review her profile, though, and send her messages with the understanding that she may not respond until Monday, according to a message pre-posted in the chat. (That message turned out to be accurate: she did not answer my message until Monday.)

The therapist I matched with has a note on her profile that her credentials are verified through Online-Therapy.com. It also said that she is “featured,” though I could not find an indication of what that meant. I could also see her photo, her clinical specialties, theoretical orientation, types of therapy offered, languages spoken, and some reviews from other users. The biography additionally includes a narrative description that the therapist provides to give you a feel for how they communicate and their therapeutic style.

From a quick tour around the website, it looks like Online-Therapy.com employs therapists with a wide variety of credentials, including licensed professional counselors (LPC), licensed clinical professional counselors (LCPC), certified alcohol and drug counselors (CADC), licensed mental health counselors (LMHC), licensed psychologists, and licensed clinical social workers (LCSW). There were also therapists with international licensure and credentials listed.

I noticed that one of the international therapists had a bachelor's degree but no master's or doctorate, which would make them unqualified to become licensed or practice as a counselor in the United States.

I liked and connected with the therapist I was matched with based on my responses, so I did not switch providers while I was testing out Online-Therapy.com’s platform. However, when I logged in to my account, there was an option to change therapists with one click. Had I elected to change therapists, the platform would have given me a few providers to choose from.

Self-Guided Resources

Because I had to wait to meet with my therapist, I spent the weekend exploring Online-Therapy’s additional resources, which I had instant access to. These resources included a self-guided cognitive behavioral therapy course, a journal, meditations, and yoga videos.

I found the layout of these resources to be user-friendly without being overwhelming. The login screen showed clear options for the self-guided program, worksheets, scheduling, journal, and yoga. In sections I had not yet used, I was prompted to read or watch a video with directions for getting the most out of the activity. However, the site frequently prompted me to upgrade my account, which started to feel pushy after a while.

The self-guided CBT course has audio, video, and text-based options to take in educational information about mental health and the brain. 

The course is broken down into eight sections but does not specify how long you can spend on each, so it is fully self-guided. I did the entire course in one day, though, and it might have helped me slow down if it had encouraged me to wait before moving on. There is a pre- and post-test aimed at showing you how completing the course impacted your anxiety level, which did not make a lot of sense when I completed both tests on the same day.

Throughout the course, you are prompted to complete several worksheets and activities aimed at helping you articulate your difficulties and to come up with achievable and measurable goals for your life and specifically your mental health. You have the option to skip an activity if you do not want to complete it, are not ready to do it, or do not think it would help you.

In addition to the course, my dashboard had options for:

• additional worksheets
• guided journal prompts
• meditations
• yoga videos

It also suggested specific tools which I believe were based on my feedback. I appreciated that the guided journal prompted you to review it twice per day (in the morning to set an intention and in the evening to reflect on the day), but I was not sure how to save my progress and had to just leave that page open on my computer all day in order to complete it.

My favorite tool on my dashboard was the Ta-Da list under the Activity Plan. I was prompted to set specific goals for each day and categorize them, with options like “Work,” “Exercise,” “Meditation,” and “Just For Fun.” It helped me prioritize self-care and coping activities in my busy day, and when I completed a goal, it was added to my weekly Ta-Da list. I could go back and review my accomplishments from the week at any time.

Live Video Therapy Sessions 

If you sign up for a plan that offers live sessions like I did, you have your choice of three different types of sessions: video, audio, and live texting. This flexibility is especially helpful for those with certain anxiety disorders who might not feel comfortable showing their face on video or those who experience selective mutism and prefer to communicate by text. Regardless of the format, all live sessions are 45 minutes in length.

First, the site gave me an error message stating that my camera was not enabled even though the settings on my computer indicated that the camera was on, and that the site had permission to join with video.

There are some instructions for how to handle technical difficulties, including an email address for support. While they did not respond to my email until the next morning, customer service was helpful in addressing my issue when they got back to me. 

When I was able to join without video, it indicated that my therapist was 10 minutes late, but she told me that she had arrived on time and experienced similar issues. (When I contacted technical support about my issues, they confirmed that she was in the session on time, but for some reason I simply could not see or hear her.) Even though this issue was not her fault, she still held a 45-minute session with me, going past the scheduled end time. I know this is not always an option—for example, it would not have been had another client been booked right after me—but I appreciated that she did this.

I had ongoing difficulty with the audio cutting out, and the platform dinged at me several times during the session.

If you minimize or toggle away from the session room tab, the site assumes you have left your session. I appreciated the encouragement to remain present and focus on my session, but I also wanted to pull up a worksheet I had completed prior to the appointment and had difficulty doing this while remaining in the appointment. I could not see a way to pull it up without leaving the session tab.

She appeared knowledgeable and competent, and she focused on cognitive behavioral techniques, which is consistent with Online-Therapy.com’s advertised practices. 

I also found it helpful that I was able to share background information and presenting concerns prior to the first appointment, as my therapist was able to review this and come ready with suggestions and guidance rather than focusing most of the first session on asking about my history.

Pros and Cons

Despite the technical issues I experienced, I was pleased with the services I received at Online-Therapy.com. Here are my pros and cons about the experience.

Pros

• First month is discounted
• Wide variety of self-guided tools and resources
• Accessibility options on the website
• Support in making and achieving specific, measurable goals
• Therapy sessions can be video, audio, or text-based

Cons

• Insurance is not accepted
• You cannot pay per session
• Video platform for sessions has significant technical issues
• Only offers cognitive behavioral therapy

Final Thoughts

In the end, Online-Therapy.com connected me to a wonderful therapist and gave me access to evidence-based treatment and self-guided resources. 

My therapist appeared qualified, responsive, and understanding of my needs. She was also flexible and helpful with working through my technical issues. The abundance of resources and self-guided activities in the dashboard is an asset to anyone who wants to work on their mental health in between therapy sessions but is unsure of where to start.

With that being said, the telehealth video platform had a lot of technical issues and did not seem user-friendly to me. Customer support was responsive but not until the next day. Our surveyed users seemed to feel the same: 73% found the support they received helpful, but 9% did not need to contact support at all. 

While cognitive behavioral therapy is not a magic fix or the right treatment approach for every single person with every single issue, it has evidence backing it and can be really beneficial for many. Online-Therapy.com’s clear marketing indicates what exactly you are getting with this company and provides you with resources focused on that. Perhaps this is why 82% of the users we surveyed would recommend Online-Therapy.com to a friend—I am inclined to agree with them and would recommend the service to my friends too.