Talkspace Review (Everything You Need to Know)

In this guide, readers will find our review of the mental health portal, Talkspace. We will first give an introduction about what this app is, who it’s meant for, and how it works. Then, we will evaluate the pros and cons of Talkspace and see what users have to say. Finally, we will give our opinion on how useful this organisation is.

Reviewing Talkspace – An Online and Mobile Therapy Company

If there was ever a time when therapy needed to be more accessible, it is the present. The pandemic that shook the world has led to a surge in the demand for mental health services. In such times, companies like Talkspace are in high demand since they provide counselling and pharmacotherapy remotely. 

You get access to an online network of certified psychologists and psychiatrists at the palm of your hand. We did an extensive analysis of Talkspace’s services, user experience, and cost-effectiveness to review it. Our verdict: 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Have You Heard of Talkspace?

Talkspace is a mental health service that provides care through virtual resources. This is a platform that can help individuals needing psychological aid find what they need. We are going to review Talkspace by understanding everything you need to know about it.  

What is Talkspace?

Talkspace is a company that connects mental health professionals with those in need of help. It is a network of more than a million users from different parts of the globe. The organisation takes pride in its diversity, both in terms of therapists as well as users. Talkspace acts like a portal for both ends of the therapeutic alliance to find a starting point. 

It connects clients with a wide range of professionals who can provide different kinds of care. These include counselling and therapy, psychiatric pharmacological treatment, couples counselling, and teen counselling. 

Talkspace aims to make mental health services more accessible and convenient to the clients’ schedule. It promises customers quality treatment delivered according to their unique requirements.

Who is Talkspace meant for?

Talkspace is ideal for customers who need unlimited access to their therapist or the safe space created with them. This system differs greatly from traditional therapy because of the accessibility. Based on the subscription plan you choose, you get a certain amount of live video sessions, audio, and text messages. 

You can use these for proper sessions or just to talk and vent in times of acute distress. Your therapist will respond 2-3 times a week outside of scheduled sessions. This works really well for individuals who have unstable mental health and are prone to unpredictable and debilitating attacks. 

Talkspace is meant for people struggling with mental health issues, difficult phases of life, or those seeking personal growth. The wait time is considerably less as compared to conventional services so it’s great if you can’t afford patience. However, it is not meant for people who prefer in-person sessions.

What Mental Health Concerns Can Talkspace Help With?

This is a collection of therapists with varying skillsets who have years of experience with different types of clients. 

Below are some of the mental health concerns that professionals at Talkspace can help with. This list is not exhaustive and if you’re not sure which one you relate with, the matching agent can help. As these representatives are also licensed therapists, they are qualified to make an assessment.

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Addiction
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
• Interpersonal Issues within family or other relationships
• Fulfilment in professional life
• Disturbed academic performance
• Issues related to gender identity
• Eating disorders
• Psychiatric consultations and prescriptions
• Trauma-informed therapy

Side Note: I have tried and tested various products and services to help with my anxiety and depression. See my top recommendations here, as well as a full list of all products and services our team has tested for various mental health conditions and general wellness.

How does Talkspace work?

Starting therapy with Talkspace is a quick 3-stage process. We’ll walk you through each step.

Join and Assess Your Needs

After you sign up on Talkspace’s website, you are taken to a chat with a matching agent. Typically, this agent is also a licensed therapist who will be better able to assess your needs than other professionals. Assessment takes place by asking you some simple but important questions regarding your goals from therapy. 

Get Matched with a Therapist

When complete, your case is handed to an appropriate therapist who then takes over. Next, clients are oriented to the therapeutic process and their preferences are taken into consideration. All legal procedures are taken care of and the therapist begins with the first history-taking. This 5-7 day stage finishes with a presentation of a treatment plan.

Take Live 30-Minute Sessions on Video Call

Services then proceed with regular agreement on steps and goals along with the prescribed intervention. A progress report is shared after each step of the way till the time of recovery and termination. Talkspace representatives and web content guide you throughout the journey and address any doubts or concerns you may have.

How Much does Talkspace cost?

There are three pricing plans for Talkspace. Users can pick one based on their needs and budget. Most Insurance plans do not cover Talkspace services. The three plans are:

Talkspace: Common Concerns

In this section, we will address some common concerns people tend to have about availing these services virtually.

Does Online Therapy Work?

Often, people feel skeptical about online therapy, which isn’t as intimate and spontaneous as traditional, in-person therapy. The time lapse between messages exchanged and the ability to retype your sentences change your level of readiness for disclosure. It creates space for omissions or inauthenticity. 

Nevertheless, users report that with a sincere and open approach, this slightly unusual way of seeking help works too. Think of therapy as a tool to becoming a better observer in your life so you can choose your reactions. A sincere attempt to become better would entail stepping out of your comfort zone and becoming vulnerable.

What if I Want to Change My Therapist?

Realistically speaking, changing your therapist is something you might have to do at least once in your life. Life is uncertain and the future is predictable. You could be one of those lucky people who found the perfect therapist in the first go. 

Even then, something could happen in your life or theirs to change things. More often than not, life experiences alter the way we perceive things leading to different needs. When that happens, needing to change therapists is a possibility. 

This can be a taxing procedure because we’re afraid of having to start from the beginning with someone new. Talkspace tries to be considerate of that in attempts to make transitions smoother. The new therapist joins you in the same chat room so that they have access to all previous conversations.

Will the Therapist Reply to My Message? When?

Talkspace guarantees that therapists respond 5 days a week. There are specific wait times for replies based on when you sent your message.

The table below gives you an estimate of when the therapist will respond to you. Please note that this is based on your therapist’s timezone.

What do users have to say about Talkspace?

Let’s take a look at what the internet has to say about Talkspace. We’ll also compare these views with those for other companies offering similar services.

Customer Reviews

We looked at different online forums and blogs to review how users feel about Talkspace. The average rating of more than 3000 reviewers on Play Store is 3+ stars out of five. That’s a decent rating but with plenty of scope for improvement. 

Other online sources also give mixed reviews. There are some who think this is a fantastic portal while others feel that there should be some changes. A few customers think virtual communication just doesn’t cut it. 

Some of the therapists involved also think there should be more support from the organisation. But overall, the internet shows more positive reviews than negative ones. That’s not surprising since Talkspace is part of the technology revolution in the field of health services.

Talkspace Competition Analysis

Google Play Store ratings of Talkspace and similar portals place this company somewhere in the middle. The app BetterHelp has a lot more voters and higher ratings. 7Cups, a closely resembling portal but with certified listeners instead of therapists, is ranked higher too. 

Talkspace comes second with a little more than 3000 raters that gave it an average of 3.5 stars. Having said that, Talkspace is doing far better than the rest of the apps that provide professional therapy. 

Pros of Talkspace

We inspected the official website, user procedures, and customer reviews to conclude with the following pros of Talkspace:

• It provides legitimate services in the convenience of your home
• The matching agent is also a therapist so can engage using professional competence
• Clients are matched with the most appropriate therapist for them from a long list of skilled experts
• Sign up process is simple and informative
• Consultations take place through live video sessions or messages in all formats
• Customer feedback is taken throughout the journey making it very client-centred
• Customer service has a lot of useful features
• Wait time for consultations and therapist responses are short and well communicated
• Can be used via computers and phones
• Users get a free one week trial
• Cost-effective and varied pricing plans

Cons of Talkspace

From our analysis of Talkspace, we were able to observe the following cons of this portal:

• Sessions are too short in duration
• This is an American organisation so the time difference can be a problem for clients not living in the USA
• The minimum pricing plan is of at least a month and customers are billed in spite of cancellations
• Live sessions are not available for all therapists. Some prefer only using messages through video, text, or audio
• Some users have complained that their therapist gives very short replies and may struggle to remember previous conversations
• The quality difference from in-person connections cannot be matched through screens

Talkspace Review: Our Verdict

We think Talkspace is a good option for people struggling to find a good mental health professional. The convenience of accessing licensed and verified therapists via your computer or phone is fantastic and much needed today. 

Quality, features, and efficiency seem to be on point for the organisation. However, there are plenty of avenues for improvement in terms of user experience, the therapeutic relationship, and billing procedures. Our verdict: 3.5 stars out of 5.

Conclusion

In this guide, readers looked at our review of the mental health portal, Talkspace. We first gave an introduction about what this app is, who it’s meant for, and how it works. Then, we evaluated the pros and cons of Talkspace and saw what users have to say. Finally, we gave our opinion on how useful this organisation is.

FAQs (Talkspace Review)