Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsOur Most Recent TestingAmy’s 2023 TestingConcerns About TalkspaceOur Other Testers' Experiences with TalkspacePros & ConsFinal Thoughts
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Our Most Recent Testing
Amy’s 2023 Testing
Concerns About Talkspace
Our Other Testers' Experiences with Talkspace
Pros & Cons
Final Thoughts
Our Online Therapy MethodologyCurious about the extensive work we did to research and evaluate online therapy companies? Take a look at ouronline therapy methodology.
Our Online Therapy Methodology
Curious about the extensive work we did to research and evaluate online therapy companies? Take a look at ouronline therapy methodology.
Throughout the past three years, Verywell Mind has repeatedly testedTalkspace, a well-known provider in the online therapy field. In this review, we first discuss our findings from our most recent test of the provider from the summer of 2024. Then, Amy Marschall, PsyD, explains her experience testing Talkspace in 2023.
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In the summer of 2024, we had a tester in Iowa try Talkspace’s individual therapy services for over a month. This was her first-hand experience.
Why I Chose Talkspace
I chose individual therapy with Talkspace because I had recently gone through familytrauma. I felt it was time for me to work through some of that after-shock and I also wanted to work on improving my self-understanding and how I communicate.
Signing Up for Talkspace
The sign-up was super easy: I signed up on my laptop using its website. There was a banner in the site that said you could register in under 10 minutes and see if therapy was “free for you.” I clicked to follow that process. It first asks you what kind of therapy you’re interested in (individual therapy, teen therapy,couples therapy, or psychiatry). There were helpful one-line descriptions under each option.
The next question is for insurance—I found my provider from a drop-down menu (Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Iowa).
The list of insurance plans that are accepted seemed extensive to me, but I can’t speak to the exact number of plan coverage offered.
From that prompt, you need to enter your plan info (so you’ll need your insurance info).
Once I added my plan info, it did get a little confusing; it then took me to questions about what kind of provider I wanted and questions about my sleep and health habits before landing me on a “subscription plan” place. I took the recommended four sessions. (I later learned that getting to this screen means your insurance plan may not consider this in-network, so I was assigned to “self-pay.”)
Then I spent maybe 45 seconds clicking through some baseline questions to get matched with a provider. I preferred female, and it matched me immediately with one provider. I reviewed her profile and felt good about her experience, so I stayed with her and really have enjoyed her! However, I also had the option to match again, and throughout the entire process, I could easily rematch.
Talkspace did a great job of normalizing that it’s common to switch providers, and important to find a provider you feel comfortable with. Because of this, I found it extremely easy.
My Therapy Sessions
My first session was via a Zoom-like experience. I had to allow Talkspace access to my microphone and camera on my laptop, which I appreciated because I felt like that was secure. I also could have just done audio only, or joined from my phone.
I felt comfortable immediately with my therapist. I did establish a rapport right away, and I think that is because she let me set the scene and just go. I had seen her experience, training, and qualifications and felt good going into it. I felt she aligned with what I was expecting (Talkspace shows provider pictures along with their bio).
My provider did a great job of just letting me talk.
Just let it all out, and as we’ve continued, the helpful suggestions and insights came. She was an excellent listener and could tell when I was in a place to hear a suggestion or insight and when I clearly just needed to keep talking through it. I’ve found it extremely helpful—I have a place to work through hard relationships, process emotions, and break some unhealthy coping habits I hadn’t been aware of. I come away feeling a little lighter.
I really wouldn’t change anything about my provider. She lets me lead, and that feels good to me right now. I like that. When she senses a pause or I pause for her insight, she gives it. She doesn’t give me homework but does end with reminders, and always lets me know I can chat between sessions if things come up. I think I have benefitted from this style because 1) it builds trust, and 2) it makes me feel more connected even though it is online therapy.
I would, and have chosen to, continue with this therapist because I think she is excellent.
I also, with my specific reasoning for seeking therapy, somewhat dread the thought of changing providers because it is another person you have to explain everything to. I feel very lucky I really like my initial match. I did not particularly click with my previous in-person provider, and I feel I’m actually getting help this time around.
Scheduling at Talkspace
I chose to keep a two-week cadence, though as I do the work on that recent trauma, I can change my frequency at any time.
There is an app, but I didn’t download it until the third or fourth appointment, and I wish I would have sooner. It makes it very easy to access my account, and access any messages my provider sends (e.g., she needed to reschedule an appointment and wanted to give me a heads-up).
I still prefer the sessions from my laptop, but I do find the app helpful and would recommend downloading it at the beginning.
There is a survey they push to you (very similar to intake at a physical office). I chose not to take it because it felt overwhelming. My therapist never pushed it and it never impacted our sessions.
I was able to choose scheduling options that fit my needs. Each provider has set working hours, and it is easy to schedule and you can sync to a calendar. I could book after-hours, which I liked because it didn’t interrupt my work or family time. It was a time I could focus.
Cost of Talkspace
The reality is, without insurance, I felt the bill was hefty. It was $296 for four sessions (the first seemed to be more expensive at ~$100, and the following sessions ~$65.) I am working out the process of submitting my “superbill” from therapy for reimbursement from my insurance company, but If it turns out that I am out-of-network, I will not continue with Talkspace, which sucks because I really like my provider.
I used to work at an insurance company, so while my marketing brain wants to disrupt and offer people paying out-of-pocket a huge discount, I recognize that it just is not that simple. To get solid providers, you have to pay their fees. I would urge this company to double down on adding as many insurance carriers as possible, especially with large rural populations, to help prevent billing worries.
How I Felt About Talkspace
I felt finding a provider was fast and easy, and overall the app is designed to support the user to having the best experience possible—but remember, now I have some insurance wars to fight.
I have never used online therapy before, from this provider or any others, so I can only speak to this as my first experience. But based on this, I would recommend Talkspace to someone who was looking for more flexible therapy scheduling, and could easily verify coverage.
In 2023, we asked Amy Marschall, PsyD, to try out Talkspace for three weeks to learn about the quality of care users receive from this company. These are her personal insights.
How I Signed Up at Talkspace
The sign-up process was relatively quick and easy compared to other platforms I have tried out in the past. Since Talkspace contracts with insurance, I had the option to enter insurance information or to pay out of pocket.
Talkspace accepts most insurance plans, which you can use to offset the cost of your care. It uses a subscription model where you pay a monthly rate for your therapy. The three plans offered are:
The 8 Best Online Therapy Services that Accept Insurance, Tried and Tested
After I signed up, an additional $10 charge appeared on my card. Customer service said that this was a test charge to ensure that my card would work when I paid for my plan, and it disappeared after a few days. However, Talkspace did not warn me that this would happen. Those with low credit limits might have an issue with an extra, unexpected charge, even if it disappears later.
When I signed up, there was a discount of 20% off for the first month, and coupon codes are available if you search for them. While the video and messaging plan is lower than the average cost of a therapy session, Talkspace’s live sessions are limited to 30 minutes. Most therapists charge less for a 30-minute session, and Talkspace might not actually be below average in cost if this is taken into account.
After signing up, I then had to complete a series of questions, presumably to ensure Talkspace was appropriate to meet my needs.
The questions were somewhat vague, and I had to choose from options on a drop-down menu, which I had trouble answering because I wanted to be able to elaborate on my responses. Questions included whether I had been in therapy before, if and when I have ever been hospitalized for my mental health, and if and when I have ever experienced suicidal thoughts.
For example, the suicidal ideation question allowed me to select “Never,” “More than 30 days ago,” or “Within the last 30 days.” As a therapist, I would note a difference between suicidal ideation six months ago versus more than 10 years ago, and I would want to know the specific nature of these thoughts rather than just a yes or no to the question. I also had to indicate my pharmacy address, which seemed unusual because I was not seeking medication management.
I was able to request an appointment immediately upon signing up, and I could choose if I preferred live chat, audio, or video sessions. It showed me session time options before telling me which therapist I matched with. I am not sure if it matched me to a therapist based on the time I chose, but once I selected a time, I could access the message center to chat with my therapist.
How I Matched With a Therapist
The therapist I matched with lived in and was licensed in my state, was the gender I requested, and had the expertise I indicated during intake (experience with anxiety and work-related stress).
After messaging her, I received an auto-reply prompting me to take a mental health assessment. It asked questions about anxiety and depression, including how often I felt irritable, felt “nervous or on edge,” had difficulty sleeping, or experienced changes in appetite. The assessment gave information on my current symptoms and is re-administered every 20 days to track progress.
My first response from my therapist read like it was copy-pasted, with basic information about her license and clinical training as well as what to expect from the Talkspace therapy platform, which may have been a standard introduction she uses with all clients.
After that, though, our message exchanges seemed personal and related to questions I asked, which I was impressed with.
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My Therapy Experience at Talkspace
I chose to use video sessions for my therapy through Talkspace. Sessions were scheduled for 30 minutes, but my therapist went over time, so our meetings were closer to 45 minutes. Providers are able to make their own schedules, and my therapist had availability at night and on Saturdays, which was perfect with my work schedule.
I experienced some technical difficulties with the platform. The web browser indicated that it could not access my camera or microphone even though I had granted permission. However, this issue resolved itself when I restarted my computer. The platform also asked me for my home address and emergency contact each time I logged in, even though this information had not changed, and there was no option to auto-fill with my previous answers.
In follow-up sessions, she checked in on the treatment plan we created. I got the impression that she remembered the information I told her before and did not feel like I had to repeat myself. Her approach seemed solution-focused, meaning that we discussed specific and concrete changes I could make in my life to reduce my symptoms. At the end of each session, she guided me through a breathing exercise similar to the first session. While the goal of each exercise was the same (to center me and transition out of the session), the specifics of each exercise was slightly different, which I found engaging.
After each session, I was prompted to give feedback about my experience with the platform and with my therapist. This felt tedious to do after every single appointment.
However, even if it was tedious for me, I recognize why the company was doing this. After all, it can be helpful to ask clients to provide feedback because it allows the therapist to tweak their approach based on what the client needs.
Live Webinars at Talkspace
The subscription I used also gave me access to live webinars. There were a wide variety of topics available, including managing work-life balance, relationships, anger management, and mindfulness skills. Workshops are scheduled Monday through Thursday, with times during the day and in the evening. I would have liked options on weekends to better fit my schedule.
I attended a webinar on managing healthy work-life balance, which was slightly ironic as I was attending as part of this assignment. I chose the topic in the hope that I could learn skills for prioritizing self-care in addition to my career. The presentation itself felt a little dry, but the information presented was helpful. The presenter asked for feedback from participants in the chat and read off responses, but I was not able to see the messages as they came through.
Switching Therapists or Cancelling
One thing that is noteworthy about Talkspace is how easy and fast it makes it for the user to switch therapists or end therapy—two things that some people do find difficult to do at times, especially if they have to have a one-on-one conversation about it with their therapist.
I felt that the therapist I matched with at Talkspace was a good fit, so I did not change providers during my time at Talkspace. However, the account drop-down menu in the message center has the option to change providers that can be used at any time, so I knew I could easily switch if I ever felt the need.
When I went to cancel my subscription, it was equally easy.
I just had to click through several offers to keep my account open. It offered to change my therapist, discount my subscription, and pause my account for 30 days. I will say though that all these questions did kind of make me feel like I was being pressured to keep my account open.
As a therapist, I have concerns aboutprivacy, ethics, and the business practices of many online therapy companies, and Talkspace is no exception.
Talkspace has come under fire for concerning and possibly unethical business practices. The therapist consultation groups I participate in often discuss concerns we have with this platform, including a history of lax privacy policies, canned responses from therapists, and unethical business practices. I also recently learned that Talkspace is facing a class action lawsuit from its shareholders for fraud and misleading information about thecompany’s value. Also, when I went to find the citation for that lawsuit, another class action lawsuit against Talkspace came up, claiming that it accepts clients when there is no therapistavailable to help them.
We had eight other people test Talkspace’s individual, teen, and couples counseling in New York, Minnesota, North Carolina, Florida, Missouri, Kansas, California, and Indiana, and overall, our experiences were just as positive. Most of the time, we were matched with a therapist who we felt was right for us right away. For our individual therapy video sessions, we wanted a therapist who made us feel understood but who also used evidence-based therapeutic techniques to help us challenge our thinking and behaviors—and we felt like, in this way, Talkspace delivered.
We felt like it was easy to talk to our therapists, and even after just one session they gave us actionable advice for a problem we didn’t think was solvable. Our therapists appeared to be professional and experienced as well as compassionate, and were able to quickly establish a safe space for us—we felt like our providers were engaged and able to answer our questions (especially when we found a therapist who had expertise in our specific diagnosis).
We did feel, however, that the 30-minute session times were too short.
We weren’t able to really delve into our issues in that amount of time, and the personal and intimate questions one of our therapists kept asking were uncomfortable because it felt like the short session time necessitated jumping in before we were quite ready. In addition, one of our therapists showed up late to our session and spent the appointment looking offscreen and typing (presumably notes about the session, but we couldn’t be sure), which was distracting and off-putting. In addition, when we tried therapy for our teenager, they weren’t able to really connect with either therapist they tried—their providers felt distant and disengaged, especially via text.
Our experiences with Talkspace’s asynchronous messaging and text-based therapy weren’t as good as our video sessions.
Although we felt the convenience of text therapy (for example, we didn’t have to pay for childcare during our session), it was harder to connect with our therapists and keep the conversation flowing in a natural way—although we blamed the structure of the live chat sessions for this rather than our therapists themselves.
Our experience with asynchronous chat wasn’t great either. While we got regular answers from our providers, those answers usually felt short and impersonal.
Our couples sessions, however—both via video and live chat—were fantastic. Our video sessions were very productive, with our therapists shedding light on our communication issues and helping us open up very quickly in order to be able to tackle those issues. They were able to quickly develop a rapport with us and even dive right in to the meat of our problems, handling the short session times (30 minutes in one case, 45 in another) deftly. Our therapists helped us see our challenges from a different perspective, and even our live chat sessions (though not as comfortable as our video chats) were successful. When we struggled to put our thoughts into text, our therapists were patient and helped guide us through the conversation. And though we did encounter some technical issues (like our partner being initially unable to sign on for a joint session), overall, the care we received from Talkspace was great.
While my experience with my therapist was good, and Talkspace offers a method of service that is more accessible to many than traditional therapy, I still am left with some concerns about the company’s business practices and platform. Here are my pros and cons.
ProsFirst month is discountedAccepts insuranceOut-of-pocket cost is lower than many other platformsVariety of options for sessions (chat, audio, and video)Educational workshops are availableConsSessions are only 30 minutes longTechnical issues with video platformSome features are not user-friendlyToo many steps to cancel your accountCompany is facing multiple class-action lawsuits
ProsFirst month is discountedAccepts insuranceOut-of-pocket cost is lower than many other platformsVariety of options for sessions (chat, audio, and video)Educational workshops are available
First month is discounted
Accepts insurance
Out-of-pocket cost is lower than many other platforms
Variety of options for sessions (chat, audio, and video)
Educational workshops are available
ConsSessions are only 30 minutes longTechnical issues with video platformSome features are not user-friendlyToo many steps to cancel your accountCompany is facing multiple class-action lawsuits
Sessions are only 30 minutes long
Technical issues with video platform
Some features are not user-friendly
Too many steps to cancel your account
Company is facing multiple class-action lawsuits
Although I had concerns about Talkspace’s business model, we did survey 100 current and past users that had tried Talkspace, and the general consensus among respondents was positive.
Talkspace User Survey ResultsOf 100 users of Talkspace we surveyed:92% said they would rate Talkspace as very good or excellent overall95% said that their provider met most or all of their needs94% indicated that they were satisfied with the therapist options on the site89% felt that the qualifications of Talkspace’s therapists were very good or excellent98% indicated that there are a good amount of quality providers available97% would recommend Talkspace to a friend
Talkspace User Survey Results
Of 100 users of Talkspace we surveyed:92% said they would rate Talkspace as very good or excellent overall95% said that their provider met most or all of their needs94% indicated that they were satisfied with the therapist options on the site89% felt that the qualifications of Talkspace’s therapists were very good or excellent98% indicated that there are a good amount of quality providers available97% would recommend Talkspace to a friend
Of 100 users of Talkspace we surveyed:
That’s why, in the end, I think Talkspace fills an important gap in treatment access, especially for people who live in therapy deserts (i.e places where there are few therapists or not enough therapists to meet demand). If you sign up, you will be matched with a competent therapist quickly and you’ll likely be able to pay less out of pocket than you would in traditional, in-person therapy with a monthly subscription. The company also accepts insurance, which is a notable perk (especially since many of its competitors, such asBetterHelp, do not accept insurance).
However, I cannot overlook my concerns about its business model, especially allegations that it does not have enough providers to meet its users’ needs. I worry the model is not sustainable in light of this information.
The Best Online Therapy ProgramsWe’ve tried, tested and written unbiased reviews of the best online therapy programs including Talkspace, Betterhelp, and Regain.
Hannah Owens, LMSW
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