MyTherapist Review

****Update: MyTherapist is currently not accepting new members. Check out other online therapy options here ****

If you’ve been searching for an online therapist but can’t seem to make up your mind, well, it looks like you’re in luck. MyTherapist is one of the newest online therapy providers that’s looking to disrupt the industry. In fact, they are doing a pretty good job at it so far due to their all-inclusive and intuitive nature. While certain services focus on a specific area of help (relationship therapy, religious counseling, depression help, etc.), MyTherapist is a one stop solution for any type of therapy. Furthermore, this is arguably the easiest to use platform I have ever tested. Let’s take a more in-depth look at why more than 10,000 people per month are looking into them.

Company Profile:

Everyone reading this MyTherapist review should keep in mind that this company was only started in early 2017. It begs the question: how did they become so popular already, to the point where they are literally competing neck and neck with the likes of Betterhelp, Talkspace and 7 Cups of Tea? When a company applies simplicity, affordability and quality customer support into their service, these things tend to go viral. And, with over 1,000 licensed therapists to choose from, MyTherapist has become a mainstream destination for thousands of people.

Signing Up:

From the time you enter the MyTherapist website to the time you start talking with your counselor, it’s a literal breeze. It’s so easy that it makes writing a review on this difficult. But in the interest of balanced writing, I will delve into the sign-up process as best possible. Whereas virtually every other online therapy provider has loads of information on their homepage, MyTherapist takes a different approach. There is very little information, other than ‘Get Started’ and ‘Login’ buttons, along with the pros of using the service and user testimonials. Once you click on the ‘Get Started’ button, you are led to a short survey where the MyTherapist team builds a profile around you.

Since they offer therapy in many different mental health categories, this profile will enable them to match you with the proper counselor/therapist. Once you have completed this questionnaire, you are led to a signup page to a create a personal account.

After entering in your name, email address and password details, you will be led to a page where you can choose from a handful of therapists that specialize in the area where you need help (based on the profile that they built). Simply click on the ‘Start Therapy’ button next to the therapist of your choice name. I personally chose Connie Branham as she deals with areas in which I needed a lot of help with – depression and relationship therapy. On the next page, all I needed to do was enter in a few sentences of why I considered counseling and which issues I wanted to address. Thereafter, you are led to a payment plan page where you choose a package that best suits your needs.

Pricing:

That leads us to MyTherapist pricing options. To be quite clear and upfront, with no beating around the bush: MyTherapist used to be expensive compared to other notable online counseling services. While others charge a flat fee per month for unlimited online therapy, MyTherapist limited you to a certain cost per session. That has since change with the introduction of truly ‘unlimited’ therapy sessions. It’s important to note the benefit of the new MyTherapist pricing structure. Whereas other services will play around with their pricing, MyTherapist now has one option, and one option only: $65 per week, charged on a monthly basis. Compare this to traditional in-office counseling and the savings are clear. Moreover, what I loved about the new MyTherapist pricing is that they have now started to offer financial aid for people who qualify.

Furthermore, I had previously mentioned that unlimited chat therapy is often erratic and unstructured. While this may be true, this is primarily a result of the client’s busy schedule. My recommendation is to go into therapy with a specific amount of time set on the side for your counseling needs. With the introduction of phone and video therapy sessions to the MyTherapist platform, make sure to schedule weekly calls to ensure you get the best out of this service. Remember, therapy is work like everything else in life. You will get out of it what you put into it. Keep that in mind and you’ll be just fine.

MyTherapist Payment Options

Usability (Desktop & Mobile):

Like the home page, navigating the platform is extremely easy. Once you log into your account, you are immediately led to your secured chat room. Simply type away in the chat box to send messages to your therapist. You can attach files if needed, and you can mark your message as urgent. You can even schedule live phone or video sessions with your therapist (located at the bottom of your chat room).

Both desktop and mobile usability are fantastic. The mobile app is squeezed a drop because of screen size but it still functions just like regular SMS/WhatsApp. Nothing feels out of place or hard to use.

Counselor Support & Effectiveness:

Okay, so here’s where you need to keep in mind that this is completely subjective, and varies from person to person and therapist to therapist. There are a range of factors that determine the effectiveness of therapy. Your counselor could be phenomenal but you could be resistant to therapy…or perhaps you don’t click with your therapist. There are an endless number of things that could make this a bad experience for you. For me? I went in with an open mind and realized that I am getting help from a trained professional in depression and relationships. As long as my therapist is understanding and works with me, what could go wrong? And, it turned out that this was the right way of thinking, at least for me. My therapist (Connie) literally showed me that it’s possible to live a life without constant depression, fear and fatigue.

Since I was “diagnosed” with moderate depression, Connie’s service really helped me. First, she challenged me to imagine a life without depression. She also showed me that sorting out big life situations/decisions can be stressful, but that I can limit my stress in order to make the best possible choices. We also went through real life approaches, and she also gave me exercises to complete on my own time. Yes, I’m still not 100% better but I consider my personal improvement to be “off the charts.”

Confidentiality & Privacy:

As you would expect, the MyTherapist website is secured by state of the art encryption. The site itself is encrypted with 256-bit SSL encryption – essentially the same level of security that large financial corporations use. And, if somehow someone was able to get around this, your personal chat room is further encrypted with the same level encryption. The company states that they are not able to see any of your chats with your therapist, but I had my concerns so I reached out to Connie about this. She confirmed it and said that due to HIPAA laws, no one but her can access our chat history, including the company (MyTherapist) who owns the technology behind it. That was a huge relief for me.

MyTherapist’s Counselor Qualifications:

I was happy to see that this isn’t some sham of a service. It’s completely legitimate. MyTherapist only employs licensed professionals with a certain number of hours of experience behind them (2,000+ hours and 3 years of hands on experience). If a licensed psychologist doesn’t meet any one of the requirements set in place by the company, they can’t practice counseling through the MyTherapist platform. It’s also important to know that all counselors need to be qualified by their state’s professional board.

Specialties & Areas of Expertise:

A little-known fact about MyTherapist is that they cover virtually all areas of online therapy. They have therapists for any mental health need. However, they do specialize in certain areas more than others. This includes:

• Addictions
• Anger
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Eating Disorders
• Family Conflicts
• Grief
• LGBTQ
• Parenting
• Relationships
• Religion
• Self Esteem
• Sleeping
• Stress
• Trauma

Bottom Line:

For a company this new, I was surprised by the service they provide. While the price may seem steep, it’s set in a structured way so as not to receive “erratic” therapy. Every session becomes more important since it’s limited in nature. And thus, you will take it a lot more seriously than with other providers. Add in the fact that they cover all areas of mental health, and offer a super easy to use platform with the best therapists around, and it seems to be a no brainer. If you are looking to improve the quality of your life, no matter in which area, MyTherapist can help you achieve your goals.