where can i get online therapy?

Yes. If you're in the U.S., there are several good ways to get therapy online:

• talkspace.com — Connects you with licensed therapists through video, audio, and/or messaging. It accepts many major insurance plans, and you can also pay out of pocket.
• headspace.com — Offers video therapy with licensed therapists and accepts insurance. It's currently available to U.S. adults 18+.
• Your insurance company — Often the cheapest route. Your insurer's website usually has a directory of therapists who offer telehealth, sometimes with a very low copay.
• psychologytoday.com — Useful if you'd rather choose an individual therapist based on specialty, price, insurance, gender, etc.

If cost is your main concern, tell me whether you have insurance and roughly what you're comfortable paying per session, and I can help you find the most affordable options.

If you're in immediate emotional danger or thinking about hurting yourself, call/text 988 or use the chat.988lifeline.org; it's free and available 24/7.

Finding the right online therapy platform depends on your budget, whether you want to use insurance, and what specific type of care you need. Here are the top online therapy platforms categorized by their strengths:

• Grow Therapy — Best overall platform for finding independent, licensed in-network therapists and psychiatrists who accept major insurance plans.
• Talkspace — Great for combining live video sessions with flexible messaging, and it accepts major insurance networks (like Cigna and Aetna).
• Headway — Excellent insurance-focused directory that simplifies searching for local or virtual in-network providers and handles transparent billing.
• BetterHelp — One of the largest subscription-based options offering flexible text, phone, and video sessions, though it generally operates on an out-of-pocket/cash-pay model rather than direct insurance billing.
• Brightside Health — Specialized for targeted treatment of anxiety, depression, and rapid care access, with options that take insurance.
• MDLIVE — Comprehensive telehealth provider offering convenient access to therapists and psychiatrists that accept major insurance, Medicare, and Medicaid.

To help narrow down the best choice for you, let me know:

• Do you plan to use health insurance or pay out-of-pocket?
• Are you looking specifically for talk therapy , or do you also need medication management (psychiatry)?

If you’re looking for online therapy, you have several good options depending on your budget, whether you have insurance, and whether you want video sessions, messaging, or psychiatric care.

Popular online therapy options

• betterhelp.com — A large online therapy platform that matches you with a licensed therapist. It’s often chosen for convenience and flexible communication options like video, phone, and messaging.
• talkspace.com — Offers online therapy and also has psychiatry services for medication management. It may be a better fit if you want therapy plus possible medication support or insurance options.
• growtherapy.com — A marketplace that connects you with therapists and can be useful if you want to use insurance.
• thriveworks.com — Provides online and in-person therapy with options that may include insurance coverage.
• brightside.com — Focuses on online mental health care, including therapy and psychiatry options.

If cost is a concern

• Check your health insurance website first; many plans now include telehealth mental health benefits.
• Look for therapists offering sliding-scale fees through directories like openpathcollective.org.
• Community mental health centers and university training clinics can also offer lower-cost options.

How to choose

Consider:

• Your goal: anxiety, depression, relationship issues, grief, trauma, stress, etc.
• Format: video calls, phone calls, messaging, or a mix.
• Insurance: whether the provider accepts your plan.
• Therapist fit: it’s normal to try a different therapist if the match doesn’t feel right.

If you tell me your state/country, whether you have insurance, and whether you prefer video vs. texting, I can narrow it down.

Finding the right online therapy platform depends heavily on whether you want to use health insurance , need medication management (psychiatry) , or prefer a subscription-based out-of-pocket model.

Top-rated online therapy providers are organized below by what they do best:

• Best for Using Insurance (Matching & Directories):
  • Grow Therapy : Connects you with a massive network of licensed in-network providers and handles major insurance plans.
  • Headway : Simplifies finding local or virtual therapists who accept your specific insurance with transparent billing.
  • Rula : Great for fast insurance-matched appointments with therapists and psychiatric providers.
• Best Out-of-Pocket / Subscription Services:
  • BetterHelp : One of the largest platforms for flexible, text-, phone-, and video-based adult therapy on a subscription model.
  • Talkspace : Offers flexible scheduling for live video sessions and messaging, and also accommodates some insurance plans depending on your state.
• Best for Combined Therapy & Psychiatry (Medication):
  • Talkiatry : Specializes in psychiatric care and medication management online, accepting many insurance policies.
  • Brightside Health : Highly focused on targeted treatment for anxiety, depression, and intensive virtual care.
• Best for Teens and Families:
  • Charlie Health : Tailored for teens and young adults requiring intensive virtual outpatient support.
  • Backpack Healthcare : Specifically built for pediatric and young adult behavioral health.

To help me narrow down the best option for you, tell me:

• Do you plan to use insurance or pay out-of-pocket?
• Are you looking just for talk therapy or also medication management?
• Is this for an adult, couple, or teenager/child?

Absolutely. Since you’re in California, you have several good options for online therapy with California-licensed providers.

Good places to start

• Psychology Today — California online therapists — probably the best if you want to choose your own therapist. You can filter by insurance, specialty, price, gender, and whether they offer online-only sessions.
• Talkspace — matches you with a licensed therapist and offers video sessions and, depending on the plan, messaging. It accepts several major insurance plans.
• Headspace Therapy — online video therapy with licensed therapists, with insurance and self-pay options.

Local options that offer telehealth

If you'd rather work with a therapist based around Lancaster/Antelope Valley:

• Horizon Community Mental Health — offers secure telehealth for adults.
• Healing Hearts Mental Health Services — offers therapy by phone/video and has evening/weekend availability.
• Lisa Sonin Larsen, PsyD — primarily telehealth for California residents.
• Find Your Balance Center For Growth & Change Inc. — offers telehealth throughout California.

California's Board of Psychology recommends verifying that an online therapist is currently licensed in California and checking fees, privacy/confidentiality practices, and how telehealth works before starting.

If you tell me whether you have insurance (and which one), your approximate budget per session, and what you'd like help with (anxiety, depression, relationships, trauma, etc.), I can narrow this down to a few good online therapists/platforms for you.

Online therapy is widely available through dedicated telehealth platforms, matching services, and insurance networks. The best option depends on whether you want to use health insurance, prefer text messaging vs. live video, or need specialized care like psychiatry or couples counseling.

Popular and trusted online therapy platforms include:

• Talkspace : Best overall for combining live video/phone sessions with flexible messaging. It has a large network of highly credentialed therapists and accepts many major insurance plans (like Aetna, Cigna, and Blue Cross Blue Shield).
• Grow Therapy : Best for easily finding an in-network provider (including many major commercial plans and some Medicaid options) where you can browse specific therapist profiles and book virtual sessions.
• BetterHelp : Best for out-of-pocket value and flexible, text-heavy or video communication. It features a vast matching network, though it generally operates on a subscription model rather than billing insurance directly.
• Amwell : Best for straightforward, pay-per-session or insurance-backed video appointments with licensed psychologists and psychiatrists.
• Brightside Health : Best for targeted treatment of anxiety and depression, offering structured therapy programs alongside optional medication management.
• Open Path Psychotherapy Collective : Best for low-cost, out-of-pocket individual sessions if you do not have insurance or are on a strict budget.

To help narrow down the best choice, let me know:

• Do you plan to use health insurance or pay out-of-pocket?
• Do you prefer live video sessions or text/messaging support?
• Are you looking for individual therapy, couples counseling , or medication management (psychiatry)?

Choosing an online therapy platform depends on whether you want to use health insurance , pay out-of-pocket , or need specialized care like psychiatry/medication management.

Top-rated online therapy platforms are organized below by their main strengths:

Platforms That Accept Insurance

• Grow Therapy: Best for finding local or virtual in-network providers. They feature a large directory where you can filter by your specific insurance plan and clinical needs.
• Talkspace: One of the most recognized platforms offering individual, teen, and couples therapy alongside psychiatry. It is accepted by many major insurance providers (like Aetna, Cigna, and Blue Cross Blue Shield).
• Amwell: Great for flexible scheduling with doctoral- and master's-level clinicians. They accept major insurance plans and offer straightforward video sessions.
• Thriveworks: Offers both virtual and in-person options with a large network of providers and broad insurance compatibility.

Best Out-of-Pocket / Subscription Options

• BetterHelp: The largest platform for flexible, out-of-pocket individual, teen, or relationship therapy via video, phone, and chat messaging. They offer financial aid options for those who qualify.
• Brightside Health: Highly focused on treating anxiety and depression through structured care plans, video sessions, and optional medication management.
• Online-Therapy.com: Best for structured Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), providing a mix of worksheets, toolkits, and live sessions.

Specialized Care (Psychiatry & Medication)

• Talkiatry: Specifically tailored if you need virtual psychiatric care and medication management alongside or instead of standard talk therapy.

If you can share:

• Whether you plan to use insurance (and which provider) or pay out-of-pocket
• What you're hoping to focus on (e.g., anxiety, couples counseling, or medication management)

I can narrow down and recommend the exact platform that fits your needs.

Absolutely. Since you’re in California, you have several good options for online therapy with a licensed therapist:

• Talkspace — Online video, audio, and messaging therapy. They accept many major insurance plans and let you check coverage before signing up.
• Thrive Hive Counseling — A local California practice offering secure telehealth, including individual, couples, and family therapy.
• Living Openhearted Therapy and Wellness — San Jose-area practice offering telehealth for California clients, including anxiety, stress, relationships, trauma, and life transitions.
• Therapy at Bay — Offers online therapy throughout California for individuals, couples, and families.
• Trust Mental Health — Offers telehealth across California and accepts a range of insurance plans, depending on the provider and plan.

If cost is the main concern

I'd start by checking your health insurance first. Your insurer may have an online directory of therapists, and platforms such as Talkspace may be in-network. You can also check whether your employer offers an EAP (Employee Assistance Program), which sometimes provides several therapy sessions at little or no cost.

If you tell me (1) whether you have insurance, (2) your insurance company, and (3) whether you're looking for individual, couples, or teen therapy, I can narrow this down to the best options for you.

Absolutely. Since you’re in the Ronkonkoma/Long Island area, you have several good options for online therapy with a licensed therapist in New York.

Good places to start

• Headway — Probably my first choice if you have insurance. You can filter for online therapists, specialty, insurance, and availability, and Headway shows an estimated out-of-pocket cost before booking.
• Psychology Today therapist directory — Useful if you want to browse individual therapists yourself and filter for New York, telehealth, insurance, and the type of therapy you want.
• Talkspace — A large online-therapy platform offering video, voice, and messaging options.
• BetterHelp — Another major online therapy platform, though I'd personally compare it with Headway and local therapists before choosing.

You can also use a local Long Island therapist online

A few practices near you that advertise telehealth include:

• North Star Mental Health Counseling Services — Ronkonkoma; offers telehealth throughout New York.
• InSight Counseling, LCSW, PLLC — Lake Ronkonkoma; offers both in-person and telehealth.
• JWB Wellness Therapy & Counseling — Ronkonkoma; offers virtual therapy across New York.
• Long Island EMDR — Bohemia; offers telehealth throughout New York and focuses heavily on trauma/EMDR.
• WellQor — Melville; primarily provides therapy online.

If you tell me your insurance (or whether you’re paying cash), your age, and what you want help with—for example anxiety, depression, relationship problems, trauma, or just feeling overwhelmed—I can narrow this down to 3–5 online therapists that are actually a good fit and tell you what they cost.

You can get online therapy through dedicated teletherapy platforms, major healthcare provider networks, or by finding independent licensed therapists who offer virtual sessions . Top national options range from subscription-based matching services to comprehensive providers that accept major health insurance plans.

Dedicated Online Therapy Platforms

• BetterHelp : The largest dedicated network, matching users with licensed therapists for video, phone, chat, or text messaging.
• Talkspace : Offers live video/phone sessions and text options, and is notable among digital platforms for accepting several major insurance plans.
• Online-Therapy.com : Specializes in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) with structured online tools and therapist support.

Insurance-Friendly and Hybrid Providers

• Thriveworks : Provides online and in-person individual, couples, and family therapy while accepting major health insurance policies.
• Teladoc Health : Connects users with licensed mental health professionals, often integrated directly into employer or health plan benefits.
• Amwell : Offers nationwide virtual visits with psychologists and counselors with wide insurance acceptance.

Directories to Find Independent Virtual Therapists

• Psychology Today Directory : Allows you to filter independent practitioners by location (state licensure), specialties, and whether they offer virtual sessions or accept your insurance.
• Open Path Psychotherapy Collective : A non-profit network offering affordable in-person and online therapy sessions for individuals with lower incomes or without insurance.

If you share your state or country and whether you plan to use insurance or pay out-of-pocket , I can help narrow down the best platform or provider for your needs.