Online Therapy Methodology Explainer

When selecting therapy companies to test, we focus on both major therapy platforms and smaller companies with a niche focus. For example, we were interested in testing household names BetterHelp and Talkspace to explore the quality of care they offer firsthand. Both of these platforms can be controversial due to BetterHelp’s past data misuse and anecdotal negative care experiences shared across social media. By enlisting a mental health expert to test these platforms, we were able to provide a firsthand account of their ability to deliver ethical, high-quality care.

We also like to test out specialty-specific services. We checked out Little Otter to see what one can expect from the online children's therapy platform. The same train of thought also applied to Teen Counseling, which focuses specifically on teens, and OurRitual, which offers care for couples. When tasking a tester with a particular platform, we are thoughtful about making sure they can speak to the platform’s specialty — like when we had a psychologist living with ADHD try out ADHD Advisor.

We have a rigorous process when it comes to testing therapy services. As mentioned, all of our writers are either therapists, mental health experts, or writers with extensive mental health writing experience. Most of our writers have also spent plenty of time in therapy themselves, their lived experience giving them an intimate approach to their reviews of therapy services.

Each tester is tasked with completing a minimum of two sessions on a platform, though the majority of folks will spend at least one month trying out services. Some therapy companies offer different kinds of treatment, so we sometimes ask our testers to try out various types of sessions, like individual therapy and couples therapy. While testing therapy sessions, our writers take note of how thorough the intake process is, the quality of care they received, their therapist’s professionalism, tech hiccups, financial details, and any ethical concerns.

Once all sessions are completed, writers are then tasked with completing a questionnaire we’ve standardized for all companies. This is key so we can gather the same data points on all companies to compare and begin interpreting them by consulting experts and current research literature. From there, our writer will do another sweep of market research, comparing their experience to other therapy platforms. Once all of these steps are completed, the writer then writes their review.

Just because a review is published doesn’t mean the testing has ended. We periodically update our therapy reviews by having writers retest platforms or assess new or different services as they arise. This is a great way for us to measure progress, especially if we did not have a good experience with the platform the first time around. 

Part of what sets Everyday Health apart is our team of licensed therapists and mental health reporters who perform deep-dive evaluations of these platforms. Due to their professional backgrounds, each writer can provide a well-rounded assessment of the therapist's qualifications, the specific modalities used, and background research on the company’s reputation. That information can then be scored against their own professional experience in the field and personal experience as a therapy client.

Plus, many of our writers have tried lots of different platforms, so they can compare the quality of these services and know what to expect. Many of our writers also have identities that help us assess whether a platform is a safe, welcoming space for historically underrepresented groups like LGBTQ+ or BIPOC, and whether it has therapists who can understand these unique experiences. In addition to being a licensed psychotherapist with over a decade of writing experience, I’ve also tested over 12 therapy platforms. My extensive background isn’t an anomaly amongst our writers, either.