The 5 Best Online Sex Therapy Programs of 2020

Where possible, sex therapy is often best pursued as couples therapy. Still, not everyone experiencing sexual difficulties is part of a couple. That’s what makes Talkspace a good option. Unlike many of the other online therapy websites, TalkSpace offers both individual and couples therapy options. Talkspace also has both accurate and affirming educational content about sexual health and the role of therapists in helping with sexual problems. TalkSpace therapists are all licensed and verified, and a number of employers and health plans will cover the cost of using the service. 

Talkspace is one of the largest and best known online therapy sites. One of the advantages? There are multiple ways of being connected with a therapist. You can use an online matching tool or chat using an AI. That means it may be possible to identify those providers experienced in sex therapy as well as in working with your specific concerns. Another advantage of Talkspace is that they have so many therapists that it may be possible to find a provider who has expertise in your specific concern, or in some area that’s important to you. For example, you might be most concerned about finding a therapist who is understanding about your gender identity, or who knows a lot about sexual trauma. Talkspace also offers both asynchronous and live sessions.

Talkspace is a subscription-based site that costs anywhere from $65 to 100 each week. Some plans come with live video sessions, and live sessions can also be added on at an additional cost. However, not all therapists offer live sessions as an option. Couples therapy is more expensive than individual therapy, starting at $89/week for individuals who purchase three months at a time. 

Regain is one of the very few sites that specialize in relationship and intimacy therapy. It is specifically designed to allow both members of a couple to interact clearly and transparently with a therapist. All written messages are visible to both members of the couple. Individuals also have the option of having private, live sessions with their therapist. This combination of openness and privacy is well suited for sex therapy. It allows the couple to work on issues specific to their sexual and romantic interactions while providing individuals’ space to address any underlying issues. 

When signing up for therapy at Regain, you have the opportunity to state your preferences for a counselor. Although all counselors on the site are licensed psychologists, marriage and family therapists, social workers, or professional counselors, some couples may be more comfortable working with a therapist who is male or female, older or younger. In general, sessions on Regain do not happen in real-time. Text-based messaging is used to communicate back and forth at the convenience of the individual and the therapist. Real-time video or phone sessions can be scheduled as well. However, for couples to both be part of a real-time session, they must be in the same place. 

Regain costs between $40 to 70 per week, and subscriptions are billed monthly.

Like TalkSpace, BetterHelp is one of the larger and more established online therapy sites. They have thousands of experienced counselors with specialties in a variety of issues. Unlike TalkSpace, BetterHelp only offers individual therapy. Regain.us is actually their sister site for couples counseling. As with most of the larger online therapy sites, BetterHelp offers both messaging options and live sessions. Live sessions require you to pre-schedule with your therapist and can be set up as text-based chat, phone calls, or video sessions. 

The site costs $40 to 70 per week, billed monthly. Because of their large roster of therapists, it’s often possible to find someone who specializes in areas or interests that are important to you. The site offers access to LGBT-focused therapists and is one of the few sites that is specifically gender-affirming – asking about pronouns as part of the intake process. The intake process also allows you to identify “intimacy issues” as a specific reason you are seeking therapy.

Pride Counseling doesn’t offer sex therapy, perse. However, for some LGBTQIA+ individuals experiencing sexual or relationship difficulties, it may be more important to have an LGBTQ competent therapist than a therapist with specific experience in sex. All of the counselors at Pride Counseling are not only licensed in their specific field, but they are also specialists in the LGBTQ community. 

There are a number of different ways to interact with your Pride Counseling therapist. You can exchange messages in your own time. You can also live chat – either by text, phone, or video. Depending on your needs and schedule, you can figure out what works best for you, and you can change it up as needed. Pride Counseling fees range from $40 to $70/week and are billed monthly. 

At this time, Pride Counseling only offers individual counseling, not couples counseling. 

MyCounselor.Online is a small, specialty website that provides Christian Faith-Based therapy both online and in-person (in Colorado and Missouri.) As of March 2020, the site offers a connection to one of 16 professional counselors. One of the founders of the site is a Certified Sex Therapist, and the site offers supervision to all its therapists. As part of its focus on faith-based therapy, MyCounselor.online has a strong focus on relationship health. In fact, they are one of the only counseling websites that offer sex therapy as a specialty area. Specifically, the site offers referrals to Christian sex therapists, sex therapists who work from a context of religious faith. As religion and spirituality may play a role in many couple’s sexual difficulties, it can be enormously helpful to work with a licensed sex therapist who understands their faith.

In order to access care, individuals select the experience level of the therapist they are interested in working with. Then they schedule an appointment with the site receptionist in order to identify the therapist who will best fit their needs. Unlike many counseling sites, hours are restricted. Sessions are only offered live (online) between the hours of 9 a.m. and 9 p.m.