We Tested Over 65 Online Therapy Services — These Were the Best for Family Therapy

Grouport lets you pick the plan that’s best for you, whether you need one, two, or three sessions per week. Switching plans is simple; for example, if you want to start with a more intense schedule of three sessions a week, then ease down to two or one as you make progress or resolve issues, that’s easily done. Switching therapists or canceling is also simple. Grouport allows an unlimited number of family members to join sessions. The service’s therapists have extensive experience in family therapy.

We had health writer Katie Mannion test Grouport. Overall, she was impressed by the platform and found its therapists skilled and compassionate. “One thing that really stood out to me is the customer service, starting with the initial consultation,” Mannion says. Grouport offers a free 20-minute consultation with a care coordinator before signing up, so you can learn more about the service and ensure it’s a good fit. During this call, you discuss your therapy needs and ask any questions you have about providers, scheduling, billing, or canceling sessions. “I had several interactions with the care team when using Grouport, starting with the initial email for family therapy, and I was incredibly impressed by their dedication to customer service,” says Mannion.

After signing up, the company emails you to ask whether you want the weekly reminder emails sent to any other family members and whether you need appointments at a certain time of day. Within a day, a care coordinator reached out with our therapist match and three potential time slots. It noted that we could ask for a different provider or a different day and time, if needed. “Luckily, we ended up really liking our therapist,” Mannion notes.

Keep in mind that the platform doesn’t accept insurance and doesn’t offer any psychiatric or medication management services. Read our full review of Grouport.

Rula is one of the few places to offer such online care. Kids can participate in family therapy, individual therapy, or both. In fact, every family member can participate in family therapy and see their own therapist individually when needed. That means the whole family can get support in a single place. In addition, teens can receive psychiatric services and medication, if deemed appropriate.

Rula accepts most major insurance and typically can offer therapy sessions within 2 business days of signing up. Read more in our full Rula review.

If online family therapy is rare, online family therapy covered by insurance is even harder to find. That’s where Alma comes in. It’s an online directory prioritizing therapists who accept insurance. On the Alma website, you start by choosing the type of therapy you want, and answer a few questions designed to help match you with the best provider for your needs. It asks what type of therapy you want, why you are seeking therapy, any identities you want your provider to have, the type of insurance you have, and more.

You can then choose from a list of therapists licensed in your state that meet your criteria. Each therapist’s bio has information on their specialties, qualifications, therapeutic approaches, insurance plans accepted, therapy types, ages served, and out-of-pocket rates. You can book a session right from their bio page. Keep in mind that not all therapists on the platform are accepting new clients.

Additionally, due to variability in insurance coverage, you’ll receive only a cost estimate rather than exact pricing for your sessions. Using insurance to cover therapy is a great way to make care affordable, but family therapy may be a bit trickier to get covered. Typically, if insurance will cover family or couples therapy, one participant must be designated as the “identified patient,” with a diagnosis indicating that therapy is medically necessary. As always, contact your insurance provider to see what is and isn’t covered, and what conditions must be met for family therapy to be covered.

Therapist directories are best for people who know what they’re looking for in a provider and don’t mind spending some time reading through therapist bios to find the right match. If you prefer to have a platform match you with a therapist, directories are likely not for you.

Zocdoc is another great directory option where you can search for a licensed family therapist using filters such as accepted insurance plans, therapy type, scheduling needs, therapist credentials, treatment approach, and therapist attributes like languages spoken, gender, religion, and ethnicity. It’s a more general telehealth directory, so in addition to therapists and psychiatrists, you can also find online urgent care, primary care, skincare, and prescription refills.

Health writer Brittany Vargas tested Zocdoc for us. She was impressed by the user-friendly search process and the high-quality providers. “I was impressed by the quality of the clinicians. It was a diverse group, and the majority had high ratings,” Vargas says. “The provider pool was much better than what I’ve seen on other platforms, and I loved seeing schedule info prominently displayed on each profile.”

We love that you can book appointments directly on the platform and appreciate the varied specialty training of the providers, which is relatively unique among directories. In addition to traditional modalities like cognitive behavioral therapy, we found professionals trained in innovative approaches such as somatic therapy and internal family systems. While therapist availability may be limited in some areas, the user-friendly design and extensive selection make Zocdoc a great option.

“While the system wasn’t perfect, it saved me a lot of time, not having to email or call providers one by one to ask about availability,” Vargas adds. Again, directories are best for people who already have an idea of what they’re looking for and don’t mind spending some time perusing therapist bios to find a good match. Read more in our full Zocdoc review.

If you feel one or more of your family members may need psychiatric services in addition to family therapy, finding a service that can provide both could make your life easier. Thriveworks is an online therapy platform that provides support for the entire family. Its therapists can treat adults, teens, and children of any age. In addition to family therapy, the platform offers individual therapy, couples counseling, and psychiatry services. Providers make it easy to schedule sessions with lots of available appointment times, even if you are looking to make an appointment for the same day you sign up. They employ a variety of licensed providers and accept several major insurance plans.

Therapist Julia Childs Heyl, MSW, tested Thriveworks, and while she found the quality of care inconsistent, she felt it was a solid choice in certain circumstances. “I could see this platform working for someone who must use health insurance to access mental health care, is comfortable with a wait time if necessary, and doesn’t mind switching therapists until they find the right fit,” Heyl says. “Also, it offers family therapy, as well as therapy for younger kids, which can be more difficult to find online.”

We appreciated the simple sign-up process and the ability to communicate with our therapist between sessions. You can even find a counselor and view their profile and availability without making an account. To select a family therapist, use the search filter and select “family counseling.” To learn more about this platform, read our in-depth Thriveworks review.

Little Otter specializes in holistic support for whole families and involves every family member in the care plan. The platform’s approach ensures every family member is supported at every stage of development. The company employs care leads to coordinate your care among all your Little Otter providers, as well as integrate care with school/daycare, speech/OT/PT, and medical providers. It offers individual therapy and psychiatry for children ages 0-18, therapy for parents, couples counseling, family therapy, and parent coaching. They can help at any point, even those who are trying, expecting, or postpartum.

“My son and I both had a great experience with Little Otter. I was impressed with both the professionalism and skill of the therapist my son worked with,” said writer Julia Pelly, MPH, who tested this service with her tween. “The team behind Little Otter has clearly put a lot of thought and effort into building a clean, streamlined platform and into hiring highly skilled therapists. I would recommend Little Otter to other families.”

Little Otter’s licensed providers have specialized training in child and family mental health. They use clinically validated treatments to address mental health challenges such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, and behavior disorders. Providers help ensure that caregivers have the necessary tools, coaching, and support they need to care for their children. To sign up, you complete a short questionnaire about your family, current challenges, and any specific worries or goals. You then receive a personalized mental health report and can book an initial assessment session.

Little Otter accepts several insurance plans, such as Kaiser Permanente, Independence Blue Cross, Florida Blue, AmeriHealth, Cigna, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield. Note that some plans are only accepted in certain states. Service at Little Otter is only available in the following states:
California, Colorado, D.C., Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Virginia. Read our full review of Litter Otter’s services.