What is Talkspace?
Talkspace is an online therapy company that offers specialized therapy and psychiatry services for adults and teens looking to improve their mental health. Additionally, Talkspace offers online couples therapy for partners looking to work on and enhance their relationships. All Talkspace services take place virtually, and you can message your licensed therapist from the Talkspace app at any time of day, wherever you are — whether it’s from the comfort of your couch or at the office.
If you’re looking to take a more DIY-inspired approach to therapy, consider using the Talkspace Self-Guided app and dive into short workshops that will help you improve your mental health. Talkspace offers a variety of different plans to meet your needs.
Talkspace represents a major breakthrough in modern therapy: using technology to improve individual and couples therapy. Also known as “telemedicine,” these advances are part of a growing shift in the healthcare industry with mobile therapy and technology facilitating more convenient, affordable, and on-demand benefits.
We’d like to give you a brief run-down of the app features and benefits Talkspace offers as part of the online therapy experience.
- Flexible Therapy: Therapy at Home, or On the Go
- Personal Preference: Choose a Therapist Who’s Right for You
- Insurance Coverage – Affordable Therapy When You Need It
- Message Based Therapy
- Video Based Therapy
- Psychiatry and Medication Management
- Talkspace Go
- Update Your Way to Pay & Keep the Same Provider
- In-App Assessments & Clinical Progress Tracking
- In-App Workshops
- Privacy Features
- HSA/FSA Account Benefit For Talkspace Services
- Personalized Therapy “Podcast” Episodes
1. Flexible Therapy: Therapy at Home, or On the Go
The advantage of combining therapy with technology is that you’re always connected with your therapist. You can write down what’s on your mind and send it to your therapist whenever you want.
Flexibility at Talkspace shows up across your entire journey — from helping you find the right plan that fits your needs, to matching you with the right therapist, to providing you with consistent, convenient access to quality mental health care via the Talkspace app. Talkspace is available on your smartphone, iOS or Android, and can also be reached from your desktop or laptop computer web browser.
Send unlimited messages at any time of day, wherever you are, whether you’re sitting in your car, laying on your couch, or on your work lunch break. Your therapist is only a few clicks away. Talkspace therapists have schedules to check in with clients five days per week. If messaging isn’t your preferred style of communication, live video sessions are just as simple to schedule with your therapist from wherever you are.
2. Personal Preference: Choose a Therapist Who’s Right for You
One of the most challenging parts about starting therapy is searching for a therapist who fits with your needs, practices the type of therapy you’re looking for, and clicks with your personality.
To assist you with making this important connection, Talkspace enlists an advanced algorithm, to gather initial information and make the match for you based on many variables, answers to your questions, and the challenges you bring up. Depending on your location, you’re presented with a selection of knowledgeable, licensed therapists to choose from. Each therapist has an extensive bio that includes any condition specializations (i.e. depression, anxiety, PTSD), a bit of personal background, and often introductory videos as well.
Talkspace has a network of thousands of licensed therapists, providing coverage to all fifty states. Our therapists are trained to practice a variety of different types of therapy, including: cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, mindfulness, psychodynamic therapy, and couples therapy, to name a few. Choosing from multiple therapists — and being able to easily switch therapists in the app if they’re not quite a match — helps assure that you have the best online therapy experience possible.
Additionally, you can select a specific therapist to work with if you find them with availability in the Talkspace therapist directory. Explore therapist options by filtering by state, concern, and insurance, and then click ‘check availability’ on their profile to explore any open session slots.
3. Insurance Coverage – Affordable Therapy When You Need It
Insurance is incredibly important in today’s healthcare landscape, and therapy is no different. Talkspace online therapy and psychiatry is covered by most major insurance providers so costs aren’t a barrier to mental well-being. Most insured members have a $0* copay per session. Talkspace is covered by insurance providers including, but not limited to:
*Copays represented are averages for Talkspace members. Please check your insurance coverage; your final copay may vary based on your coverage.
4. Message Based Therapy
How we communicate has fundamentally changed over the past decades, with the bulk of our interactions happening via text-based messaging. We believe that you should be able to chat with your therapist however you like to communicate. After all, you need to feel comfortable opening up, and if messaging feels like the most natural way to communicate, we want to support that with mobile therapy.
If you choose to pursue message based therapy, you can use asynchronous messages, which is our traditional message based model where your therapist will reply to you throughout the workweek. Besides text-based messaging alone, you are also able to send videos and audio messages to your therapist through this plan. Audio and video messaging is great for responses or discussions that require greater depth, or if you simply feel like going hands-free.
5. Video Based Therapy
Since therapy can be bolstered by emotional and physical cues, we also offer live video sessions. This method is more similar to a brick-and-mortar therapy experience while letting you enjoy the other benefits and conveniences of online therapy.
When you need to get something off your chest, being able to send a message at any moment, through any channel, ensures you’re at your most comfortable during therapy.
6. Talkspace Go
Talkspace Go is an online, self-directed therapy app designed to help you build a healthier, happier you. Through Talkspace Go, you have access to hundreds of online classes, therapist-led live workshops, daily reflection questions, and reminders to help you build healthy habits. These sessions cover a wide variety of topics, from depression, to anxiety, to parenting, to relationship issues, and include a blend of psycho-education, reflections, exercises, and journaling.
Take time to learn, reflect, reduce symptoms of anxiety or depression, and increase self-awareness.
To get started:
- Download Talkspace Go from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
- Open the app.
- Tap Next through the onboarding process and create an account.
7. Psychiatry and Medication Management
Mental health care isn’t restricted to therapy only; medication is incredibly important to many people’s wellbeing and recovery. Talkspace connects you with licensed psychiatric providers, including psychiatrists and psychiatric nurse practitioners, for an evaluation, prescription, and ongoing care. Insurance covers online psychiatry through Talkspace as well, so you can get the treatment you need.
Note: Talkspace psychiatry is only available for adults ages 18 and up, and Talkspace does not prescribe controlled substances
8. Update Your Way to Pay & Keep the Same Provider
You can easily update your payment method or add a new therapy service without changing your Talkspace provider.
You’ll be able to change your current payment method, whether that be to a different insurance provider, out-of-pocket, an employer, or EAP, and stay with the same provider you’re used to. As long as your therapist is still qualified to treat you under your new plan or payment type, you can update that information simply through your Talkspace account.
9. In-App Assessments & Clinical Progress Tracking
If you want to track your progress and growth in therapy, brick-and-mortar therapy doesn’t typically provide great virtual options. Talkspace offers a way to visualize your growth, keeping you focused on next steps throughout your journey with a therapy progress tracker.
As you build a relationship with your Talkspace therapist, you track your progress in our “client journey” timeline. This timeline guides you through the initial stages as you begin therapy and your therapist gets to know you, through your first steps in online therapy, and as you make progress toward the goals you agree on at each new phase of your progress.
10. In-App Workshops
All Talkspace users get free access to live workshops on the Talkspace Self-Guided app, Talkspace Go. The workshops are anonymous, educational, and guided experiences held via Zoom by licensed therapists. The workshops have been specifically designed to help couples, parents, and individuals navigate areas like communication, empathy building, gender identity, anxiety, depression, burnout, work stress, and parenting.
Five to six therapist-led live workshops take place every week during which licensed therapists answer anonymous questions from the group and personally follow up with participants. Additionally, each class is recorded and then added to a library of on-demand classes to access at any time. There are currently over 100 classes available on demand and available to Talkspace clients.
11. Privacy Features
At Talkspace, your privacy and safety are a top priority. We put strict measures in place to protect the integrity and confidentiality of personally identifiable and health information you may share. Our technology is fully compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and has third party assessments annually.
All messaging is secure using end-to-end encryption. On the Talkspace app, you’re required to enter your password and also have the option of creating a unique passcode for extra security. Furthermore, our iOS app uses Touch ID and Face ID on enabled devices.
12. HSA/FSA Account Benefit For Talkspace Services
“Can you use your FSA or HSA for therapy?” This is a common question that many people wonder about, and the answer is yes — in many cases you can use FSA or HSA for therapy. We recommend that you double check with your HSA/FSA provider to see what information they need to accept Talkspace therapy; it might be as simple as an itemized receipt or a “super bill,” — which you can easily get by emailing customer support at support@talkspace.com.
To use your FSA/HSA on the Talkspace platform, all you need to do is enter your card details when you provide payment information as you would for a normal credit card. Using HSA or FSA dollars for Talkspace online therapy is a great way to save money — with these accounts, you’re using pre-taxed income you’ve set aside for health care costs.
If you’re wondering about the difference between the two accounts and which you might have, you’re not alone! FSA accounts (Flexible Spending Accounts) are more common, while HSA (Health Savings Accounts) are supplementary additions to HDHP coverage (High-Deductible Health Plan). FSA accounts expire at the end of each year, while HSA accounts allow the money you contribute to roll over year to year.
13. Personalized Therapy “Podcast” Episodes
The Talkspace team wanted to create an easier way for our members to make progress on their mental health goals between sessions, so they created an AI-powered, human-approved “podcast” feature called Talkcast. A Talkcast is a brief (less than ten minutes long) HIPAA-compliant audio discussion that reinforces therapeutic concepts from the client’s therapy sessions, in the style of a podcast episode that a member can listen to between sessions.
Talkcast scripts summarize and expand on topics you covered in your therapy session. Your therapist will get your permission before creating a Talkcast for you, and you can always choose whether or not to listen to one. Then, your therapist will review and modify each podcast script before you receive the audio, to make sure it’s appropriate and helpful. Early research data shows that most people found their Talkcasts helpful, and suggests that Talkcast has been useful in helping people feel supported between therapy sessions.
Take the Next Step
If you’ve been thinking about trying online therapy, Talkspace is here for you. Online therapy can help you feel happier, healthier, and works to improve your well-being. Everyone’s therapy experience is unique and Talkspace continues to build technology and communities to support you on your way to better mental health.
Talkspace articles are written by experienced mental health-wellness contributors; they are grounded in scientific research and evidence-based practices. Articles are extensively reviewed by our team of clinical experts (therapists and psychiatrists of various specialties) to ensure content is accurate and on par with current industry standards.
Our goal at Talkspace is to provide the most up-to-date, valuable, and objective information on mental health-related topics in order to help readers make informed decisions.
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