Best Online LGBTQIA+ Counseling

NQTTCN lives up to its mission to be a “healing justice organization committed to transforming mental health for queer and trans people of color (QTPoC).” The directory, which exclusively lists queer BIPOC mental health providers, reimagines the mental healthcare system as one grounded in justice rather than pathologizing ideologies. It not only assists you in finding a provider, but also offers a mental health fund to help you pay for mental health services. 

The directory is straightforward and easy to navigate. To search for a therapist, you simply enter your zip code on the homepage and are immediately provided with a list of practitioners. You can then narrow this list by distance, whether the therapists are accepting new patients, whether the therapists provide telehealth care, and whether they offer a sliding scale/low fee. 

Each profile provides a wealth of information about the practitioner: their therapeutic approach; credentials; licensure state; areas of expertise; and racial, gender, and sexual identities. A sidebar goes into detail about the accessibility of their office (should you access in-person services), including the type of lighting and whether the practitioner uses fragrances. The platform enables users to message the therapist directly and lists their contact information as well as the forms of payment they accept. 

Most practitioners in the database offer telehealth services, though they may only be licensed to practice within a certain state. If you are a queer BIPOC, NQTTCN should be your first stop when seeking a therapist, since those listed in this directory are uniquely suited to meet your needs. 

Since NQTTCN is a directory, not an online therapy company, each therapist listed on the website is free to set their own therapy rates. You can usually find these rates per session on their profile page, which means you can easily decide which therapist is within your price range.

Some therapists also offer sliding scale rates or accept insurance. This information is also found in the therapist’s profile. 

We surveyed 180 users at NQTTCN and our results spoke to the directory’s quality and reliability. Over half of users ranked their overall experience as “very good” and another third ranked it as “good.” Furthermore, 76% were still using the therapist they found via NQTTCN. Not only did they have a positive experience, but our users were able to afford their mental healthcare. Seventy-three percent of users ranked the number of providers on the platform offering sliding scale or other payment plans as “good” or “very good.”

Talkspace is an online therapy platform where you can call and message your therapist based on the payment plan you chose. The chat feature is the highlight of Talkspace, since even the plan that comes with live sessions only includes four live sessions per month. Fortunately, the plan compensates for this by allowing users to send an unlimited number of messages to their provider, even outside of work hours. Talkspace also features a progress tracker. This way, a user can evaluate their therapy’s effectiveness over time. Talkspace also offers medication management, making it a one-stop shop for those looking for accessible mental healthcare. 

LGBTQIA+ clients receive the same services as other clients, but are able to choose an affirming therapist by reading the therapist’s bios and specialties. If the therapist you choose turns out not to be a good fit, you can easily switch therapists, while still saving your progress via the chat. 

Talkspace’s emphasis on the chat option is not the best fit for those desiring a more personal relationship with their therapist, but the platform remains one of the most affordable ways to access LGBTQIA+-friendly healthcare. 

Although there is no free trial available, Talkspace’s prices make it accessible to those who want to dip their toes into therapy. Talkspace offers three payment options, each with different features:

• Messaging-only plan: Starts at $69/week
• Live therapy plan: Includes messaging and four live sessions and starts at $99/week

There is also a plan that includes a weekly workshop in addition to the video and messaging sessions that costs more. 

Those needing psychiatric care will pay a much higher price:

• Initial evaluation: $249
• Follow-up sessions: Begin at $125 each

Talkspace also accepts most major insurance plans, but isn't available through Medicaid and Medicare. 

Overall, the users we surveyed had a positive experience with Talkspace. Not only did 69% of them rate their experience as “very good” or “excellent,” 65% of them said they received a “very good” or “excellent” value for the price they paid. Talkspace provides excellent value for the money.

Talkiatry’s no-nonsense approach to medication management is a welcome exception to the often-daunting task of finding a psychiatrist. After filling out a form, you can choose a psychiatrist that fits your treatment needs, preferences, and schedule. The psychiatrist can then evaluate you for a range of psychological conditions and proceed to prescribe whatever medication they see fit. However, Talkiatry does not treat schizophrenia, substance use disorders, or eating disorders. The initial session lasts an hour and each follow-up session is a half-hour long.

Talkiatry’s psychiatrists can also refer clients to its small network of therapists. Many of the therapists and psychiatrists specialize in LGBTQIA+ issues, and some treat children and adolescents. 

Important to note is that Talkiatry is available in 43 states as of 2023, though it has already expanded a great deal in just two years (when we reviewed it in 2021, it only served 5 states).

To work with Talkiatry, you must have insurance. You cannot pay out of pocket. Fortunately, it accepts most major insurance plans, including Medicare. 

A whopping 99% of surveyed users said they were “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with Talkiatry’s services. And over half of them said that Talkiatry was “much better” than mental health services they used in the past.

Monument provides multi-level care for alcohol use disorder (AUD). You can attend support groups, including LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC-specific support groups; be prescribed medication to help reduce drinking; and meet with a therapist on a weekly or biweekly basis. 

The anonymous support groups are moderated by professionals. And you can access them to  chat with other group members anytime. Monument also offers an online community forum outside of its support groups. Furthermore, Monument treats people who may not want to stop drinking entirely but rather reduce their alcohol consumption. This scientifically backed approach to AUD treatment is rarely accessible, making Monument stand out as a provider. 

Monument accepts the following insurance plans:

• Aetna
• Anthem
• Optum/UnitedHealthcare
• BlueCross/BlueShield
• Medicare
• Cigna

Additionally, users can pay out of pocket by choosing one of the following plans:

• Community Membership: Includes access to support groups and the online community forum; free
• Physician Care: Includes community support, one meeting with a physician, and ongoing medication management; $9.99 per month plus a $45 initial fee
• Biweekly Total Care: Includes community support, unlimited meetings with your physician, ongoing medication management, and two meetings with a therapist per month; $149 per month
• Weekly Total Care: Includes community support, unlimited meetings with your physician, ongoing medication management, and four meetings with a therapist per month; $249 per month

With 94% of surveyed users saying that they were “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with the care they received at Monument, it’s clear that its services holistically address the needs of its clients.

Teladoc aims to make accessing mental health care as convenient as possible. It may not provide the same range of services as other platforms, but its streamlined approach means you don’t pay for features  you don’t need. After filling out a questionnaire regarding your medical history, you choose a therapist and some dates/times that work for you. The therapist or psychiatrist then chooses which times align with their schedule. 

All sessions at Teladoc are live video sessions and you schedule your sessions once a week, as needed. There are no subscription plans or opportunities to message your therapist outside of sessions.

Teladoc accepts most major insurances. Without insurance, you will pay $99 per therapy visit. 

Our user satisfaction survey spoke to the quality of Teladoc’s therapy. Over half of surveyed users said if they were still in therapy a year from now, it was “very likely” that it would be a therapist from Teladoc. Furthermore, 97% said they were “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with Teladoc’s services. 

Queer couples residing in New York should explore Kip Therapy. Its therapists help couples navigate intersecting identities, relationship struggles, and/or ethical non-monogamy. Not only does it offer designated couples therapy, but it also offers support groups for couples engaging in ethical non-monogamy. Furthermore, because Kip treats families as well as couples, it can support couples struggling within a broader family dynamic. 

You can join Kip Therapy one of two ways: Click on the “get started” page and see all of the therapists available, then narrow down the list by the therapist’s gender, race, specialty, price tier, sexual orientation, and availability. The second option is to choose a therapist based on therapy type: Click on the “therapy” tab in the menu. This guides you to a page describing all of Kip’s services. Once there, simply click on “book a session” under your chosen therapy type and you will be sent to the  scheduling platform. 

Kip Therapy stands out among other platforms because of its focus on training the next generation of therapists. Because of this, it offers three payment tiers, corresponding to the amount of experience the therapist has. This ensures  the company can offer therapy to a broader range of people while also providing emerging therapists with the experience they need. 

All sessions at Kip Therapy are held via live video call, though Kip did offer in-person sessions to New York City residents pre-pandemic and may do so again in the future. 

Kip Therapy does not accept insurance but will allow you to submit a reimbursement claim. If you meet with an associate therapist, your initial consultation is free. For all other tiers, the consult is $25.

Kip’s tiered payment system makes it one of the more financially accessible platforms. Individual therapy adheres to the following payment structure:

• Meeting with an associate therapist costs between $65 and $95 per session. Associate therapists are graduate-level interns. 
• Meeting with a resident therapist costs between $130 and $150 per session. Resident therapists are resident fellows. 
• Meeting with a senior therapist costs between $170 and $225 per session. Senior therapists have the most experience. 

Couples therapy costs $200 per session if you meet with a provider from the two lower tiers and $250 for a tier-three clinician. 

Our user survey data supports the idea that Kip’s therapists, even the less experienced ones, provide high-quality care. Three-fourths of our surveyed users rated Kip Therapy as “very good” or “excellent.” And 80% rated the value they got for what they paid as being “very good” or “excellent.” Furthermore, over half said it was “very likely” they would recommend Kip Therapy to a friend. 

According to the Gay Therapy Center's website, Adam D. Blum founded it in 2015 in order to better serve the LGBTQ community. Blum’s focus is matching the client with their ideal therapist through a free, personalized phone call rather than leaving the matching up to an algorithm. 

The Gay Therapy Center provides mental healthcare geared to gay cisgender men. Although it purports to offer support to the broader LGBTQIA+ community, its website doesn’t discuss therapy for those navigating their gender identity, and most of the photos are of people who appear to be cisgender men. 

This niche isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The gay male community faces specific challenges that the Gay Therapy Center addresses. For example, it offers substance use disorder therapy and specifically mentions meth, a drug with a large presence in the gay male community, on its website. 

Receiving care from the Gay Therapy Center involves scheduling a 15-minute phone call with either the founder or an intake coordinator. Together, you and the person completing your intake process will discuss which available therapist will best fit your needs. Once you are matched, you can meet with your therapist as soon as 24 hours after the phone call, depending on the therapist’s availability. The center recommends you meet with your therapist at least once per week via live video, but it is flexible depending on your needs. 

The Gay Therapy Center’s target demographic may be small, but this allows it to specifically support the gay male community, unlike any other company we surveyed. 

Each session costs a minimum of $185 unless you live in California, where therapists-in-training can work with you for $120 per session. Although the Gay Therapy Center doesn’t accept insurance, if you live in California, New York, or Washington, D.C., it will help you submit reimbursement claims and HSA and FSA payments. 

Overall, 84% of the users we surveyed from Gay Therapy Center rated the company as excellent, very good, or good, while 71% said they were very likely or likely to recommend it to a friend or someone like them. In addition, 60% said they’d go back to Gay Therapy Center if they ever had to start their search for a therapist again and of those that had tried another service, 81% said the services they received were much better, better, or a little better. 

Queer Christians seeking online therapy that takes their faith into consideration should contact The Christian Closet for support. The therapy company’s Instagram profile is bursting with affirming messages such as, “You can reflect the glory of God as you are” and “You can find belonging and acceptance in yourself.” The program aims to help you create a new relationship with religion, which can be crucial to the mental health of queer Christians. With the support of its team of 13 queer therapists, you can learn to love all aspects of yourself. 

The Christian Closet functions like a traditional therapy practice, with each practitioner setting their own prices and schedule. First, you fill out an online application for a free half-hour consultation with a therapist of your choice. After that consultation, you can discuss with the practitioner which therapist will be right for you. Sessions are conducted via video on a HIPAA-compliant platform.

Additionally, The Christian Closet offers services specific to those facing a potentially challenging coming-out process, including couples counseling for queer people married to non-queer spouses. If non-queer family members need individual counseling, The Christian Closet partners with Progressive Christian Counseling to help support them. 

The initial half-hour conversation is free, but the platform does not accept any kind of insurance. Each therapist sets their own prices and many have sliding scale options.