6 Mental Health Apps You’ll Want to Try, Picked by a Therapist

Talkspace actually offers two apps: the primary one, called “Talkspace Therapy & Counseling” on Google Play and “Talkspace Therapy & Support” on the App Store, is specifically for current members as a conduit of communication with their therapist. The other one, called Talkspace Go, is chock-full of helpful, educational resources like mindfulness exercises, classes, therapist-led live workshops, and reading materials.

While the first is exclusively for Talkspace therapy clients, anyone can download and subscribe to Talkspace Go (it’s included in some Talkspace therapy subscriptions as well). In fact, because Talkspace Go is a self-guided counseling app that lets you pinpoint the things you most want to work on, Talkspace recommends using it in conjunction with your therapy sessions—whether or not you’re working with a Talkspace therapist.

As an online therapy provider, Talkspace stands out because you can access so many kinds of therapy through its primary app, including individual adult therapy, couples therapy, and teen therapy, even psychiatry and medication management. The main function of this app is to message your therapist, for anything from discussing scheduling to checking in on homework assignments to getting just that extra bit of support in between sessions. Plus, everything available on the Talkspace website is available on the app: signing up for services, getting matched with a provider, and scheduling and attending appointments (including video, audio, and chat-based sessions). You can even check your insurance coverage right through the app.

I had 11 people try various therapy services, including individual, couples, and teen therapy, and overall most were happy with their experiences. The general consensus was that their Talkspace therapists were qualified, friendly, and helpful, guiding conversations and making my testers feel comfortable opening up. Being able to choose which type of session they wanted—video, audio, or live chat—personalized the experience, and all were available through the app. Holistic, affordable mental health care, through an app? We’re fans.

“I found the signup process intuitive and the website easy to navigate. The app is very functional, and made it easy to schedule sessions remotely, message my therapist on the fly, and even log into video sessions from anywhere.” — Talkspace tester, pleased with the app’s accessibility

My testers’ biggest complaint with Talkspace is the short session times. At only half an hour, many testers felt like they were only able to scratch the surface of what they wanted to discuss in their sessions. This led to some of them feeling less supported by their therapists. This was especially evident when their therapists didn’t lead the sessions with questions and driving insights, instead leaving my testers to guide the conversation on their own.