A global pandemic. A modern-day civil rights movement. An incompetent president treating the United States like one big episode of reality TV. Wildfires causing apocalyptic orange skies. An impending election. Needless to say, 2020 was… something else. (Hands up if you’ve noticed an increase in anxiety this year. 🙋♀️🙋🙋♂️)
But as Leslie Dwight so beautifully puts it,
“What if 2020 is the year we’ve been waiting for? A year so uncomfortable, so painful, so scary, so raw — that it finally forces us to grow.”
We’re at what feels like a true crossroads in the history of our world. As we teeter on the precipice of change—learning and unlearning and growing and rebuilding—it’s more critical than ever to normalize conversations around mental wellness, and therapy in particular. Change of this magnitude doesn’t (and can’t!) happen alone, nor can we expect progress unless we invest in ourselves emotionally, mentally, and physically. We’re all navigating our way through these ~unprecedented~ times, but no one says we must do so by ourselves; when it comes to our mental health, that’s where therapy comes in.
Below are crowd-sourced recommendations from friends, colleagues, and trusted sources for beginning (or resuming) a therapy journey at various price points. For a more thorough breakdown on how to get started, check out this piece and podcast from NPR. (And if you’re in the NYC area and want a local recommendation, I can’t say enough good things about the team at Citron Hennessey!)
Disclosure: The opinions in this post are my own and are not sponsored. Advekit generously offered a 50% discount code for MarketHer readers, but I will not benefit financially from any appointments scheduled through their platform.
ADVEKIT
“Finding the right therapist within a budget can be a challenge, but the founders of Advekit have created a match-making platform that also helps users understand and tap into their out-of-network benefits,” writes Christine Hall in Crunchbase. Advekit—which was founded in 2017 and recently raised $2.6 million in funding—pairs users with licensed therapists for the lowest-possible cost based on criteria like area of focus, time of day, and insurance. Though Advekit is most active throughout California, Chicago, and the tristate area, they do have practitioners across the U.S. and are actively expanding. (And their teletherapy offering makes it easy to find a licensed professional to speak with, regardless of your physical location—a plus for COVID and beyond.)
Advekit, which came highly recommended from a former colleague of mine, has generously provided a discount for MarketHer subscribers. Use code MARKETHER50 for 50% off your first therapy session. (Thanks, Advekit team!)
ALMA
Like Advekit, Alma helps pair users with a therapist that suits their needs. They offers mental health professionals and providers the tools and resources they need to better manage their practice and deliver great care, both in person and online (kind of like “WeWork for therapists”). After telling the team at Alma what you’re looking for, they’ll share a list of providers in their network who match your criteria, and from there you can schedule a 10-minute consultation to get a sense of who you might be comfortable working with. (Each provider at Alma sets their own rates and makes their own decisions about going in-network with major insurance payers.)
BETTER HELP
I feel like half the podcasts I listen to these days are sponsored by Better Help, and I’m not mad about it. As the world’s largest e-counseling platform, BetterHelp offers access to licensed, trained, experienced, and accredited psychologists, marriage and family therapists, clinical social workers, and board-licensed professional counselors. They’re on a mission to make “professional counseling accessible, affordable, convenient—so anyone who struggles with life’s challenges can get help, anytime, anywhere.” You can choose to exchange messages, chat live, speak over the phone, or video conference with your counselor—truly something for everyone. I don’t have a referral code of my own, but I’ll leave you with the referral link from one of my favorite podcasts, Help Me Be Me (more on that below).
HEADWAY
Headway “helps you find therapists who don't take insurance anywhere else.” During the COVID-19 crisis, all Headway providers are offering virtual sessions covered by insurance. Their site makes it easy to compare potential therapists and book appointments, whether you’d prefer to continue via video or eventually move to an in-person format.
MY WELLBEING
One of the things I appreciate about My Wellbeing is their response to the Black Lives Matter movement. They’ve compiled a list of resources for “action, advocacy, support, and learning,” including a round-up of organizations that provide mental health resources specifically for POC—a great starting point for those looking for support, as well as those inclined to donate. (One of the organizations I’m passionate about: The Loveland Foundation, whose therapy fund that provides financial assistance for therapy to Black womxn and girls.)
But back to the process. As with many of the other companies in this post, My Wellbeing pairs users with therapists through personalized matchmaking. (Think of it like ZocDoc, but for therapy.) Their COVID response was also comprehensive, with special offerings, support groups (both pay-what-you-can and free), a list of therapists offering temporary teletherapy, low-fee resources, and free tools.
ZENCARE
Zencare’s easy-to-navigate interface makes the therapist search a breeze for users in select cities and states: New York, L.A., Rhode Island, Washington, D.C., New Jersey, the Boston area, Connecticut, Chicago, and Seattle. This women-led company aims to better the therapist search process, and in addition to private sessions, they offer resources for therapy groups in a handful of cities and a helpful breakdown of the various types of therapy.
THE LOVELAND FOUNDATION
Founded by author, activist, and educator Rachel Cargle, The Loveland Foundation is “committed to showing up for communities of color in unique and powerful ways, with a particular focus on Black women and girls.” They started a fund to raise $600,000 to provide 5,000 hours of free therapy to Black women and girls when they need it. You can sign up for services here, or learn more about ways to get involved and donate here.
A NOTE ABOUT TALKSPACE
Originally I’d included Talkspace in this round-up, but after reading this New York Times piece about the culture there, I can’t in good faith recommend it.
IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU LOVE IS STRUGGLING WITH SUICIDAL THOUGHTS, HELP IS AVAILABLE. CALL THE NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION LIFELINE AT (800) 273-8255.
INSTAGRAM ACCOUNTS & PODCASTS I LOVE:
Not quite ready to start therapy, but want a little nudge in that direction? Below are some of my favorite Instagram accounts and podcasts for self-care, self-help, and beyond:
Lisa Olivera // @_lisaolivera: Lisa’s Instagram account is one of my all-time favorites. (Like… one of the main reasons I stay on the app.) In addition to regularly sharing thought-starters, journaling prompts, and beautiful reflections, Lisa (a therapist and writer) just launched a new self-paced online course called “Cultivating You.” Though it’s technically not a direct substitute for therapy, I get SO much value out of Lisa’s content that it serves a similar purpose.
Yasmine Cheyenne & The Sugar Jar Podcast // @yasminecheyenne & @thesugarjarpodcast: Please excuse me while I continue to fangirl. I’m just as obsessed with Yasmine’s work as I am with Lisa’s. Yasmine is a teacher, writer, speaker, and advocate on mental health and spiritual wellness, and her Instagram posts always resonate. With the belief that hearing other people’s stories can “help us release, heal, and grow,” her recently launched podcast centers on conversations about self-healing journeys and features incredible humans like Layla Saad, Alex Elle, and Dosse Via.
Sarah May & Help Me Be Me: Though she’s not a licensed therapist, podcast host Sarah May is SO spot-on with her research and observations—she’s truly found her calling. Positioned as “self-help for people who hate self-help,” the Help Me Be Me podcast serves as an “emotional toolkit for creating positive change in yourself.” 10/10 recommend.
Morgan Harper Nichols // @morganharpernichols: An artist and poet, Morgan Harper Nichols has amassed a dedicated following of over 1.5 million followers on Instagram. She creates “daily reminders through art, inspired by real stories,” and I kid you not when I say her work is like chicken soup for the soul. (I just purchased her book, All Along You Were Blooming, and can’t wait to dive in.) Oh, and she has a podcast! So much to love.