Teen Counseling is an affordable and accessible online therapy platform for those aged 13-19. Teens can get help and support for a range of issues such as relationship trouble, depression, or anger issues. Parents or legal guardians can also receive parental advice.
Once matched to a suitable therapist, you and your teen can communicate with them via message, phone, and video in your own separate therapy rooms.
Matching you with a suitable therapist starts with a brief questionnaire.
If you’re completing the questionnaire as a parent, you select whether you’re looking to receive parental advice, therapy for your teen, or if you’re not sure. You’ll then provide other important details such as the age of your child, where the child lives, whether they’ve been in therapy before, and so on.
You’ll also be asked to report on your child’s general mental well-being, such as their sleeping habits, eating habits, and whether they’re experiencing anxiety or depression. You can then highlight any specific concerns you might have, such as your teen’s relationship with the family, school challenges, or criminal behavior—all of which will be a very helpful starting point for therapy.
Teens can also complete a shorter questionnaire themselves, where they provide information such as their age, gender, key issues, and the quality of the relationship with parents.
Once you’ve logged into the site, you can select what experience you’d like your teen’s therapist to have, such as anger management, bipolar disorder, or LGBT-related issues. There are additional focus areas you can select too, such as ‘communication problems’ or ‘life purpose’.
When you’ve been matched with a therapist, you can invite your teen to join. When you first meet your therapist, they will run through their typical methods and goals for therapy so you understand what to expect.
Teen Counseling has a running count of licensed therapists in their network displayed on their site, which is currently well over 10,000 therapists. So, if you’re not happy with your therapist, it is possible to switch to find a better fit.
Once you’ve subscribed to the membership plan, you and your child will be assigned a ‘room’ where you can interact with the therapist—you and your teen are assigned separate therapy rooms.
-Text message
-Live chat
-Phone calls
-Video conferencing
The therapy rooms are open 24/7, so you can send messages at any time and your therapist will respond when they are available. Messaging your therapist doesn’t happen in real-time and does not need to be scheduled. When your therapist has replied to your message, you’ll get an email notification.
If you’d like to chat with your therapist in real-time via message or have a phone or video session, you can schedule a live chat with them. If speaking on the phone, you can enter your phone number into the system for the therapist to call you, but don’t worry, they won’t be able to see your number.
For video sessions on a computer or laptop, you’ll need to use Chrome or Firefox web browsers. If you’re on an iPhone or iPad or Android phone or tablet you’ll need to download the app from the App Store or Google Play Store.
If you or a person you know is in danger of harm, call 1-800-273-8255 in the US or your national mental health hotline. If you are unsure of whom to contact, call the police (911 in the US, 112 in Europe).
Teen Counseling therapists are licensed, trained, and experienced and include:
-Accredited psychologists (Ph.D./PsyD)
-Licensed marriage and family therapists (LMFT)
-Licensed clinical social workers (LCSW/LMSW)
-Licensed professional therapists (LPC)
All therapists:
-Hold a master’s or doctoral degree in their area
-Have at least 3 years and 1000 hours of experience
-Are qualified and certified by the professional board in their state.
Teen Counseling does not employ therapists or oversee them professionally. So, as a client, you’ll work with the independent therapists directly.
Teen Counseling therapists can provide help with a range of issues, such as:
-Anxiety
-Self-esteem
-Stress
-Eating disorders
-Depression
-Bullying
-Relationships
-Anger, and more
There are some instances where Teen Counseling may not be an appropriate platform for your teen to seek therapy. Teen Counseling is NOT suitable for:
-People in crisis or needing urgent care
-People with thoughts of harming themselves
-People with severe mental illness who have been recommended for psychiatric care or psychological supervision
-People who have been obligated to receive therapy, e.g., as part of a court order
Teen Counseling is ideal for teenagers who welcome the flexibility and freedom of messaging their therapist regularly. For many people, shorter, more frequent contact is the preferable way to get support, which isn’t typically possible with traditional face-to-face therapies.
Teen Counseling is also great for parents who’d like to receive parental advice alongside their teen’s therapy. So while your child is getting help for their issues, you can receive support and guidance to help you support them too.
Teen Counseling offers a flat membership fee for you and your child which includes both the therapy and use of the platform.
Membership costs $60-$90 a week (billed monthly) and you can cancel at any time. The subscription includes weekly live sessions and includes text, video, and audio messaging. Payment options include credit card, PayPal, and Google Pay.
As with most digital therapy services, Teen Counseling is not covered by health insurance, Medicare, or Medicaid.
Teen Counseling sets itself apart from other online therapy platforms in several ways:
-The platform is dedicated to helping teens
-Parents can receive parental advice from the same therapist
-Parents and teens get separate “rooms” with the therapist
If you have any questions you can reach out to Teen Counseling through their Contact Us page or email them at contact@teencounseling.com.
There is no live chat function or phone number to speak with a customer support agent, so you won’t be able to get an immediate response from the platform. Teen Counseling does provide helpful FAQ pages for both parents and teens, which guides you through the ins and outs of the counseling process.
You can find recent reviews for specific therapists on the website under the dedicated tab. There’s no shortage of positive reviews from parents and teens who’ve received help from Teen Counseling therapists.
“Robert (therapist) is a very skilled listener and works with you with whatever you need. He is focused on not only the teens and how they are doing but the whole family dynamic. I find him to be professional and yet personable, understanding and knowledgeable.”
“My daughter has been working with Joelle (therapist) for about 9 months and has really enjoyed the process. She’s managing stress and anxiety better and is able to process how she’s feeling. Joelle checks in with me (her mother) and I appreciate the support she has given us!”
“I have worked with Meredith (therapist) for the last several months on anxiety and my overall emotional growth, and she has been the biggest help I've had by helping me to pinpoint the source of some of my biggest issues and giving me the advice and resources I need to grow and heal from things weighing me down. She is amazing and sweet and I appreciate having her as a counselor.”
Our teenage years can be a tough and turbulent time. Often, if a teenager is struggling, the rest of the family feels it too.
Teen Counseling is an online therapy platform dedicated to helping teens and providing advice to parents or legal guardians of teens. They have over 10,000 licensed therapists currently in their network, one of which will be matched with you based on your teen’s specific needs and issues.
Traditional face-to-face therapy is not an option for many people. Teen Counseling offers teens and their parents an accessible and more affordable way to receive support wherever they are, from the comfort of their own home.