Frequently asked questions by teens

Teen Counseling is an online therapy platform where teens from ages 13-19 can get help from a licensed therapist online. We change the way teens approach their mental health and help them tackle life's challenges by providing accessible and affordable care.

If your parent hasn't signed up yet, you can start the signup process here. You will be guided to get consent from your parent or legal guardian.

If you're between the ages of 13-19, and would like to be able to talk to a therapist about any challenge you're facing in life, such as anxiety, depression, or bullying, Teen Counseling may be right for you.

Teen Counseling is not the right solution for you if any of the following is true:

• You are in an urgent crisis or emergency situation.
• You are required to undergo therapy either by a court order or by any other authority.
• You do not have a device that can connect to the internet or you do not have a reliable internet connection.

The cost of therapy through Teen Counseling ranges from $70 to $100 per week, and it is based on your location, source, preferences, and therapist availability. You can cancel your membership at any time, for any reason.

Teen Counseling accepts HSA/FSA cards and is recognized as an eligible expense by most HSA/FSA providers.

Teen Counseling strives to deliver a web experience aligned with the most recent Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) at the AA level, published by World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).

• If you're on a desktop browser, you can enable accessibility preferences here.
• For mobile users, we recommend using your device's native accessibility features. Instructions for iPhone can be found here, and for Android can be found here.
  

When you're matched to a therapist, you can communicate with your therapist in four ways:

• Exchanging messages with your therapist
• Video session
• Phone session
• Live chat (real-time therapy via messaging)

For live sessions, you're welcome to try what works for you, based on your needs, availability, and convenience.

Once you and your parent are matched to a therapist you can start messaging with the therapist. Please note that you and your parent's messages are separate, meaning that you can't read each other's messages to the therapist. You can message about yourself, the things going on in your life, ask questions and discuss the issues that trouble you. Your therapist will then read your messages, and respond with questions, feedback, insights, and guidance.

You can send messages to your therapist at any time, from any location, using any Internet-connected device. You can log in at any time and since messaging is not in real-time it doesn't require scheduling. Instead, you can choose whenever you want to write or respond to your therapist. You will get a notification by email when the therapist has sent you a message.

No. Your parents or guardian can't read the messages you exchange with your therapist.

Live sessions are scheduled therapy sessions between you and your therapist, ranging typically from 30 to 45 minutes. Your parent cannot join these sessions, and your parent can choose to meet with your therapist separately. You can choose between video, phone, and live chat sessions.

Video session - have a face-to-face chat with your therapist.
Phone session - conveniently speak with your therapist on the phone.
Live chat - get therapy through real-time text chat with your therapist.

To attend a live session, you must first select a timeslot and schedule a live session with your therapist. After selecting a time and session type, log in to your account at the scheduled time. If joining a video session, you can select "Join Video Room" and wait in the video room until your therapist joins. For phone and live chat sessions, log in at the scheduled time and your therapist will prompt you to join the session.

Your parent or guardian will not have access to your account or messages. You can talk to your therapist about anything, but there are a few things that they would be required to share with either your parent/guardian or relevant authorities. If you share any of the following issues with your therapist, they would have to share this information for your protection or the protection of others:

• If you are seriously contemplating severely harming yourself or someone else.
• If you share with your therapist that you are being abused or neglected, or know of another individual under 18 who is being abused or neglected.
• If you share with your therapist that you know of an elderly person who is being abused or neglected.

Please consult with your therapist about what kind of information and updates your parent(s) may get regarding your work with the therapist.

When using a smartphone, you can reset your pin code by selecting the "More" tab and scrolling to the bottom, and then selecting "Logout." You'll be prompted to create a new pin code the next time you login.