Talkspace Review: A Modern Form of Therapy

In the chaos of everyday life, you might find it difficult to prioritize your mental health. The day can quickly disappear before you’ve had the chance to journal, talk to a friend, or even think about booking a therapy session. It’s a cycle that can quickly take its toll on your well-being.

Accessing therapy shouldn’t have to feel like a chore, and today’s technology is helping to ensure that it doesn’t. Online therapy is an affordable and reasonable way to obtain mental health assistance and treatment from healthcare professionals without a trip to their office.

As one of the most popular virtual therapy platforms, we look at Talkspace to review how it works, what it offers, and how you might benefit from this app.

Keep reading to learn all things Talkspace.

Summary

Talkspace is an online therapy platform that provides text, video, and audio messaging through the Talkspace website and app. Users can communicate with experienced therapists in the comfort of their own homes, offering a convenient alternative to in-person therapy.

You can use Talkspace to manage many mental health conditions. Whatever your mental health needs, you can benefit from live chats with your therapist through text messaging and live video sessions. It’s a convenient, flexible, and modern way to care for your health.

⭐ Rating	4.2
✅ Pros	Qualified therapists, flexible plans, and convenient
❌ Cons	No free trial, may not be for everyone
📱Therapy type	Text, video, and audio messaging
🧰️ Accepts insurance?	Yes
💰 Price	From $276 per month

What Is Talkspace?

Talkspace is a digital platform offering online therapy services via its website and smartphone app. Co-founders Oren and Roni Frank founded the New York-based company in 2012 with the mission to make high-quality mental healthcare more available to the broader population.

Rather than traveling to attend in-person therapy sessions, Talkspace users can benefit from the online therapy service without leaving the house. You can send your therapist messages anytime and schedule live video sessions when you want face-to-face interaction.

As part of your online therapy experience, the Talkspace app offers several features. You can make the most of text-based messaging, live chats, clinical progress tracking, and in-app mental health tools and workshops. With therapy services on your phone, you can easily stay connected.

Who Is Talkspace for?

Talkspace is for anybody who wants to engage in online therapy with licensed therapists. It suits those who prefer a virtual service as opposed to physically attending a therapist’s office. It may be particularly helpful to people who feel uncomfortable discussing issues face-to-face.

Talkspace offers individual therapy, couples therapy, and therapy for teens. The Talkspace therapists are trained in multiple fields, as anxiety, depression, addiction, eating disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are some of what Talkspace users face.

Furthermore, Talkspace offers psychiatric services for those who require evaluations, mental health treatment, and medication management.

It’s worth noting that Talkspace therapy for teens requires parental consent for 13–17-year-olds.

How Does Talkspace Work?

Talkspace uses an algorithm to match you up with a licensed therapist. Getting started requires a brief assessment with general questions about your needs and preferences. It includes questions regarding your sleep habits, physical health status, and reasons for seeking help.

You can then determine your subscription and payment plan before answering additional questions about your medical and mental health history. From there, Talkspace generates a match for a selection of suitable therapists based on your location and personal information.

Talkspace has an extensive network of licensed therapists that practice various forms of therapy, with approaches including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and emotion-focused therapy (EFT). You can view information about each therapist, including specialties and clinical approach.

Once the sign-up process is complete, a secure virtual therapy room will be created where you can meet with your consultant.

Is Talkspace Worth It?

Whether or not you find Talkspace effective depends on you and your needs.

Some evidence suggests that two-way messaging therapy may temporarily reduce depression and anxiety symptoms, with consistent improvement rates to in-person treatment. Still, further research is necessary to identify the overall benefits of text-messaging therapy.

Many people will enjoy the freedom that Talkspace provides. You can send quick messages to your therapist and partake in video and audio messaging while at home or on the go. Digital-based interventions have several advantages that may be effective among some individuals.

However, there are also disadvantages to this form of therapy. Not everyone will find Talkspace effective, and many users have reported slow and minimal responses from therapists. So, it is important to identify the best practice that works for you personally.

If you are struggling with your relationships, there is an app designed for that and it’s called Lasting. If you are into meditation and relaxation, the Insight Timer app offers a huge free library of guided meditations. Bloom app is for those who want motivation and daily guidance. People are also comparing Talkspace with BetterHelp or Cerebral as they have similar features.

Key Features of Talkspace

The Talkspace platform has some primary features that make it appealing. Below, you can find four things we like about Talkspace.

#1 Multiple subscription plans

It’s nice that you can choose from multiple subscriptions, as it allows for budget control, and you only pay for the services you want. For example, if you don’t like to video chat and you’re happier texting back and forth five days a week, you can purchase the messaging-only plan.

#2 Various therapy options

Like the subscription plans, there are also various therapy services. From unlimited messaging to live therapy sessions, you’re sure to find an option that works for you. You can also sign up for psychiatric services, where you can talk with a mental health professional.

#3 Easy to change therapists if needed

Talkspace recommends that you give time to get to know your current therapist for the full benefit of therapy. You can switch therapists if you’re still unhappy working with the same therapist. Talkspace will then work to find you a new therapist who is a better match.

#4 Sessions with well-qualified therapists only

The Talkspace network consists only of professional, well-qualified therapists. On the website, you can view the therapists available in each state. Profile information includes specialties, treatment approach, and job title, for example, licensed professional counselor or clinical social worker.

Cons of Talkspace

You can only review a product after considering the potential drawbacks. Here are three cons of using Talkspace for your therapy needs.

#1 No group or family therapy option

Although couples can benefit from using Talkspace, no services are available for groups and families. Group therapy is an effective method, and many patients report a reduction in symptoms of various disorders following group therapy treatment. If Talkspace included these services, it could attract a larger audience.

#2 Expensive

The subscription fees are pretty hefty. Even the cheapest, most limited option of $69 per week will set you back a few hundred dollars each month. There is no denying that Talkspace is more financially accessible than traditional therapy sessions, but that doesn’t make it cheap.

It’s worth noting that Talkspace does accept some health insurance plans and works with certain employee assistance programs.

#3 It chooses a therapist for you

The initial impression is that you will have the option of thousands of licensed therapists. However, Talkspace matches you to a therapist based on your provided information. You can only see a selection of 3 therapists, and you are unable to choose your preferred therapist.

Talkspace Plans

Talkspace has different telehealth treatment options, including therapeutic, psychiatric, and couples services. Within these categories, various options range from minimum to premium features. You can select the plan that best suits your needs and your budget.

At the time of writing this review, these plans are available:

Talkspace therapy

• Messaging therapy: Message your therapist anytime with daily responses five days a week
• Video + messaging therapy: Send messages anytime and schedule video calls
• Video + messaging + workshops: Full access to everything Talkspace has to offer

Talkspace psychiatry

• Psychiatry with initial evaluation + 1 follow-up session
• Psychiatry with initial evaluation + 3 follow-up sessions
• Psychiatry with initial evaluation + 6 follow-up sessions

Talkspace couples

Couples therapy includes live video sessions and unlimited messaging therapy.

How Much Does Talkspace Cost?

All plans are subscription-only and are billed automatically at your chosen frequency (either monthly, quarterly, or bi-annually). You have the option to switch from therapy to psychiatry services, or you can select both plans during the sign-up process.

According to the Talkspace official website, the following pricing is available:

Messaging therapy: $69 per week

Video + messaging therapy: From $99 per week

Video + messaging + workshops: From $109 per week

Talkspace psychiatry initial session: $249

Follow-up sessions: $125 per session

Couples therapy: From $396 per month

Bundle discounts are available during sign-up, so keep an eye out for these.

FAQs

Talkspace vs. Alternatives

How We Tested

Testing Talkspace is essential to identify the pros and cons of the platform. You can then decide based on the relevant information before committing to a recurring subscription. Reviewing 4 categories in detail helped us bring you our opinion on this product.

You can find these categories below:

Quality 8/10

Talkspace has some high-quality features, such as contacting your therapist anytime, signing up for psychiatry services and obtaining an evaluation. All therapists are fully-licensed and trained to support clients with a broad range of issues.

Effectiveness 7/10

Effectiveness can be difficult to identify because not everyone will get the same results from Talkspace therapy. Many people find text therapy an ideal, modern way to improve mental wellness, while others may find it more effective to speak face-to-face with somebody.

Price 6/10

The price is a slight letdown. We appreciate that it offers cheaper rates than traditional forms of therapy, but it’s still not an affordable solution for many people. There is no option for a free trial either, so many people might need help to commit to the high costs.

Brand reputation 9/10

The Talkspace founders have a clear brand mission – to make therapy more available and affordable. They also aim to eliminate the stigma that often comes with mental health, and Talkspace does this by making it easy for those in need to connect with licensed professionals.

Conclusion

Talkspace is a unique platform with many advantages for those seeking therapy from home, and the flexible plans allow you to try different techniques to improve your mental well-being. However, like other online therapy providers, it does have its limitations. There is little evidence to support online text therapy, and even unlimited messaging therapy will not work for some.

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