Talkspace Review 2024: Our Testers Talk Features, Cost, and More

Keep in mind

Talkspace is not a substitute for emergency services. In the event of a mental health emergency — like if you’re thinking about harming yourself or someone else — call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or your local emergency services.

Therapy shouldn’t feel like another box to tick or a teleconference to schedule.

With that pain point in mind, Talkspace was founded in 2012 with the goal of making mental health services more accessible to everyone.

Talkspace is an online text and video chat therapy platform that offers access to therapists who cover a broad range of mental health services.

Talkspace has continued to expand its services since the company was founded and now offers:

• couples therapy
• online psychiatric evaluation
• medication management

Keep reading to learn how Talkspace works, how effective the service is, and whether it’s a good fit for you and your lifestyle.

Talkspace offers an intuitive website and app. To register for Talkspace, you’ll be asked to complete a questionnaire and then move through a short matching process to connect you with an appropriate therapist.

Sign-up process

To sign up, go to Talkspace’s website or register in the mental health app. On the website, you’ll click on the buttons for the type of service you’re interested in, while in the app, you simply hit get started.

When you sign up for Talkspace, you’ll be asked to complete a questionnaire that focuses on you and your life, goals, and preferences.

After you’ve completed the survey, a matching agent helps connect you with the best therapist for you. The agent uses a scripted questionnaire to ensure you’re matched with a therapist who fits your exact needs.

The agent uses scripts to help keep the process smooth and easier. Scripted responses may be used to answer basic questions many people have about the Talkspace platform and process. The responses are used to describe services and provide information about a therapist’s background when you’re selecting a therapist.

Talkspace room

After you’ve chosen your therapist, a secure virtual therapy room is created. You can access your Talkspace room on your preferred web browser or Talkspace’s mobile app. You can begin and pick up conversations from whichever device you choose. Talkspace is compatible with iPhones, iPads, and Android devices.

In your Talkspace room, you can send and reply to messages from your therapist 24/7. You can expect responses five times weekly, as your therapist can view and respond to you throughout the day.

You may have to wait for a reply, however. For example, if you send a message during the middle of the night, you may not hear back until the next day.

So, it’s best to think of Talkspace’s texting feature as a platform that can communicate 24/7, but not a platform where you receive 24/7 therapy.

Other features

If you want to add a face-to-face experience through this text therapy platform, Talkspace also offers live video sessions.

You’ll also be able to view in advance what a standard therapy journey looks like through checkpoints, milestones, and progress reports, and you’ll also have opportunities to tweak your plan.

If something’s not working for you, you can switch therapists or stop therapy whenever you want.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to get you on your way:

1. Head to the Talkspace website and click on “Get Started” in the top-right corner.
2. Choose the type of therapy you need: online therapy, psychiatry, or couples therapy.
3. Follow the prompts and answer the assessment questions. You’ll be asked about why you’re looking for therapy and how you’re feeling, among other things.

Talkspace’s sign-up platform features several short how-to videos to help you navigate the service.

You can chat with an initial consultation therapist to help you with the process and get you matched with the right mental health care professional. Within about 48 hours, you’ll get information on your personalized match and what the next steps look like.

After you’ve completed the intake form, much like a matchmaking service for dating, several options will be presented to you.

You’ll choose from a number of licensed, accredited, and experienced therapists. If you find that none of your matches fit your needs, you can always ask for more. Additionally, if you begin working with a therapist and feel that they are not a good match, you can easily request to be matched with a new one.

When choosing a therapist, you can view their profile, providing information on their professional experience. Their profile will show you the therapist’s:

• photo
• availability
• time zone
• professional license number

You can also see their therapeutic approaches, specializations, how long they’ve been practicing, and how long they’ve been with Talkspace.

Some responses from therapists to general or frequently asked questions may be scripted, but your therapist will also respond to your individual and specific needs. Scripted responses can help make the process smoother, as they help provide quick answers to your questions.

Therapist qualifications

Talkspace professionals are licensed and credentialed psychiatrists and therapists offering individual and couples therapy services. The company verifies the professionals’ credentials and completes a background check before hiring.

Professionals must have 3,000-plus hours of clinical experience in their area of expertise. They may have additional training to specialize in certain therapy approaches.

Therapist focus areas and techniques

Talkspace employs a wide range of therapists who specialize in various therapeutic approaches and focus areas. The initial sign-up questionnaire will help match you with a therapist who suits your needs and has experience addressing your specific mental health concerns.

Popular types of therapy offered may include:

• psychodynamic therapy
• behavioral therapy
• cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
• humanistic therapy

You can also find therapists who have experience with a specific focus area or mental health concern, including:

• anxiety
• depression
• disordered eating
• family or relationship issues

Psychiatry

Talkspace also offers a psychiatry service for people interested in both mental healthcare and prescription management. Psychiatrists and nurse practitioners staff the program.

While Talkspace Psychiatry offers useful services, it’s worth noting that psychiatry professionals are unable to prescribe controlled substances, including:

• Adderall
• Ativan
• Concerta
• Klonopin
• Librium
• Ritalin
• Xanax

The professionals are also unable to prescribe lithium.

Talkspace Psychiatry does require an initial evaluation fee of $249, with follow-up visits priced at $125 each.

Other features

In addition to chatting online with a therapist, here’s what else you can do through Talkspace:

• track clinical symptoms through an online symptom tracker
• explore the Happify interface, a science-based app that promotes happiness
• locate resources for work-life planning, financial wellness, and legal advice through Talkspace’s employee assistance programs

Talkspace offers a variety of subscription plans to cater to different budgets and health needs. Some insurance plans may cover the services. You can take the online assessment to help determine your eligibility.

Talkspace also accepts some employee assistance programs and other plans. There are no contracts, so you can cancel your plan anytime.

While Talkspace doesn’t offer a free trial, a free consultation is available with a matching agent to discuss how Talkspace works and the matching process.

The three levels for individual subscription plans include:

• Unlimited messaging therapy: $276 a month
  • Unlimited text, video, and audio messaging 5 days a week
• Unlimited messaging therapy plus video: $396 a month
  • Unlimited text, video, and audio messaging 5 days a week
  • Four live 30-minute sessions a month
• Unlimited messaging therapy plus video and workshops: $436 a month
  • Unlimited text, video, and audio messaging 5 days a week
  • Four live 30-minute sessions a month
  • Weekly workshops

The couples therapy plan includes four 30-minute monthly video sessions plus unlimited text, video, and audio messaging in a group room with your partner and therapist. The cost is $109 per week, billed $436 every 4 weeks.

Psychiatry services are offered as an add-on plan and cost $249 for the initial psychiatric evaluation and $125 for follow-up visits.

At any time, you can change to a new subscription level or pause your plan. Changes are effective immediately. During the next billing cycle, your account will be credited if you downgrade your plan, or the difference will be charged if you upgrade your plan.

Talkspace works directly with certain insurance companies to offer coverage for mental health services. The company currently accepts the following insurance providers:

• Aetna
• Cigna
• Optum
• Carelon Behavioral Health
• Regence

If you don’t see your plan, you can check if you’re covered through a brief questionnaire on Talkspace’s website. For those who are covered, the average copay is around $25 (but could go all the way down to $0, depending on your plan).

If Talkspace doesn’t accept your insurance, you may be able to get services covered through your Employee Assistance Program (EAP).

Talkspace partners directly with some companies to offer mental health services to their employees. You’ll need to contact your employer for an EAP code that will give you access to the company’s services at no cost to you.

Talkspace is Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliant.

Talkspace says all communication between the software and the servers, including chat data, is encrypted. The Talkspace app also requires you to enter a password and lets you create a unique password for added security.

If you’d like to remove or modify your personal data including chat histories, you must fill out the appropriate request form and email it along with a copy of your photo ID to the company at privacy@talkspace.com.

The company notes in its privacy policy that it may use data you provide to “modify, and develop new products, features, and services.”

Talkspace also states that it may use data you provide to “conduct clinical and other academic research, internally and with approved research partners and identify summary trends or insights for use in external communications,” noting that direct identifiers like name and contact details will be removed.

You may already be aware of Talkspace controversy after recent concerns from former Talkspace employees, who have made claims detailing unethical marketing practices and data privacy violations from the company, including:

• manipulating reviews
• advertising services in a way intended to trigger consumers into using the service
• using user data and medical records to develop marketing and advertising strategies

However, none of these allegations have been proven.

Christy Snyder, wellness editor at Healthline, used this service to discuss situational stress and anxieties. She found the signup process to be easy and fast and felt that she was asked appropriate, pointed questions about her mental health history and current status. Her assigned therapist got in touch quickly and was helpful in discussing her situation.

In addition, Christy felt that Talkspace:

• Was “pretty pricey, even compared to using mental health services with insurance.”
• Gives “scheduling freedom.” She says it’s “great that you can have weekly sessions or daily messaging for when a deeper level of support is needed.”

Overall, Christy felt that she:

• “Liked the flexibility of Talkspace, but I think because I am so used to a more traditional model, some of the features were not to my liking — but could certainly work for others.”
• Would recommend the service. “There are multiple options for communicating with your therapist. All of which work for different lifestyles or personality types regarding face-to-face vs. messaging. My only real issue is the cost.”

Overall, customer satisfaction with Talkspace varies greatly. The company currently has a B rating from the Better Business Bureau, with 458 complaints closed in the last 3 years, and 8complaints closed in the last 12 months at the time of this writing.

Most complaints from Talkspace users here have to do with:

• billing issues
• requests for refunds
• dissatisfaction with the therapists
• the rate of therapists’ replies

Some reviewers say they liked their therapy but did not like the company, citing that contacting customer service is “a nightmare” and takes them a week to several weeks to respond.

If you need emergency help, a text therapy platform isn’t the best choice. Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or your local emergency services.

Talkspace features thousands of licensed therapists. Many are trained across multiple areas of expertise, including anxiety, issues affecting the LGBTQIA+ community, addiction, relationships with family or friends, eating disorders, and more.

While text therapy can be helpful, Talkspace isn’t a perfect fit for everyone. Deciding whether text therapy is right for you will largely come down to your lifestyle and preferences.

Without the face-to-face experience that comes with traditional therapy, it’s possible to miss out on affirmation and comfort from things like eye contact and a warm smile. Still, some people may prefer the privacy of talking through text rather than face-to-face.

Talkspace’s 24/7 access may be a key benefit for those wanting something convenient and flexible. A chat room on your preferred device can help keep your calendar clear and save you time on commuting.