MBG Contributing Writer
MBG Contributing Writer
Brittany Loggins is a freelance writer who covers health, wellness, and all things lifestyle.
image by Gillian Vann / stocky
July 30, 2022
The prevalence of stress and anxiety is on the rise in the United States, but you’re seeing the faster rise in young adults.
Approximately 14% of adolescents between the ages of 10 and 19 experience mental health conditions, according to the World Health Organization—and most of these are left untreated.
Fortunately, with modern times also come some modern solutions like online therapy for teens. Unfortunately, find the best therapist for your teen it’s not always a quick and swift process.
Here’s how to find the right therapist for your teen, as well as the best online therapy services for teens.
How to find the right therapist for your teen.
In addition to finding someone who has experience working in the right age range, it’s important to consider your child’s concerns along with the therapist’s specialty. To help parents determine the best way to work with their teens to find a doctor, mbg spoke with Dr. Sanam Hafeez, a New York City neuropsychologist and director of understand the mind.
For starters, Dr. Hafeez says it’s very important to make sure your child is comfortable with the general idea of therapy. “It’s essential not to mention a therapist in the middle of a discussion,” he explains. “This will not be productive and your child will see going to therapy as a punishment.”
Instead, you can gently note that you’ve noticed some of your child’s concerning behaviors while also letting them know that you’re there to support them if they want to talk.
It’s best to do this when both you and your child are in a good place mentally. Dr. Hafeez explains that being empathetic opens the door to discussing therapy with your teen, during which time he can reassure her by specifying that a therapist’s job is to listen without judgment.
How do I know if therapy is working for my teen?
The best way to ensure your teen gets the help they need from their therapist is to keep an open line of communication. “Ask your child how he feels after his sessions and avoid questions that only require a yes or no from your child,” suggests Dr. Hafeez.
Here are some questions she suggests that will help you. understand how your child feels without intruding on the complexities of the sessions.
- What do you like most about the therapist?
- What do you like least about your therapist?
- Do you feel like you need more sessions per month?
- Does the therapist have a sense of humor and approachable manners, or does he seem intimidating?
What is online therapy for adolescents?
Like traditional therapy, online therapy services provide users with access to board-certified psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric nurse practitioners (NPs), or licensed clinical social workers who specialize in counseling. While some of them are available for medication management, nearly all offer traditional talk therapy-based services that are conducted similarly to sessions in a traditional therapist’s office. The only difference is that these sessions take place over the phone, through video chats, or through text messages.
A review of virtual therapy compared to more traditional styles of therapeutic care found no difference in patient satisfaction or session effectiveness. Since adolescents tend to spend more time communicating with their friends through virtual channels, virtual therapy for the adolescent age group is especially relevant. A study he even found that it could be a useful method to prevent mental health problems in the future.
How we choose:
Since we focus on services that provide therapy to adolescents, we look for sites with therapists who specialize in specific age ranges.
Especially for teens, it’s important to have a variety of communication methods like text messages, calls, and video chats.
We looked for options that were affordable with and without insurance.
We went to the Better Business Bureau in addition to customer reviews to gauge overall responses.
mbg’s picks for the best online teen therapy services of 2022:
Advantage:
- Different methods of communication.
- Preset costs and easy cancellation
- Easy change of therapists
Cons:
- do not accept insurance
- Not suitable for emergency or crisis relief.
- No drug prescriptions
Insurance accepted: Nope
Gerder Confirmation Attention: Yes
Types of communication: video chat, Text, Phone call
Betterhelp’s teen-focused arm is geared toward helping people ages 13-19. Like Betterhelp, it does not accept insurance and instead prides itself on providing affordable mental health care even for the uninsured. With over 13,000 therapists to choose from, this is the easiest option for those looking for a specific certification or area of expertise in a doctor.
All therapists are licensed, and through an initial assessment, the site will connect you with professionals who specialize in bullying, eating disorders, relationships, anger, and other concerns. It also provides separate private meeting rooms for parents and teens that allow parents to check in while giving teens autonomy. They also provide 24/7 support and offer messaging options.
Cost: $60 to $90 per week
Advantage:
- Lots of variety of plans
- Audio, video and text sessions available
- Parents can send pre-recorded videos with their consent
- All therapists have extensive experience treating adolescents.
Insurance accepted: Yes
Gerder Confirmation Attention: Yes
Types of communication: video chat, Text, Phone call
Teens can choose between phone, video, or text communication with their therapist, and even a combination of all three with certain plans. Text-based plans even allow teens to describe how they feel with emojis, which has proven to be an effective and creative way for kids to express their feelings.
This service specializes in teenagers from 13 to 17 years old and even offers a complete guide on their site that offers conversation starters for sessions. Talkspace accepts insurance and offers therapists in every state, which can make the insurance billing process easier.
Cost: $65 per week
Advantage:
- Accept many insurance plans
- Specialists in adolescents and young children
- Offers therapy and psychiatry.
Cons:
- only pay per visit
- Only live video chats are offered
Insurance accepted: Yes
Gerder Confirmation Attention: Yes
Types of communication: video chat
It is more difficult to find online services for children under the age of 13, however, Amwell does offer providers for children up to 10 years of age. Offers therapists and psychiatrists, which is great if your child needs medication management.
The services also accept a wide range of insurance plans, which you can enter before selecting your therapist. This ensures that all selected doctors are within your network and avoids any billing complications. Unlike other services, Amwell only offers live video chats, which may turn off some patients who want a 24/7 connection.
Cost: $109 for Master’s Therapist; $129 for Ph.D. therapist
Advantage:
- Options for collaborative care
- can prescribe medications
Cons:
- Allow only video views
- On the more expensive side
Insurance accepted: Yes
Gerder Confirmation Attention: Yes
Types of communication: video chat
While the $299 gate fee is a bit steep, follow-up visits are $129, which is still cheaper than many traditional in-office appointments. Before you officially enroll, you can take a free 2-minute assessment, which helps you and your child better determine the ideal course of care (and if the service is right for you). The company also offers doctors with quite a few different specialties, including anxiety, depression, stressand PTSD. In addition, the company makes it easy to share medical records, which can be helpful when it comes to evaluating different types of medications or treatment plans.
Before connecting your child with a doctor, Doctor on Demand narrows its pool of therapists based on your location and needs. You will then have full control to work with your teen to choose a therapist. If you don’t feel a connection, remember that finding a therapist can be a complex process, it’s easy for them to turn down a follow-up and try someone new.
Cost: Initial 45-minute evaluations with a psychiatrist for medication management are $299
Advantage:
- Chat rooms are monitored and secure
- Resources such as videos and worksheets are provided.
Cons:
- Chat rooms and listening sessions do not involve licensed professionals
Insurance accepted: Yes
Gerder Confirmation Attention: Yes
Types of communication: video chat, Text, Phone call
This service offers a variety of options when it comes to support for teens, including sessions with trained listeners, more traditional therapy sessions, and support rooms with other teens. The latter could act similarly to group therapy, which is a type of therapy more suitable for those who need interpersonal support or a sounding board to better understand themselves.
In fact, the most unique feature of this service is that it allows teens to talk to other teens. These chat rooms are monitored for security, and the site also tracks the number of messages exchanged with other listeners so you can provide important little messages. In addition to group support, 7 Cups offers mindfulness exercisesvideos, worksheets, and even playlists intended to promote self-care.
Cost: Free
Food to go
Online therapy can be a great way to help your child feel more comfortable while searching improve your mental health. It can also make it easy to find therapists with the right specialties that will work within your budget. Don’t worry, if you want to know more, we have compiled more information on all types of online therapy.