Talkspace Online Therapy Review 2024: Costs, Pros, Cons & More

About The Talkspace

The Talkspace company started in 2012, intending to make online therapy and mental health care accessible to everyone. Their other goal was to eradicate the stigma attached to mental health.

Talkspace offers online therapy services such as live video sessions, messaging therapy sessions, and psychiatric services. Talkspace psychiatry services help diagnosed individuals with mental health care, including medication management.

Talkspace therapy services have, over the years, revolutionized how traditional therapy is perceived. By bringing a secure virtual therapy room to a client battling mental health issues, people are slowly embracing the benefits of what online therapy services can do.

People gain self-awareness, the ability to mend damaged relationships, resolve problems, and improve coping mechanisms for mental illnesses. This Talkspace review explains the company and how it might be useful.

On Talkspace’s website, you will find FAQ segments that address many of the queries a potential customer could have. The website also offers a short demonstration film introducing the Talkspace application (app) and its online therapy services.

The Talkspace therapy app is equally as great for anyone seeking mental health services on the go. When compared to the website, it contains more online therapy tools. The app allows individuals to access the service from any phone, tablet, Android, or iOS.

Despite the convenience of therapy on the go,  the website may offer more educational tools.

Feature Product

Pricing & Subscription Plans

The cost depends on the mental health treatment subscription you choose to get.

There are various subscription packages and payment options available on Talkspace.

Their basic package, which comprises text-based therapy, is quite affordable. However, suppose you are on the lookout for video sessions every week. In that case, this arrangement may not be as helpful compared to the basic package offered by other online therapy companies.

Based on the package you select and your area, Talkspace provides consumers with a list of alternative talk-therapy membership options, ranging in cost from $260 to $400 monthly. The final price isn’t disclosed to you until checkout.

The company does not have free trials, but you get a free consultation with an intake coordinator who explains the process and answers any questions you may have before you start.

The three Unlimited Messaging Therapy subscriptions are

1. The Plus Plan offers video, text, and audio messaging therapy with your therapist with clinical experience but no live sessions.
2. The Premium Plan from Talkspace offers one half-hour live stream session monthly in addition to video, text, and audio communication with your Talkspace therapists.
3. The Ultimate Plan provides four half-hour live video meetings each month in addition to the other services in the previous packages.

Talkspace users need to note that live sessions that are not used do not carry over to the following month. You have one month to utilize them, or you forfeit the sessions. Talkspace provides psychiatric services and counseling programs for adolescents ages 13 to 17.

You could also enroll in couples counseling. It involves your companion and a mental health professional in a group Talkspace room for four monthly half-hours of live therapy, inclusive of video sessions and audio messaging, text, and video therapy services.

The talk therapy arrangements do not entail any psychiatric services. Psychiatric charges come at an extra cost above the package you select. The charges include the initial psychiatric evaluation at the cost of $199 and the subsequent visits at the cost of $125.

The company offers extensive health insurance portability, allowing some health insurance plans from various providers such as Cigna and Optum to help you pay, which may help you reduce costs.

However, if your insurer is not in the same network as Talkspace, or you do not have insurance, the expense could rise if you add psychiatric treatments.

Another service is Talkspace for business. The company partners with health plans, educational institutions, and employers to make mental health treatment accessible and affordable for individuals in these facilities and organizations.

Who Should Use Talkspace?

The Talkspace platform is open to people from all walks of life undergoing any mental health issues. The healthcare professionals on the app and website have the training to help almost anyone signing up.

They have onboard licensed clinical social workers, psychiatrists, nurses, and experienced therapists to help users with any mental health needs they may have.

All in all, here is a list of some counseling health issues they help with.

• Depression^[1]
• Anxiety^[2]
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)^[3]
• Trauma
• Parenting
• Pride Counseling for the LGBTQIA+ community
• Eating disorders^[4]
• Anger management
• Family conflict
• Chronic illnesses
• Childhood abuse
• Controlled substance abuse^[5]
• Grief^[6]
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

This is not a complete list, as they offer therapy services to veterans and people battling other mental health conditions.

This indicates that the Talkspace therapy process caters to every person needing mental health treatment. So if anyone questions: is Talkspace worth it? Based on what consumers have said in numerous Talkspace reviews posted on the company’s website, it might be worth the investment if you seek individual, couple, teen, or psychiatric therapy.

So, if you suffer from any of the above-noted conditions, you are the perfect candidate to get help from Talkspace. Also, the mobile app may benefit you if you are on a tight schedule.

Pros

• The availability of several monthly subscription plans.
• There are several secure practical communication channels offered via asynchronous telehealth.
• Accessible medication management services.
• The company provides teen and couple counseling.
• They have dependable system security.
• Talkspace therapists offer a variety of mental health treatments.
• Every therapist has a license.
• You can choose a therapist from the list of recommendations
• You can switch therapists at no extra cost.
• The company accepts extensive insurance coverage.

Cons

• There are no group therapy services available.
• There is no free trial.
• The cost of psychiatric mental health services is high.
• No therapist biographies are available online.
• A messaging-only strategy is insufficient to deal with major mental health disorders.
• Customer service has poor reviews.

What Do We Like About Talkspace? 

Here are some of the key features we like about the Talkspace online therapy platform:

Easy-to-use Website

The website is easy to use. The design is modern, simple, and easy to navigate. Finding whatever you need is not hard, and it is informative for a new site visitor. 

Straightforward Signing-up Process

The signing-up process is straightforward. The step-by-step guided method is a no-brainer after selecting the required service per your preference. All you have to do is offer accurate information about your thoughts, feelings, and experiences, and you will get a comprehensive list of the suggested mental healthcare providers to help you. You select one.

Offers Multiple Types Of Therapy Services

We also like that Talkspace offers all licensed healthcare providers a variety of therapy services. They cater to teens, people in relationships, business people, psychiatric patients, and more.

Every member of their therapy team has medical training and practical expertise. 

Multiple Communication Channels

We also like that the Talkspace therapists deliver therapy sessions via various media: phone, text, video, and audio messaging, meeting the needs of busy people on a busy schedule. They offer a mobile app and a desk-top optimized website for users’ convenience.

This is convenient as you may have a session at any time of the day and in any location. You are good to go as long as you have a stable internet connection. You may have a messaging therapy session while you are on a break or commute to work or school and a video chat while you are in the privacy of your home.

Multiple Useful Links On The Website

We also like Talkspace’s useful links at the bottom of its website, including various mental health tests. The two tests available are anxiety and depression tests. In the same section, you find the links to health insurance information, therapist selection, and a link leading to various Talkspace reviews.

A 24/7 Access To Your Therapist

The Talkspace chat room is created once you have an active account. The great thing is that you can access this virtual room 24/7 and send your therapist messages throughout the day. And the therapist you have can also respond to your messages throughout the day.

Talkspace Allows You To Review Therapists

Talkspace is unlike other online therapy platforms because it truly assists you in reviewing various therapists who may be of assistance to you. You look through a list of therapists suggested to you by the site, and then you decide which one you want to work with.

The Additional Psychiatric Service

Psychiatric nurse practitioners and psychiatrists provide Talkspace’s psychiatry and prescription management services. It is up to these medical professionals to determine whether or not you need medicine in conjunction with your psychotherapy.

These medical practitioners have a few restrictions when it comes to giving prescriptions. They cannot prescribe addicting substances such as sleeping pills and narcotics. 

The Talkspace For Business

The fact that Talkspace treatment now offers its services to businesses is yet another remarkable feature of this platform. Regarding mental health, Talkspace for Business can cater to the mental health needs of groups in educational institutions and other organizations.

Employed adults can benefit from online employee assistance programs, which help them better deal with their professional and personal lives. This is also a great opportunity to assist students in maintaining their mental health, thanks to the institutional linkages.

The Therapists Offer The Best Treatment Techniques

Mindfulness, dialectical behavior therapy^[7] (DBT), cognitive behavior therapy^[8] (CBT), and psychodynamic therapy^[9] are some of the most common types of treatment. Still, individual therapists may apply a variety of methodologies and counseling ideologies.

It Offers Multiple Subscriptions

The business option provides a variety of subscriptions at prices that are more cost-effective than conventional forms of treatment. Additionally, they offer to take payments from flexible spending accounts and health savings accounts.

On the other hand, the costs can be somewhat more expensive if you require psychiatric care. The good news is that if you have insurance coverage that Talkspace accepts, you could be able to reduce your costs and save some money. In this regard, we recommend looking into other available choices, which we will do in the following section.

Alternatives To Talkspace

Suppose you are seeking another online therapy service company. Below are three online therapy providers that may be of interest to you. We will take a look at Betterhelp, Calmerry, and Online-Therapy.com

Talkspace Online Therapy Reviews: What Real Users Say

One of Talkspace’s advantages is its asynchronous communication, which enables clients to contact their therapist whenever they choose through various media. However, reading what actual people have to say about their services and how they feel about them is the greatest way to determine if this method is effective. This part highlights all that.

Before we finally get to answer the question is Talkspace good or bad, we would like to see what real users have to say about the platform on multiple Talkspace therapist reviews.

The Trust pilot website, which gives Talkspace a rating of one star, was our first source of information about the brand’s online reputation. There is not a single positive comment regarding the site that can be found anywhere among its users.

The customer support offered by this firm was brought to light in these Talkspace therapy reviews as lacking. Some people complained that they were billed even though they did not receive any service, and when they tried to get their money back, they were only given a partial refund and nothing more. Some users even claimed that the platform was a scam.

Most clients have an issue with the company, but the therapists are helpful, as shown in this first comment left behind:

Avery, one of the customers, claimed to have had the worst customer service. She did manage to work with an excellent therapist, but when it came time to add the details of her new insurance, the support staff never came to her aid. She sent out support tickets, but they weren’t handled. She had to cancel because there was no other way to modify her insurance details. She was disappointed that she had to end after such a positive interaction with her therapist.

Markus Jennings, a different customer, also voiced his displeasure with Talkspace’s service. His complaint about the platform is that they might charge you the full price for therapy sessions, and when they are unable to match you with a therapist, the refunding process becomes a headache. In his case, despite not obtaining any services, he only received a partial refund. He even called the brand a knockoff since he was upset about the incident.

On Talkspace’s website, the user’s comments there are all praises. There are comments on the brand’s convenience, affordability, privacy, well-being, and real-time modality. Here are a few of the comments left behind on the website:

On Convenience:

Talkspace was convenient for Niva, a customer who posted a review on the app store. She had an infant when she was writing the Talkspace review, and finding the time to attend traditional therapy seemed impossible. She experienced less stress and could check in whenever she had the time, thanks to Talkspace’s online counseling services.

On Affordability:

In a direct review on the website, a user said that Talkspace was an affordable option for those who lacked the time or resources to seek expensive mental health care.

On Privacy:

On Google Play Store, a user called K.J wrote a review highlighting privacy. The app, according to them, is simple, quick, and private. The user liked using the messaging option and thought it was superior to traditional sofa time. They advised using it, mainly if you are always on your phone.

On Well-being:

J.H confirmed that Talkspace had been the most incredible experience they had yet to have in another Google Play Store comment. They asserted that it exceeded their expectations. They had a fantastic therapist who was genuinely sympathetic and provided wise guidance, support, and counsel.

On Real-time Modality:

Finally, a user by the name of EJC2015 posted a review of Talkspace on the app store and declared their admiration for the real-time modality. Their favorite feature was being able to record their real-time emotions and responses as they talked with their therapist.

The company has not replied to the comments left on Trust Pilot since it states on Trustpilot that the account has not been claimed. Regardless, it is vital to use this information as a reference point such that if you select the platform, you know both the good and the bad.

Another thing to note is that the comments left on the brand’s website were all positive, while on a third-party site, the comments were the opposite. This may imply that the company may be combing through the comments they receive and only displaying the ones that favor the brand. This is not unique, as many other brands do the same.

Nonetheless, these are personal opinions by users, so they are highly subjective and unique to the client posting. An experience with this platform may or may not go well for you based on cumulative reviews. 

Final Thoughts: Is Talkspace Worth It?

Talkspace is now one of the most well-liked platforms for online therapy treatment due to some helpful enhancements to the site. The freedom to select the therapist of your choice and the availability of psychiatry services are two of its most attractive characteristics. The majority of its rivals do not offer either of these options. We also appreciate other benefits, such as the corporation accepting some insurance plans and providing a variety of therapies for mental health issues.

On the other hand, the company has a rather negative reputation on Trust Pilot, which is regarded as one of the most reliable ratings and review websites. It is said that they have a subpar customer service department, which may be costing them their reputation.

Nevertheless, please be aware that there have been fictitious reviews left behind on Trust Pilot, even though the platform in question can be relied upon. However, since then, the platform has confirmed that all fraudulent reviews have been removed automatically. This indicates that if we can still locate critical evaluations, there is a possibility of some validity to the claims.

Overall, based on everything we’ve discussed, Talkspace has several wonderful qualities but also a significant drawback. They make internet therapy sessions available to a diverse population of mentally struggling people. Due to the length of time, they have been in business, it would appear that they are working to eliminate the stigma associated with mental health. If the brand fixes its customer support issue, it may get a better rating.

All in all, if you need mental health on the go plus psychiatric help, Talkspace’s able teams of therapists may help.

Frequently Asked Questions

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