Online-Therapy.com Review: Is It Legit & Worth It?
Last Update on August 2, 2022 : Published on June 10, 2021
Founded in 2009 by investment banker Carl Nordstrom, Online-Therapy.com is a web-based CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) treatment platform. With a team of licensed and certified therapists, this online therapy platform offers therapy sessions along with yoga and meditation.
In addition, Online-Therapy.com also provides you with instructional videos, journals, worksheets, activity planners, and much more.
If you’re looking for an online CBT treatment, Online-Therapy is for you!
Overview Of Online-Therapy.com
| Product Name | Online-Therapy.com |
|---|---|
| Session Types | Live sessions, text, and voice messages |
| HIPPA Compliant | Yes |
| Year Founded | 2009 |
| Price | $47.96/week (recommended) |
| Usability | Only for Desktop |
| Best for | Cognitive Behavioral T|herapy |
How Online-Therapy.com Works?
Online-Therapy.com is a subscription-based online therapy service that offers users access to therapy sessions from licensed and certified therapists. The service is available through the website only and you can access the website via your smartphone, tablet, or computer.
Once you’ve subscribed to the platform, you get 24/7 access to your therapy program, worksheets, journal, activities planner, supplementary yoga classes, voice and text messaging. You can also book live video or audio sessions with your therapist with your subscription plan.
Sign-up Process
The sign-up process is pretty easy. All you have to do is visit the website and click on the ‘Login’ button that you can find on the top right corner of the homepage. Once you begin the sign-up process, Online-Therapy.com will ask you a couple of questions regarding your mental health, for which you’re seeking help, a couple of personal questions such as your therapist preference.
You’ll be asked to choose one or more areas for which you need help. For example, anger management, anxiety, depression, GAD, OCD, PTSD, LGBTQ, Self-esteem, etc. On the next page, you’ll be asked:
- Your therapist preference (male therapist, female therapist, doesn’t matter, etc)
- Your session preference (Video, voice, text, etc)
- Where did you hear about Online-Therapy.com (doctor, therapist, social media, etc)
Online-Therapy.com is a private and secure platform, so on the next page, you’ll be asked to create your profile. Where you can create a nickname instead of using your legal name (if you want).
Once you’re registered, you’ll be directed to your Dashboard where you can access your therapy toolbox and other useful links such as your therapist, tests, account details, etc.
The sign-up process is simple and straightforward and doesn’t take more than a minute. With the questionnaire, you’ll be automatically assigned a therapist and you can proceed once you’ve selected your subscription plan.
Ease Of Use
Online-Therapy.com is pretty easy to use and user-friendly. Through your Dashboard, you can easily access your therapy toolbox (live sessions, journals, messages, etc), your account details (profile and subscription), help center, and referrals.
When you’re registered, you get to watch an introduction video by Dr. Elizabeth Lombardo who explains how Online-Therapy.com works and how it can help you.
You can also easily access your focus areas and can update them as you want.
Online-Therapy.com Features
As I mentioned, with access to your Dashboard you can easily keep track of your therapy toolbox. The therapy toolbox features are:
1. Sections & Worksheets
This section of the Dashboard includes informational material and worksheets that are tailored to help you understand the CBT treatment approach better. When you complete a worksheet, your therapist can comment or reply on specific sections to help you understand the process better. Keep in mind that worksheets are accessible to your therapist.
The worksheets are aimed to help you boost happiness, improve behavior, reframe negative thoughts, and much more. In sections, you can find worksheets to help you boost your self-esteem and goals as well.
While these worksheets are not mandatory, they are designed to help you improve your health as you progress with your therapy. Note that worksheets and homework are a big part of in-person CBT sessions as well. Online-Therapy.com is a web-based CBT treatment that is similar in approach to in-person CBT treatment.
2. Live Sessions
With this feature, you can book a live session with your therapist. Here, you can also cancel a session or view previous sessions. With the Live sessions feature, you can also switch your therapist if you want.
3. Messages
With this amazing feature, you can message your therapist anytime or whenever you feel the need to seek their support or advice. Your therapist may take a couple of hours to respond and one of the con is that your therapist will only respond from Monday to Friday. Other than this, you can always access your previous messages with this feature.
You’ll receive an email or notification for when your therapist responds to your message.
4. Journal
On your dashboard, you can also access Journal. This feature is unique and allows you to build an online journal. The good news is that only you have access to your journal, unlike worksheets which your therapist can access. This feature allows you to record your thoughts, feelings, and emotions as you proceed with your therapy plan. It is easier to access too!
5. Activity Plan
With this section, you can add and access activities to your calendar and you can also add reminders! The activity plan section can help you create new habits, routines, and hobbies as suggested by your therapist to help you improve your health and as a part of your therapy program. Here, you can also access a weekly ta-da list where you can track your progress so far.
6. Test
The Test section is a tool that can be used to monitor your progress as you proceed through your therapy. This section gives you some questions where you can answer questions like how you are doing. The best part is that you can answer the questions on the test every couple of weeks and mark your progress.
7. Yoga
As a part of your plan, you get access to this new feature. On your toolbox, you can access online yoga and meditation sessions anytime. With this feature, you can engage in yoga and meditation to boost your mental health and wellness. You can watch videos and sessions with this feature.
Area Of Expertise
Online-Therapy.com has many therapists and counselors who are experienced in different types of therapy approaches. The platform, however, insists that the therapists who register with the website are trained in cognitive-behavioral therapy.
This online therapy platform addresses issues and concerns including:
- Anger Management
- Agoraphobia
- Anxiety
- Sleep problems
- Depression
- Procrastination
- Domestic Abuse
- Weight Loss
- LGBTQ
- Stress
- Family Issues
- Relationship issues
- Career Issues
- Parenting
- BPD (Borderline Personality Disorder)
- OCD (Obsessive-compulsive Disorder)
- Autism or ADHD
Among others. Online-Therapy.com, for now, provides individual therapy.
Online-Therapy.com Counselors & Therapists
Once you’re a member of Online-Therapy.com, you’ll be assigned a therapist automatically regarding the area you need help with. Nevertheless, you have an option to change your therapist anytime.
The counselors and therapists on Online-Therapy.com are all verified, trained professionals with degrees and licenses. While the platform doesn’t exactly mention how many years of experience the therapist has, they do hire therapists and counselors with hands-on experience with therapy.
Once you are paired with a therapist, you can access the therapist’s full profile by clicking on the “Your Therapist” tab on your Dashboard.
The therapists and counselors hired by Online-Therapy.com are all trained in the CBT approach even if they are experienced therapists. CBT is one of the most effective and most commonly recommended psychotherapy approaches. CBT helps you to identify, confront, and control your negative and unhealthy thoughts, behaviors, and emotions.
If you’re not comfortable with the CBT approach, then Online-Therapy.com isn’t the right choice for you.
Read: Comparing and Contrasting CBT and DBT: Are they similar?
Online-Therapy.com Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Have excellent qualified, certified, and trained therapists.
- Offers a therapy toolbox with access to the journal, yoga, and meditation sessions.
- Provides unlimited communication with the therapist via video, audio, and text messaging.
Cons:
- Therapists are available only on weekdays not on weekends.
- No mobile app.
Pricing Plan Online-Therapy.com
Online-Therapy.com offers different subscription options and you can pick your plan after you sign-up. You also have the option to change your subscription plan when you want.
The Online-Therapy.com costs and pricing plan are as follows:
A) Basic: $31.96/week
Online therapy + daily therapist replies (Mon-Fri). With this plan, you get easy-to-follow sections with access to 25 worksheets, yoga/meditation videos, journals, activity plans, and tests.
However, in this plan, you do not get access to live video, voice, or text sessions, no therapist messaging, and no express replies.
B) Standard: $47.96/week (Recommended)
Online therapy + daily therapist replies (Mon-Fri)+ Extra support via live sessions. With this recommended plan, you get easy-to-follow sections with access to 25 worksheets, yoga/meditation videos, journals, activity plans, and tests.
In this plan, you also get 1 live video, audio, or text session per week with your therapist. However, you do not get access to express replies.
C) Premium: $63.96/week
Online therapy + daily therapist replies (Mon-Fri)+ Maximum support. With this recommended plan, you get easy-to-follow sections with access to 25 worksheets, yoga/meditation videos, journals, activity plans, and tests.
In this plan, you also get 2 live videos, audios, or text sessions per week with your therapist. With this subscription, you also get access to express replies.
Note : *All subscriptions are charged monthly, meaning you can cancel the subscription after a few days but you’ll be charged for the whole month. Payment can be made with Visa, MasterCard, Amex, or Paypal. With Online-Therapy.com you also get 20% off your first month.*
Privacy Policy
Online-Therapy.com’s privacy policy is per HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act). The platform assures its users that all communication done on the website and between client and therapist is encrypted and secure.
New and existing users are required to provide passwords to protect their data and the platform offers its users to use a nickname instead of their legal name for privacy purposes. The user needs to provide an emergency contact which the platform can and would access only in case of emergencies.
All chats (video, audio, text) are encrypted and are accessible to only therapists and clients. Online-Therapy.com might use some information provided by the user for research purposes. Information such as demographics, navigation of the website, type of interaction, etc, can be used for research.
Why Online-Therapy.com?
As far as teletherapy goes, Online-Therapy.com is an option where you can find all services provided in in-person therapy via an online platform. The CBT approach has been recorded and proven an excellent effective approach to treat many disorders and concerns.
Online-Therapy.com offers all that you can find in an in-person approach from the comfort of your home.
In addition to using CBT, Online-Therapy.com also takes a closer look at issues such as low self-esteem, weight loss issues, and self-discovery. Whether your condition is mild or severe, Online-Therapy.com offers you a wonderful platform to address those issues.
It is a structured and efficient therapy program to offer you support and help in times of need.
If you’re comfortable communicating via online chats (video, audio, text, or either), Online-Therapy.com is for you! It is also advisable that people who don’t have severe mental health issues, visit Online-Therapy.com.
The approach provided by this online therapy service is meant and suitable for people who are struggling with negative thought patterns, behavior, and emotions.
Final Verdict
Finding affordable online CBT treatment isn’t easy but with Online-Therapy.com, you can find trained and certified counselors and therapists to help you overcome your problems.
While this platform is a little complicated to understand, it offers a therapy toolbox with access to worksheets, yoga sessions, activity planners, and much more.
Overall, Online-Therapy.com is an easy-to-use, user-friendly, teletherapy platform that offers specialized treatment via cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT).
Note: This review is completely based on my experience with Online-Therapy.com.
For more information, you can write to us at info@calmsage.com or follow us on social media for more content. I hope this article helped you understand how Online-Therapy.com works and is helpful for you.
Until next time, take care of yourself!
About The Author
Swarnakshi Sharma
Swarnakshi is a content writer at Calm sage, who believes in a healthier lifestyle for mind and body. A fighter and survivor of depression, she strives to reach and help spread awareness on ending the stigma surrounding mental health issues. A spiritual person at heart, she believes in destiny and the power of Self. She is an avid reader and writer and likes to spend her free time baking and learning about world cultures.
