Therapy by text
Text therapy: where you can message a therapist
Online therapy services that let you write to your therapist between sessions, the few that hold whole sessions by live chat, which take insurance or see teens, and the free text lines for when you need someone now. Every service fact is from its own pages.
19 online therapy services let you message your therapist; 5 (BetterHelp, Headspace Care, Learn to Live, Online-Therapy.com and Talkspace) also hold live chat sessions, a full session by text in real time. 14 of the 19 take insurance in network and 15 see teens. Free text lines such as 988 and Crisis Text Line are crisis support, not ongoing therapy. In a crisis, text or call 988.
Service by service
19 services that let you text a therapist
Live chat services first. Formats, insurance and ages are from each service's own pages, the same records as its service page.
Free, any time
Free text and chat lines: support, not therapy
Free to anyone, most around the clock. They are crisis counseling or peer support from trained people, not ongoing therapy, and often the right first step.
988 Suicide & Crisis LifelineNationalCrisis line
- 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
Crisis Text LineNationalCrisis line
- Who
- Anyone
- What it gives
- Text support from trained volunteer crisis counselors (not therapy)
- Cost
- Free
- How to start
- Text HOME to 741741
The Trevor ProjectNationalCrisis line
- 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
Teen LineNationalPeer support
- 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
SAMHSA's National HelplineNationalHelpline
- 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
Veterans Crisis LineNationalCrisis line
- Who
- Veterans, service members, Guard and Reserve members and those who support them, enrolled in VA care or not
- What it gives
- Crisis counseling by call, chat or text (not therapy)
- Cost
- Free
- How to start
- Dial 988 then press 1, chat online, or text 838255
NAMI HelpLineNationalHelpline
- 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
Veterans Crisis LineNational (24/7, with overseas numbers listed on its page)Crisis line
- Who
- Veterans, service members, National Guard and Reserve members, and those who support them. You do not have to be enrolled in VA benefits or health care to connect.
- What it gives
- Crisis support from a qualified, caring responder by phone, online chat or text. The responder asks whether anyone is in immediate danger, helps you make a plan to stay safe, and connects you with resources from your local VA medical center or your community.
- Cost
- Free and confidential
- How to start
- Dial 988 then press 1, chat online at VeteransCrisisLine.net/Chat, or text 838255. Available 24/7, 365 days a year.
Vets4WarriorsNational (24/7 by phone, chat, text and email)Peer support
- 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.
Questions
Text therapy, answered
- What online therapy services offer text therapy?
- 19 online therapy services say on their own pages that you can message your therapist between sessions: BetterHelp, Headspace Care, Learn to Live, Online-Therapy.com, Talkspace, Bend Health, Brightline, Brightside Health, Calmerry, Cerebral, Daybreak Health, Equip, Little Otter, Lyra Health, Meru Health, Nema Health, NOCD, Sesame and Within Health. 5 also hold live chat sessions, a scheduled conversation by text in real time: BetterHelp, Headspace Care, Learn to Live, Online-Therapy.com and Talkspace.
- Is text therapy covered by insurance?
- It can be. 14 of these services take insurance in network (BetterHelp, Headspace Care, Talkspace, Bend Health, Brightline, Brightside Health, Cerebral, Daybreak Health, Equip, Little Otter, Meru Health, Nema Health, NOCD and Within Health); what your plan covers, and whether messaging counts as a covered session, depends on the plan, so check with the service before you start. Online-Therapy.com, Calmerry and Sesame are out of network only: you pay, and your plan may reimburse part of it if it covers out-of-network care.
- Is there free text therapy?
- Free texting help exists, but it is crisis or peer support, not ongoing therapy: 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (Call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org), Crisis Text Line (Text HOME to 741741), 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), Veterans Crisis Line (Dial 988 then press 1, chat online, or text 838255), NAMI HelpLine (Call 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or text NAMI to 62640, Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET), Veterans Crisis Line (Dial 988 then press 1, chat online at VeteransCrisisLine.net/Chat, or text 838255. Available 24/7, 365 days a year.) 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 text from a licensed therapist is free only when someone else pays for it, such as an employer's EAP (Headspace Care, Learn to Live and Lyra Health are reached that way) or a plan with a $0 copay.
- Is there text therapy for teens?
- 15 of these services see teens: Learn to Live, Online-Therapy.com, Talkspace, Bend Health, Brightline, Brightside Health, Cerebral, Daybreak Health, Equip, Little Otter, Lyra Health, Meru Health, NOCD, Sesame and Within Health. Most need a parent or guardian's consent for a minor; the teens page compares their ages, consent and insurance.
OnlineTherapy.me is an informational data platform, not a medical provider. Each service's formats, insurance and ages are its own statements; a service labeled Partner pays a referral fee when someone signs up through its link, which never changes what these pages report. If you are in danger or thinking about suicide, call or text 988, or call 911.
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