How do you pay on Talkspace? (+5 pros of online therapy)
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The Optimistminds editorial team is made up of psychologists, psychiatrists and mental health professionals. Each article is written by a team member with exposure to and experience in the subject matter. The article then gets reviewed by a more senior editorial member. This is someone with extensive knowledge of the subject matter and highly cited published material.
This article will explain how you can pay on Talkspace. We shall also look at various reasons why therapy is so expensive. Lastly, we will be looking at some of the great benefits of online therapy that users can enjoy. Online therapy has become the preferred mode of therapy, especially since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
How do you pay on Talkspace?
You can pay through various modes in Talkspace. The platform accepts all major debit as well as credit cards. Talkspace does not, however, accept payments through PayPal or checks. The plans of Talkspace are actually quite cost effective and can also be easily covered through insurance for those who are members of insurance providers such as Cigna, Optum and Humana.
Why is therapy so expensive?
Therapy can be quite expensive and this is the main reason why many don’t go to therapy even if they need it the most. The reasons why therapy is so expensive are actually multifold and some of them have been debriefed in the section below:
The cost of education
The costs of education in order to become a psychologist or psychotherapist are actually quite high. Therapists require multiple diplomas and certifications in order to start practicing. Also, the education needs to be done from a prestigious and well-known school for more clientele to come in for the therapist. All this can lead to a huge expense.
Licensing costs
It is not enough that the therapist possesses a degree or a diploma for psychology. They also require a license in order to practice independently. This can vary from region to region and state to state. Licensing fees are also expensive and need to be renewed on a regular basis. Furthermore, licensing requires the therapist to take more courses and thus is a costly affair.
Rent and utilizes expenses
There is also the matter of rent that can add greatly to a therapist’s expense. Offices need to be situated in great locations that can bring in the right clientele and thus more profit. These offices can cost a lot in rent and not to mention the expensive accessories and utilities that make up a therapist’s office.
Marketing expenses
Those therapists who are practicing independently are required to market themselves through ads and other schemes in order to create a name for themselves. These marketing strategies are not exactly cheap, especially since they need to be extra classy since they are dealing with a serious subject like therapy.
Loads of paperwork
Therapy has a lot of paperwork attached to it, which can only grow in multitudes when insurance is involved. Since paperwork alone can take up a lot of time in the day of a therapist, many employ personal assistants that can end up burning a bigger hole in the therapist’s pocket and driving up the expense.
Dry months
Therapists can face an office full of clients on one day and will have no business at all on other days. Clients might drop out unexpectedly and may also move to other locations and thus switch therapists. Thus, business profit also might go up and down and due to this therapists may charge higher fees in order to get through dry months.
High emotional labor
There is a lot of mental and emotional labor that comes with being an effective therapist. A therapist’s job is to not only listen to the clients and their problems but also to guide them through empathy, which can take a lot of effort. This emotional labor often creates trauma for the therapists and thus many of them require mental health care of their own.
Benefits of online therapy
Online therapy can bring a large collection of benefits and thus has become increasingly popular. There are also many online therapy platforms such as Talkspace, Betterhelp, Calmerry, ReGain, Cerebral and others that provide cost-effective and high quality therapy through various formats. Some of the great benefits of online therapy for the users have been discussed in this section:
- Online therapy can be a cost-effective alternative to in-person therapy that can be very expensive for many people. Many online therapy platforms also go the extra mile to ensure better affordability. For example, Talkspace has insurance coverage for all its plans and Betterhelp provides its users financial assistance for its therapy plans.
- Online therapy can be easily accessed from anywhere and also at any time and this makes it easy for those who have busy schedules and thus will not be able to spend a consistent amount of time for regular therapy sessions.
- Therapy sessions conducted online can also be useful for those who are disabled and thus will not be able to leave the house on a regular basis to go to therapy sessions.
- It can also provide a safer environment for those who might be reserved or hesitant to be alone in a room with a stranger.
- Online therapy also makes mental health itself very easy to access and offers plenty of anonymity, which is an important factor since many communities still have a stigma attached to mental health.
Conclusion
This article has explained how you can pay on Talkspace. We have also looked at various reasons why therapy is so expensive. Lastly, we have looked at some of the great benefits of online therapy that users can enjoy.
If you like this article, please post your comments and questions in the space below.
Citations
Why is therapy so expensive???
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/therapy-expensive-insurance_n_5900048ee4b0af6d718992e7
https://www.verywellmind.com/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-online-therapy-2795225
Online Mental Health Therapy in a COVID-19 World
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