Christian Therapist on Demand Review

Founded in 2016 in Fresno, CA, Christian Therapist on Demand is a platform aimed at therapy seekers who want to incorporate faith and spirituality into their therapy sessions. The service connects users to qualified Christian therapists through its app for a lower price than many in-person therapy providers and offers a variety of informational resources on its website for people looking to learn more about mental health.

First Impressions and Sign-up Process 

At first appearance, Christian Therapist on Demand’s homepage looks more like the landing page for an app rather than a platform with informative content.

If you scroll down, though, you’ll find a section explaining what the service is, then a section introducing you to the company’s mental health resource library. Further down, you’ll find another prompt to download the app, as well as a few FAQs.

The top navigation bar includes links to a merch shop, a blog, the About Us page, a variety of mental health resources, FAQs and company contact details, and information for therapists interested in joining Christian Therapist on Demand. However, the website does not display therapist bios, nor does it display its prices prominently. Instead, pricing and subscription plan information is tucked away in the FAQs.

To sign up for Christian Therapist on Demand, you must first download the app. You cannot register online first, which is different from the other companies we reviewed.

Once you’ve downloaded the app, you will answer a series of intake questions about what you’re looking for from therapy, then you’ll be sent an email verification. With your email verified, you’ll create your account, which requires you to upload a photo. The app will not let you proceed until a photo is uploaded, which may make some users abort the sign-up process if they’re not comfortable sharing a photo for privacy reasons. You will then choose one of the company’s three subscription plans to sign up for. Finally, you’ll be able to view therapist bios to choose who you want to work with. 

It’s worth noting that at no point during the intake does the company prompt you to share emergency contact information—a departure from most companies we reviewed. You are, however, required to enter your payment information before you are granted your free trial. 

Once you’re signed up, you will hear from your therapist through the app. In 2021, only 24% of Christian Therapist on Demand users had heard from their therapist on the same day, while 33% heard back within a couple of days. This means that 43% didn’t hear from their therapist before their three-day trial ran out. In fact, only 28% heard back within the same week; it took two weeks or longer for 15% of respondents. 

Unfortunately, without a response to the company questionnaire, we cannot evaluate whether this pattern still holds true in 2022.

Cost 

Christian Therapist on Demand’s prices were about average compared to the other 33 companies we reviewed in 2021. However, only 62% of users said the prices were very good or excellent, a lower satisfaction rate than the company’s competitors.

What Subscription Plans Does Christian Therapist on Demand Offer? 

There are several subscription plans to choose from:

• The Mind Health Wellness Membership plan costs $25 per month and includes access to same-day, $65 sessions (discounted from the non-member price of $125) with the company’s Certified Christian Counselors. This session cost also gets you three text/audio/video messaging sessions anytime and access to live emotional support groups, resources, and worksheets.
• The Unlimited Messaging Plus plan costs $260 per month and includes access to three therapy groups facilitated by counselors, text/audio/video messaging anytime, live texting sessions, and a monthly phone or video session.
• The Ultimate Unlimited Messaging plan costs $320 per month and includes weekly phone or video sessions, unlimited access to therapy groups facilitated by counselors, anytime messaging, and live texting sessions. 
• The Couple’s Coaching plan costs $380 per month and includes four weekly sessions, anytime messaging, access to live group sessions, and worksheets.

Is There a Free Trial?

Yes, as mentioned above, Christian Therapist on Demand offers everyone a three-day free trial. 

Does Christian Therapist on Demand Accept Insurance?

No, it is not in-network with any insurance companies, although therapists can provide a superbill if you would like to seek out-of-network reimbursement from your insurance company.

Can You Change or Cancel Your Subscription?

Yes. You can change or cancel your subscription directly in the app.  

Are There Discounts Available?

There are no discounts, scholarships, or financial assistance available through this service.

Ease of Use

Once you’re signed up, all communication with your therapist and the customer service team takes place in the app. This is where you’ll be able to message your therapist, schedule live sessions, and access worksheets and other resources. It’s also where you’ll change payment information if needed. 

Seventy-nine percent of  Christian Therapist on Demand users who were surveyed in 2021 said the app and site’s ease of use was very good or excellent. Additionally, 78% said the video quality during live sessions was excellent or very good, while 79% said the speed they heard back from their therapist via messages was either very good or excellent. 

If you don’t like the therapist you’re working with, you can request a change in the app as well, though it is worth noting that only 67% of surveyed respondents found this process either very easy or easy in 2021, and 6% characterized the switching process as either difficult or very difficult.

Therapists' Qualifications and Quality of Care

Eighty-three percent of the users we surveyed said that therapist qualifications were a big reason why they signed up for the company—and 85% said the qualifications of the therapists they ended up seeing were either very good or excellent.

Christian Therapist on Demand does not disclose how many therapists are available through the app—but only 68% of respondents in 2021 said the number of therapists at the company was either very good or excellent, suggesting the number is smaller than at other companies. Still, 93% said they were either satisfied or very satisfied with the therapist options at the company that year. 

According to our 2021 user survey, clients had to switch therapists relatively frequently because only 7% had seen just one provider at Chrisitian Therapist on Demand:

• Twenty-nine percent had seen two. 
• Forty-one percent had seen three. 
• Twenty-three percent had seen four or more.
  

Since Christian Therapist on Demand did not respond to our questionnaire that year, it’s unclear whether the client initiated these switches or they occurred because their therapist left the platform.

Types of Therapy Offered

Christians Therapist on Demand offers:

• Individual talk therapy
• Couples counseling 
• Group sessions

The page is limited to a grid of small graphic icons, each captioned with the name of a diagnosis. No further information is given here about these conditions or how the company’s providers, all independent contractors, treat them. If you open the Resources dropdown tab in the navigation bar and hover over “Mental Health,” you’ll see the list again, with links to individual pages about each concern. 

However, the amount of detail on each page varies wildly—the Eating Disorders page has several informative FAQs, while the Stress page only displays the site’s top navigation and footer bars.

Still, Christian Therapist on Demand offers access to a multitude of tools and resources, including five- and 20-minute clips of relaxing music for stress relief, as well as a variety of free worksheets you can use to augment therapy, practice new skills, and cope with anxiety. 

While the site previously advertised a podcast, as of January 2023, the Podcast page does not load, and we could not find evidence that the podcast is still being produced. Additionally, clicking on the links for Young People and Parents featured in the dropdown Resources navigation menu does not take you to those pages. Instead, you are taken to the main Resources page. 

Several videos about Christian therapy topics are also available on the site and on YouTube, though the YouTube channel had not been updated for six months at the time this review was updated.

Privacy Policies

The Client Privacy Policy specifies that the platform and therapists associated with the platform adhere to HIPAA standards of client confidentiality and privacy. 

The company states that privacy and protection are of great concern to the company and that it takes measures to protect client data—but it does not provide any details about how it does so. In contrast, most other online therapy platforms we have reviewed tend to name specific technologies used, such as a certain level of encryption, distributed servers (making it less likely your data will be completely stolen if one server is hacked), and other privacy protocols. 

The Client Privacy Policy also says that the confidentiality of the information given through the platform cannot be guaranteed safe and that clients ultimately use the platform at their own risk. 

Finally, while Christian Therapist on Demand counselors and therapists can see children as young as 14, users must be 18 or older to create an account. Minors, instead, must use a subaccount created by their parent or guardian; it’s not clear how much privacy or confidentiality underage clients can expect from their therapists regarding what they share in sessions and via messages. 

Overall Client Satisfaction

Seventy-four percent of the users we surveyed in 2021 rated services received through Christian Therapist on Demand as either very good or excellent, and 71% said the value was either very good or excellent for the money spent.

Is Christian Therapist on Demand Right For You?

Christian Therapist on Demand appears to be a good choice for someone who wants a convenient platform to connect with a counselor for individual or couples counseling, or to join moderated group sessions. The platform makes it easy to chat with a Christian therapist and schedule sessions, and there are a variety of supplemental resources available.

However, given the types of therapeutic techniques it employs, this platform is likely not the best choice for users who are struggling with more serious mental health conditions. 

The platform is also not for anyone under the age of 14, nor those who are suicidal or need psychiatric or medication management. It is not an emergency service, so is not suitable for those in crisis.

Christian Therapist on Demand vs. Cornerstone Christian Counseling

Both Christian Therapist on Demand and Cornerstone Christian Counseling aim to connect you with licensed Christian therapists, however, Christian Therapist on Demand is an app platform with three subscription counseling plans, whereas Cornerstone Christian Counseling is a smaller company with a pay-as-you-go business model.

• As noted previously, Christian Therapist on Demand’s plans range in price from $260 to $380 per month. 
• Cornerstone Christian Counseling charges $58 to $184 per weekly session, depending on the tier of therapist you choose. (All lower-priced sessions are held by licensed and pre-licensed counselors with less experience.) This totals $234 to $736 a month if you have weekly sessions.

Both companies only work with licensed therapists and counselors, although Christian Therapist on Demand requires providers to be licensed in their state, while Cornerstone Christian Counseling allows Master’s level counselors who are pursuing licensure to work with the company under a licensed therapist’s supervision. Christian Therapist on Demand verifies the qualifications of each therapist who uses the platform, but does not supervise them and leaves the responsibility to maintain quality standards to the individual therapist. 

Cornerstone Christian Counseling’s website is a bit easier to navigate and more modern than Christian Therapist on Demand’s.

In terms of user satisfaction, the companies fared similarly in 2021: Seventy-eight percent of Cornerstone users rated the services they received as either excellent or very good; 74% of Christian Therapist on Demand users said the same. Ninety-two percent of Christian Therapist on Demand users and 90% of Cornerstone users said they were very likely or likely to recommend their respective company. Of those who had tried other services, 77% of Cornerstone respondents and 76% of Christian Therapist on Demand respondents rated the company’s services as either much better or a little better. 

However, 91% of Cornerstone Christian Counseling respondents said it was very likely or likely they’d still be seeing a therapist at the company 12 months after being surveyed, compared to only 84% of Christian Therapist on Demand respondents who said the same.

Final Verdict

Christian Therapist on Demand is a convenient, subscription-based platform that can connect you with a Christian therapist for relatively affordable prices. However, the company does not display a statement of faith, accept health insurance, or offer transparency regarding how it protects user data, which raises some concerns about the platform.

Methodology 

Our methodology for evaluating online therapy companies in 2021 was comprehensive and data-driven. We sent questionnaires to 33 companies and surveyed 100 current users of each in order to gather qualitative and quantitative data about each company and its users’ experiences.

Specifically, we evaluated each company on website usability, sign-up process, subscription offerings, client privacy protections, and ease of changing therapists. We then looked at therapist qualifications, the types of therapy offered, quality of care, client-therapist communication options, session length, and the therapist assignment process. Finally, we reviewed cost, value for money, whether the companies take insurance, overall user satisfaction, and the likelihood clients would recommend them.

Though we did not ultimately select Christian Therapist on Demand for user testing in 2022, this review has otherwise been updated for accuracy. Read the methodology used for the Verywell Mind 2023 Online Therapy Awards.