Teen Counseling Mental Health Therapy Review
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Overall Rating4/5
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Products & Services4/5
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Cost4/5
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Ease of Use4/5
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Customer Support & Reviews3/5
- Specifically geared towards teens and their parents, grandparents or legal guardians
- Live online sessions
- Messaging option available 24/7
- Offers accredited psychologists, clinical social workers, licensed marriage and family therapists, and professional therapists
Teen Counseling is an online mental health therapy platform designed to support teenagers between 13 and 19 years old, and their parents, grandparents or legal guardians on issues related to the teen. It’s one of only a few online platforms geared towards dealing with issues that teenagers face.
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Teen Counseling Services
To get started, you’ll have to fill out a questionnaire. There’s one for teenagers and a separate one for parents, guardians, or caregivers. If parents or legal guardians sign up first, they’ll be given a code to invite their teenagers. If a teenager tries to sign up first, they’ll be asked to provide parental consent. As a parent or caregiver, you can also seek therapy for yourself only to help you receive advice on any issues you may be facing with your teen.
Teens are asked their gender, age and what they need help with. They’re asked to rate their relationship with their parents, if they’ve considered suicide, their living situation, and if they are currently in school. Based on answers to those questions and a few others, teens are paired with a therapist best suited for their needs.
For parents, grandparents or legal guardians, it will ask if you want therapy for your teenager or just yourself, general questions about your child and then some specific things they might be dealing with – like sadness, depression or anxiety. Based on your answers and your needs, Teen Counseling will match you with an appropriate therapist.
Once a therapist has been assigned, you’ll be able to start your counseling. If, at any point, you don’t feel the therapist is a good fit for you, you can ask for a new one. Each account set up with Teen Counseling will be given two digital “waiting rooms.” One is for the therapist and teen only, and the other is for the parent or guardian and therapist only. You can message your therapist, and initiate calls, chats, and video conferences from your “room.” Parents and caregivers will not have access to the teen’s room, and teenagers won’t have access to the parent or caregiver’s room. Therapists won’t share specifics of what he or she discusses with your teenager, but will give periodic and general updates about progress and therapy goals.
You can access the platform from anywhere, as long as you have an internet connection. Live chats, phone calls and video conferences have to be set up by appointment. But you are able to message your therapist any time, and they will respond back at their convenience.
Teen Counseling offers the services of accredited psychologists, clinical social workers, licensed marriage and family therapists, and professional therapists. All providers must have at least three years and 1000 hours of hands-on-experience, in addition to their education and training requirements. The therapists are not employees of Teen Counseling, but use the company’s platform to help clients and are familiar with teen-related mental health needs. These are the issues therapists with Teen Counseling are trained to consult on:
Abuse
ADHD/ADD
Addiction
Anger
Anxiety
Bullying
Coping Skills
Depression
Eating Disorders
Family Conflicts
Fears
Grief
Insomnia
LGBTQ Issues
Panic Attacks
Phobias
Relationships
School Challenges
Self-Esteem
Stress
Trauma
Teen Counseling is not approved for teenagers who’ve received a court order for therapy. It’s also not designed for a teen in immediate danger or crisis.
What About Teen Counseling Privacy?
Teen Counseling says it uses ‘industry standards and best practices’ to protect its clients’ information, as well as incorporates HIPAA compliant software on its website to provide security and protect confidentiality.
It’s important to note that laws about privacy in therapy regarding teens can vary depending on the state and age of the child. Some states will allow a teenager to consent to their own treatment, while others may not. You may want to check with your state’s particular laws before beginning or continuing counseling on this platform.
When you begin therapy with Teen Counseling, the therapist you have been assigned to will go over what kind of information might be shared with you. Those include general updates about your teenager’s therapy progress, as well as their therapy goals.
The therapist works to build a trusting relationship with your teenager, so they can feel safe talking to them. But they will break a teenager’s confidentiality if during therapy there are indications of any of the following:
- If your teenager plans to hurt themself or someone else
- If your teenager reports neglect or abuse of anyone under 18
- If your teenager reports neglect or abuse of what is considered to be a vulnerable adult
What Medications Does Teen Counseling Prescribe?
Teen Counseling does not offer psychiatric services, and does not diagnose conditions. So, therapists on the platform do not prescribe or help manage medication for any of its clients.
Teen Counseling Customer Reviews
Teen Counseling is designed to be an easy platform to use. You can use it on any computer or smartphone, as long as you have an internet connection. But the reviews for the services are mixed. It appears your experience will be based largely on the attentiveness and responsiveness of the therapist you’re assigned to.
You will find parents and teenagers who are happy with their experience. Many online reviewers say it was the help their child needed and they are grateful for the service. But there are many negative reviews on Teen Counseling’s own Facebook page, as well as trusted consumer protection websites like the Consumer Advocate and TrustPilot. Most complaints have to do with being charged for services that were never received. Others have difficulty getting responses from their therapists or their allotted time is cut short and they don’t receive the full access they’ve paid for. You will also find parents who say their children are reassigned to multiple therapists in a short amount of time. Since the therapists aren’t employed by Teen Counseling, they may leave the platform at any time and your child will be given a new therapist to work with.
Teen Counseling Cost
Teen Counseling costs between $60 and $90 a week. The cost can vary based on where you live, your preferences and the availability of therapists. You’ll receive four live sessions a month and the ability to use the other forms of communications as much as you like. Teen Counseling will bill you every four weeks and allows you to cancel your membership any time, for any reason.
Teen Counseling services generally aren’t covered by any type of insurance.
Teen Counseling Company Background
Teen Counseling is a sister site of BetterHelp – a large network of online mental health therapy websites. It launched in 2015, and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, but has a large network of therapists who practice all over the United States. Most online mental health platforms are geared towards adults, this one is specific to teenagers, focusing on their mental health needs.
The Bottom Line on Teen Counseling
Teen Counseling is one of only a few online platforms geared towards helping teenagers with specific issues they face. It’s designed to be used by parents or guardians and their teenagers. But it can also be used by parents, grandparents or legal guardians alone in seeking advice for teen-related issues.
It’s easy to use and you can message your therapist whenever you wish. The service doesn’t require a contract, so you can cancel for any reason, at any time. Your experience will largely be based on your teen’s willingness to participate and the therapist’s responsiveness.
Content on this site is for reference and information purposes only. Do not rely solely on this content, as it is not a substitute for advice from a licensed healthcare professional. Aging.com assumes no liability for inaccuracies. Consult with your doctor before beginning any medications or programs.
