Phone therapy: online services with therapy over the phone
Online services where a session can be a phone call, with no camera: which take insurance or Medicare, what each costs without insurance, where you can see a prescriber by phone, what the research says, and the free lines you can call any time. Every service fact is from its own pages.
12 online therapy services say sessions can be by phone, and 9 of them take insurance in network. In a randomized trial, CBT by phone worked about as well as in person by the end of treatment and fewer people dropped out. Free lines such as 988 give crisis counseling, not ongoing therapy. In a crisis, call or text 988.
12 therapy services with phone sessions
Services that take insurance first. Formats, insurance, Medicare and ages are from each service's own pages, the same records as its service page; at marketplaces, each therapist decides whether to hold phone sessions.
| Service | How you can talk | Without insurance | Insurance | Medicare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BetterHelpVisit site Subscription therapy | VideoPhoneLive chatAsync messagingGroup | $70 to $100/week | In-network, cost varies by plan | Yes (psychiatry through UpLift only; therapy is not covered) |
| CerebralVisit site Therapy + psychiatry · sees teens | VideoPhoneAsync messaging | $150 per session | In-network, cost varies by plan | Yes (Medicare Advantage plans only; not Original Medicare) |
| Grow TherapyVisit site Insurance marketplace · sees teens | VideoPhone | Not published | In-network, cost varies by plan | Yes (most states) |
| Little OtterVisit site Youth & family · sees teens | VideoPhoneAsync messaging | $200/session ($350 assessment) | In-network, cost varies by plan | Not listed |
| MDLIVEVisit site Therapy + psychiatry · sees teens | VideoPhone | $179 initial, $140 follow-up (before insurance) | In-network, cost varies by plan | Yes (through participating plans) |
| PlushCareVisit site Telehealth platform | VideoPhone | $169 per 45-minute session | In-network, cost varies by plan | Yes (some Medicare Advantage plans, for primary care doctor visits only; not Part B; therapy is self-pay) |
| TalkspaceVisit site Therapy + psychiatry · sees teens | VideoPhoneLive chatAsync messagingGroup | $69/wk | In-network, cost varies by plan | Yes (therapy by Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage in all states and DC; psychiatry is not covered by Original Medicare) |
| Teladoc Health (Mental Health)Visit site Therapy + psychiatry · sees teens | VideoPhone | $95 per therapy visit (its no-insurance page still says $119) | In-network, cost varies by plan | Yes (Medicare Advantage plans only, not fee-for-service) |
| ThriveworksVisit site Insurance marketplace · sees teens | VideoPhone | $200-$240 intake / $160-$195 follow-up | In-network, cost varies by plan | Yes (most providers; not counselors (LPCs) or family therapists (MFTs)) |
| Learn to Live Employer / EAP · sees teens | Async messagingPhoneLive chat | Through an employer or plan | Employer or plan benefit | Yes (free through a sponsoring plan) |
| Online-Therapy.comVisit site Subscription therapy · sees teens | VideoPhoneLive chatAsync messaging | $60/wk ($48/wk for the first month with its 20% discount), billed monthly | Out-of-network only | Not listed |
| Open Path Psychotherapy CollectiveVisit site Therapist directory · sees teens | VideoPhone | $40 to $70 per individual session | Cash only | Not listed |
Psychiatry and addiction care by phone
Prescriber visits, not therapy. Prices are a prescriber visit or the program's monthly fee as each states it.
| Service | How you can talk | Without insurance | Insurance | Medicare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eleanor HealthVisit site Addiction care | VideoPhoneGroup | Not published | In-network, cost varies by plan | Yes (plans listed in 14 states) |
| Mindful CareVisit site Psychiatry · sees teens | VideoPhoneGroup | $175 initial / $75 follow-up | In-network, cost varies by plan | Yes (plans vary by state) |
| OpheliaVisit site Addiction care | VideoPhoneAsync messaging | Not published | In-network, cost varies by plan | Yes |
| Ria HealthVisit site Addiction care | VideoPhoneAsync messagingGroup | $175 to $449 per month (self-pay, varies by treatment plan) | In-network, cost varies by plan | Yes (some Medicare Advantage plans) |
| QuickMDVisit site Addiction care | VideoPhoneGroup | $99 per visit (the first visit, then monthly follow-ups); medication separate | Cash only | Not listed |
What the research says about therapy by phone
Therapy by phone (telephone CBT)
In a randomized trial of 325 primary care patients with depression, CBT by telephone was not inferior to face-to-face CBT at the end of 18 sessions, and fewer people dropped out (20.9% vs 32.7%). Six months later, those who had face-to-face CBT were somewhat less depressed.
Gains held less well after treatment ended than with face-to-face CBT, so the trial's authors weigh better adherence against some risk of poorer maintenance.
Teletherapy vs in-person (overall)
Across the strongest current evidence, synchronous video psychotherapy is clinically non-inferior to in-person care for common conditions, with comparable therapeutic alliance and comparable dropout. Equivalence is best-established for mild-to-moderate severity and CBT-family treatments.
Equivalence is not established for every condition or severity. High-acuity and crisis presentations frequently exceed what routine online therapy can safely deliver.
Free lines you can call: support, not therapy
Free to anyone. They are crisis counseling, support or referrals from trained people, not ongoing therapy, and often the right first step.
- Who
- Anyone
- What it gives
- Crisis counseling by call, text or chat (not therapy)
- Cost
- Free
- How to start
- Call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org
- Who
- LGBTQ+ young people under 25
- What it gives
- Crisis counseling by phone, text or chat (not therapy)
- Cost
- Free
- How to start
- Text START to 678-678, call 1-866-488-7386, or chat at thetrevorproject.org/get-help
- Who
- Young people up to 19
- What it gives
- Support from trained teen volunteers supervised by adult professionals (not therapy)
- Cost
- Free
- How to start
- Call (800) 852-8336, 6 to 10 PM Pacific, or text TEEN to 839863, 6 to 9 PM Pacific
- Who
- Anyone facing a substance use or mental disorder, and their families
- What it gives
- Treatment referral and information, 24/7, in English and Spanish (not counseling)
- Cost
- Free
- How to start
- Call 1-800-662-HELP (4357), TTY 1-800-487-4889, or text your ZIP code to 435748
- Who
- Anyone, for themselves, family or friends
- What it gives
- Emotional support, mental health information and resources from trained staff (not a crisis line, not therapy)
- Cost
- Free
- How to start
- Call 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or text NAMI to 62640, Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET
- Who
- Active service members, National Guard members, reservists, veterans, and their families or caregivers. It operates independently of the VA and the U.S. military.
- What it gives
- Live, confidential peer support from trained veterans and military family members (not trained counselors), who listen, connect you to resources and follow up on every call until an issue is resolved. Peers respond by phone, email, chat or text.
- Cost
- Free (its mission is to provide live, free, confidential, 24/7 peer support)
- How to start
- Call 855-838-8255, 24/7, or use Talk to Us on vets4warriors.com to call, request a call, chat or email.
Check first: Peers are trained in peer support, not trained counselors, so this is not therapy.
Phone therapy, answered
- Can you do therapy over the phone?
- Yes. 12 online therapy services say on their own pages that sessions can be by phone: BetterHelp, Cerebral, Grow Therapy, Little Otter, MDLIVE, PlushCare, Talkspace, Teladoc Health (Mental Health), Thriveworks, Learn to Live, Online-Therapy.com and Open Path Psychotherapy Collective. In a randomized trial of 325 primary care patients with depression, CBT by telephone was not inferior to face-to-face CBT at the end of 18 sessions, and fewer people dropped out (20.9% vs 32.7%). Six months later, those who had face-to-face CBT were somewhat less depressed.
- Is phone therapy covered by insurance?
- It can be. 9 of these services take insurance in network (BetterHelp, Cerebral, Grow Therapy, Little Otter, MDLIVE, PlushCare, Talkspace, Teladoc Health (Mental Health) and Thriveworks); whether your plan pays for an audio-only session, and your copay, depends on the plan, so check with the service before you start.
- Is there phone therapy for seniors on Medicare?
- These services hold sessions by phone and say they take Medicare, each with the limit it states: BetterHelp (psychiatry through UpLift only; therapy is not covered), Cerebral (Medicare Advantage plans only; not Original Medicare), Grow Therapy (most states), MDLIVE (through participating plans), PlushCare (some Medicare Advantage plans, for primary care doctor visits only; not Part B; therapy is self-pay), Talkspace (therapy by Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage in all states and DC; psychiatry is not covered by Original Medicare), Teladoc Health (Mental Health) (Medicare Advantage plans only, not fee-for-service), Thriveworks (most providers; not counselors (LPCs) or family therapists (MFTs)) and Learn to Live (free through a sponsoring plan). Read each limit: at some, Medicare pays only for psychiatry or a doctor's visit, not therapy.
- Is there free phone therapy?
- Free lines you can call give crisis counseling, support or referrals, not ongoing therapy: 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (Call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org), The Trevor Project (Text START to 678-678, call 1-866-488-7386, or chat at thetrevorproject.org/get-help), Teen Line (Call (800) 852-8336, 6 to 10 PM Pacific, or text TEEN to 839863, 6 to 9 PM Pacific), SAMHSA's National Helpline (Call 1-800-662-HELP (4357), TTY 1-800-487-4889, or text your ZIP code to 435748), NAMI HelpLine (Call 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or text NAMI to 62640, Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET) and Vets4Warriors (Call 855-838-8255, 24/7, or use Talk to Us on vets4warriors.com to call, request a call, chat or email.). Ongoing therapy by phone is free only when someone else pays for it, such as an employer's EAP, Medicaid or a plan with a $0 copay.
- Can I see a psychiatrist or doctor by phone?
- Of the therapy services, BetterHelp, Cerebral, Grow Therapy, Little Otter, MDLIVE, PlushCare, Talkspace, Teladoc Health (Mental Health) and Thriveworks also offer psychiatry (ask whether a medication visit can be by phone). Eleanor Health, Mindful Care, Ophelia, Ria Health and QuickMD hold medication visits by phone, for psychiatry or addiction treatment. Whether a visit can be audio-only depends on the medication and your state, especially for controlled substances.