Best Online Group Therapy

Founded in 2018, Circles is a mental health company that aims to provide safe, affordable, and easily accessible group support—and it delivers on its mission. For a $79 a month membership fee—far less than the average cost of $100 to $200 per session of traditional talk therapy—you can join a closed group of up to eight other people experiencing a similar issue to you, whether that’s grief, loss, separation, or divorce. The platform now also offers free drop-in meetings that provide group support for more than a dozen additional topics, including chronic illness, mental health, LGBTQIA+, and body image.

Sign-up is straightforward. You'll initially be prompted to "find your group" by choosing the topic you are primarily seeking support for. You can pick from:

• #pretty divorced
• Separation or Divorce
• Narcissistic Relationships
• Grief
• Autism
• Sobriety
• Infertility
• Caregiving
• Mental Health
• Cancer
• Veterans
• Parenting
• LGBTQIA+
• Disability
• Chronic Illness

To get started, you can only choose one topic, but don't worry, you can add as many as you'd like later. After inputting your basic information, you'll be taken to a schedule showing meetings relevant to your interests. They are open to anyone on the Circles platform and can be as broad as "Coping with Mental Health" and as specific as "Are you a Single Parent Raising a Teenager?" There's a meeting going on virtually any hour of the day, although some topics are more sparsely populated than others.

If you sign up for Circles' core groups with Circles+, you will get access to a closed group of just ten people who share similar challenges to yours. However, these recurring, intimate meetings are still only offered for divorce/separation or grief/loss - the other support groups do not require any sort of commitment and welcome drop-ins, not capping the groups at any particular number of participants. Additionally, unlike the core Circles+ divorce/separation and grief/loss groups, facilitators leading these groups are not licensed professionals but rather peer leaders.

When you subscribe, you’ll be asked a series of questions about what you’re looking for in your “circle” (i.e. group), then you’ll get to choose a circle that meets at a time that is convenient for you. Each Circles+ group is led by a licensed mental health professional and meets weekly for 12 weeks for one hour, but you can also message the other group members in between sessions if you need additional peer support. And you can join from anywhere in all 50 states. You’ll also get to see the profiles of each group’s facilitators and you’ll have the opportunity to begin messaging the other members of your group in a private group chat as soon as you’re signed up. 

Circles does not offer one-on-one therapy or couples therapy, and it is not available for anyone under the age of 18. Group support is also not a replacement for psychotherapy, especially if you live with a more serious mental illness. However, it is a good supplement to one-on-one therapy, or a good option for people who just need a little extra support during a difficult or stressful time, such as after the loss of a loved one or a separation from their partner. While Circles does focus on a relatively narrow selection of topics for its core groups, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing—this focus ensures that it doesn’t misrepresent the level of care and support it can give. However, it is worth noting that you cannot join more than one group at a time at Circles. 

Overall, the users we surveyed from Circles were pleased with the services Circles offered. Eighty percent of respondents said they’d rate the services they received as excellent, very good, or good, while only 3% would rate them as poor.  Another 70% said they were either very likely or likely to recommend Circles to a friend or someone like them.

In addition, 83% rated the qualification of their group facilitator as excellent, very good, or good, while 80% rated Circle’s value for money as excellent, very good, or good. Of those users that had tried another service before Circles, 86% rated the services they’d received as better than the company they’d used in the past. 

Recovery groups, both in-person and online, have long been a part of alcohol addiction treatment because these groups can help people feel less isolated while also allowing members to learn from others’ shared experiences and stay accountable in their recovery. Monument stands out from the 54 other companies we reviewed because it is one of the only companies that focuses its service on helping people recover from alcohol addiction. And it is the only one that offers free, expert-moderated online alcohol support groups alongside its therapy and medication management services.

These online support groups are open to anyone in the United States, regardless of where you live or whether you signed up for a paid therapy subscription. You can also join the group anonymously if you choose and you are not required to speak during the group session if you do not want to. Each online group is secure, confidential, and moderated by a licensed therapist who has experience dealing with alcohol addiction issues.

In addition to being free, the groups are also convenient: you can find groups to join at a variety of different meeting times during the day. There are also groups with specific topic focuses, allowing you to choose the one that will be most helpful to you. For example, some groups are aimed at people who identify as female or male, in addition to groups aimed specifically at LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC communities. You can also find groups dedicated to specific topics, such as moderating post-quarantine drinking, relationship challenges, and preventing relapse. 

If you need additional support after group sessions, you can chat with other group members in a private channel at any time, night or day. Plus, if you prefer more individualized support, you can sign up for one of Monument’s therapy or medication management subscription plans, depending on what state you live in. 

Of the users we surveyed, 78% rated Monument’s services as excellent, very good, or good, while 78% rated their therapist qualifications as excellent, very good, or good. However, only 62% were likely to recommend the service to someone like them, perhaps due to the highly specialized nature of the service—because 97% of respondents that had tried another service rated Monument as much better, better, or a little better than other companies they’d tried before. 

If you’re struggling to afford individual therapy sessions, or you’re looking for additional support outside of your regular therapy sessions, Mindful Care offers MindFit group therapy sessions for just $35 a session. You can join one of many different groups, each dedicated to a specific emotional or mental health concern, such as anxiety, negative thoughts, depression, LGBTQ+ identity issues, relationship troubles, substance use, emotional regulation, bipolar disorder, and trauma.

Unlike some of its competitors, Mindful Care’s group sessions are actually considered group therapy, not peer support groups. All groups, regardless of the topic discussed, are led by a licensed mental health care professional trained in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), a therapeutic technique that helps you learn to identify and challenge unhelpful or destructive thought patterns that affect your behavior and emotions negatively. Group sessions are one hour long and held over a privacy-compliant video conferencing platform between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. daily. 

One of the biggest advantages of these groups is that you can participate in them either on their own or as a complement to individual therapy or psychiatry appointments at Mindful Care. This is a nice perk, helping the company stand out from many of its competitors because it allows users to get all their mental health care from one place. 

However, Mindful Care’s MindFit groups are open only to residents of six states: Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, and Michigan. This limitation is one of the main reasons it was not our best overall pick. 

Mindful Care was a popular online therapy company with our users: 92% of respondents rated the service as excellent, very good, or good, while 95% rated the therapist qualifications at the company as excellent, very good, or good. In addition, 83% of users said they’d recommend the company to a friend or someone like them, and 84% said the company was much better, better, or a little better than other services they’d tried in the past. Seventy-four percent also rated the service’s value for money as excellent, very good, or good. 

Founded in 2020 just as the world went into lockdown, Sesh is a unique mental health company compared to the other companies we reviewed because its subscription offers you access to an unlimited number of group support sessions centered around different topics, including addiction recovery, anxiety, artistic healing, self-esteem and body positivity, relationships, cultural issues, depression, grief, parenthood, trauma, and more. 

Each group is led by a board-certified, licensed therapist and is capped at 10 participants, but the groups are not re-occurring. In other words, you may join an anxiety group each week, but you are not guaranteed to see the same people in that group session each time. While this does mean you are less likely to form a connection with other group members—which may make it more difficult for some people to feel comfortable opening up in session—it also means that you can decide how many groups you want to attend. Nothing is stopping you, for example, from joining a different group each week on a different topic or going to multiple groups in one day. This means you can work on multiple issues that are bothering you at once. 

A subscription costs $60 a month, and you can cancel anytime. While you can’t necessarily communicate with members between sessions, you do get access to a community support room as part of your subscription. 

Like Circles, Sesh is not therapy, nor is it a replacement for individual psychotherapy. However, it is something you can pursue at the same time as therapy or seek out if you’re working on learning new self-care skills. 

Of the users we surveyed, 78% of Sesh users rated the service as excellent, very good, or good, while 81% rated the group moderator’s qualifications to be excellent, very good, or good. In addition, 70% of users said they were very likely or likely to recommend Sesh to a friend, while 96% of those who’d tried multiple mental health services said Sesh was much better, better, or at least a little better than others they’d tried. Seventy-nine percent rated the service’s value for money as excellent, very good, or good. 

Minority stress, or the unique stressors that people who have faced discrimination face due to their identity, can greatly impact mental health, especially if you feel isolated. That’s why we like Kip’s group therapy options. Whether you’re a queer-identifying man looking to discuss your experiences with sex, intimacy, or homophobia; you’re curious about navigating non-monogamous relationships; or you’re an adolescent questioning your sexual identity, Kip has several dedicated groups that meet weekly over Zoom to discuss these topics.

Each group is capped at 10 people and when you sign up, you have to commit to attending for at least three months. This allows you to get to know your fellow group participants, develop trust, and feel more confident opening up. It is worth noting that the prices vary by group, and for some groups, the prices vary based on whether you’re a returning member, or a current member of Kip Therapy seeking individual, adolescent, or couples therapy at the practice. For example, the fee for returning group members to the queer men group is $40, but $55 if you’re already seeking therapy at Kip and $65 if you are not a Kip member. Session rates are only $20 per session, meanwhile, for the BIPOC men’s group.

It is commendable that these groups are aimed at marginalized communities, but it is worth noting that the groups are very male-identifying focused. There is, for example, no BIPOC women-identifying group or queer women-identifying group. In addition, the groups do hit their caps quickly, making it challenging to get a spot. Kip is also only open to New York residents. 

Seventy-three percent of the users we surveyed rated Kip’s services as excellent, very good, or good, while 71% rated their therapist’s qualifications as excellent, very good, or good. Eighty-three percent said the services were good value for the money they spent, while 83% said the service was much better, better, or a little better than others they’d tried before. 

Breakups and divorces can be incredibly challenging, especially if they’re conflict-ridden. A 2020 study, for example, found that divorce filled with conflict can lead to worse mental health, even once the divorce is finalized. A 2019 study, meanwhile, found that even post-breakup emotional states can resemble clinical depression. However, research has also found that emotional support, including online, can help people cope and become more resilient. 

Growing Self stands out from its competition by offering group coaching specifically for people who have recently experienced a breakup or a divorce. The group is capped to maximize participation from all members, meets weekly through online video, and is facilitated by both a divorce counselor and a breakup recovery coach. All group sessions last between 60 and 90 minutes and members get access to a private Facebook group to connect with others outside of the session. 

If you feel like you need additional therapy, Growing Self also offers individual therapy and couples therapy as well. The founder of the company and the clinical director, Lisa Marie Bobby, PhD, LP, LMFT, is the author of a book on breakups; she specializes in compassionately helping clients break their attachments to old relationships and rebuild their lives through new skills learned in the session. 

Of the users we surveyed, 90% rated the company as excellent, very good, or good, while 89% rated their therapist’s qualifications the same way. In addition, 79% said Growing Self was much better, better, or a little better than other services they’d used in the past, though only 69% said they’d recommend the service to a friend. Seventy-seven percent said it was an excellent, very good, or good value for the money. 

7 Cups is different than all the other online therapy companies we reviewed; in fact, it doesn’t offer therapy at all. However, it does offer virtual peer support 24 hours a day, seven days a week, through virtual chat rooms dedicated to specific mental health concerns or topics. You can join from any state or country, and you are likely to be able to find a room in a language you’re comfortable with as there are groups in over 140 different languages. 

So if you’re looking for people to talk to and you don’t mind typing rather than talking in a live video session, you can log on whenever you want and chat with others who likely share the same experiences or concerns you do. You can also stay anonymous if you prefer and join as many groups as you like. 

You can join many of the groups for free, though some of the more specialized ones require a premium membership, which costs $12.95 a month. You can also pay a flat fee for longer access; the prices for this subscription range from $96 for the year to $420 for lifetime access. 

However, it’s important to note that these groups are not led by a licensed therapist and so there is no one to moderate the discussion. However, the company does state that it monitors for bullying and abuse to help you feel safe discussing your concerns and experiences online in a supportive, respectful chat room. If you want to speak with a licensed therapist, you can also sign up for asynchronous text-based therapy for $150 a month. 

Because 7 Cups doesn’t offer online therapy, we did not survey users this year as part of our review of 55 companies. However, we did survey 100 users in 2021 and it is worth noting that the company had lower satisfaction rates than many of the other services, likely because of the limitations of asynchronous messaging. Still, 85% of users did say they were likely or very likely to recommend the service last year.