At this point, you’ve probably heard of the therapy app Talkspace.
The app pretty much has two major selling points: the convenience of therapy in your pocket and a (much) lower cost than in-person therapy.
I’ve officially been on the app for a month and I can say with full confidence that this app is the best thing that’s happened to me in a long time.
I’ve been in therapy on and off since I was a child, had depression and anxiety for the last two years, and was recently given a diagnosis of bipolar II. I’ve had a lot of trouble connecting with therapists in the past and recently left my therapist of three years due to the lack of progress.
When I signed up for Talkspace, it was honestly the last resort. My family was urging me to find a new therapist but I just couldn’t bring myself to go through that again. Finding a therapist, especially in NYC, is hard. It’s like dating — you have to find just the right match and you often have to go through a few to find the right fit. It’s exhausting.
So I decided to sign up for Talkspace while “on a break” from searching for therapists. I was super skeptical and was honestly just signing up to get my family off my back for a little while. I had no idea that it would change my life so drastically.
The app works like this: you sign up, go through a questionnaire of your struggles and what you’re looking for in a therapist. They then offer you a choice of three different therapists they think would be a good fit and you pick your favorite. And if it doesn’t work out? You can change therapists as many times as you want at no cost.
Once connected with your therapist, you’re given a video chat session to get to know each other. After that, therapy mostly consists of text messages and voice messages. You can also opt for monthly or weekly video chats, but obviously, that costs more. Starting price for the basic plan is $39 a week, which is the one I went with. When I was therapist hunting, I often was asked to pay upwards of $150 a week (a lot of NYC therapists don’t take any insurance.) So yeah, $39 a week was much more manageable. Not to mention, I can text my therapist anytime five days a week.
After seeing numerous therapists over the years, which often ended in disappointment, I was shocked when my therapist and I clicked instantly. She’s a badass feminist who takes every opportunity to empower me. And although I worried that the therapy would be shallow, we’ve already delved into deep topics and she’s already helped me to understand myself better.
We mostly communicate via voice message — I leave her a voice message and then she leaves me one back. She’s pretty quick about getting back to me, typically within the hour, if not right away.
And she truly seems like she cares about me, which is something that was lacking in other therapists.
I realize that I got extremely lucky here. Not everyone is going to find their perfect match on Talkspace. But if you’re even the least bit curious, or struggling to find a good and affordable therapist, then I would give it a shot. You can always change therapists and the customer service is amazing. They’ve already checked in with me a few times to see how things were going.
Finding the perfect therapist can be one of the hardest and most rewarding parts of recovery — at least it is for me. And I’m so grateful to finally have someone who understands me, who encourages me, and who is there for me. I couldn’t have been more skeptical going into this and now I’m a total believer.
If you’re interested in learning more about Talkspace, check out their website here.
