Two of our experienced reviewers used Talkspace couples therapy with their partners. We found Talkspace to be a solid platform for improving romantic or non-romantic relationships or for those seeking online couples therapy. Talkspace couples therapy earned 4 out of 5 stars in our independent review. We loved the ease of use and the fact that Talkspace accepts insurance, despite the cash-pay rate being more expensive than many competitors.
Talkspace Couples At a Glance
Cost: $436 monthly
Insurance Accepted? Yes
Pros & Cons of Talkspace Couples Therapy
Pros - Makes couples therapy easy and convenient to access compared to in-person sessions
- Couples don’t have to be in the same place to attend sessions
- Live workshops and self-assessment tools are also available for free
- Couples can chat with their therapist in between sessions
- Those in non-romantic relationships are welcome to register, including co-workers, friends, and siblings
Cons - Can’t purchase individual sessions
- All session credits expire at the end of the month whether or not a session was completed
- User reports of therapists being often unreliable and frequently canceling appointments or leaving them unconfirmed
- App can be glitchy
Who Is Talkspace Couples Therapy Right For?
- Those seeking online couples counseling covered by insurance
- Those looking to strengthen their relationship or marriage
- Those looking to strengthen a non-romantic relationship and learn to communicate better
Preview Talkspace Couples Therapy
Talkspace Couples Therapy is a service offered by Talkspace. It is available nationwide for couples, and anyone else whose relationships could use some improvement. Talkspace Couples Therapy costs $436 monthly and includes weekly sessions for you and your partner with a licensed Talkspace therapist.
During my time with Talkspace, my partner and I experienced some technical issues that impeded the therapy session slightly, but an excellent session with our therapist definitely made up for it. After using it hands-on, I believe Talkspace Couples Therapy offers good value for the cost and is a top-notch option for folks who want to improve either romantic or non-romantic relationships – especially if they have an insurance plan that’s in-network with Talkspace.
While Talkspace couples therapy is an excellent option with great value in its subscription, if you are looking for a more affordable couples therapy option, look to Regain. Regain is one of the most flexible and affordable couples counseling platforms available. In addition to couples counseling, Talkspace also offers therapy for individuals who may prefer to work with a therapist one-on-one. For a more in-depth look at individual therapy, take a look at our full Talkspace review. Meanwhile, if you’re more interested in relationship coaching for you and your partner rather than full-blown therapy, consider Relationship Hero.
Why You Can Trust My Review
Our review of Talkspace Couples Therapy is based on first-hand experience using their therapy services by two of our experienced reviewers. These reviewers – Randi and Matt – used Talkspace Couples Therapy by going through the sign-up process, getting matched with therapists, going to therapy sessions with their partners, trying and testing all the features, and even putting Talkspace’s customer service team to the test by switching therapists, and more. Over the last four years, we’ve learned a lot about Talkspace while also collectively testing and reviewing multiple other online therapy providers.
Based on our quantitative multi-point scoring criteria, Regain scored 3.5 out of 5 stars during our most recent review. Our scoring criteria measure 30+ metrics across 13 categories, ranging from quality of user experience to therapist vetting and experience, and more.
Review our scoring criteria for online therapy platforms here.
Review our complete editorial policies here.
Firsthand Talkspace Couples Therapy Reviews
Below, we present our full review of everything Talkspace couples therapy has to offer. But, sometimes, it’s easier to just hear directly from someone who’s used the service firsthand. Here are our firsthand experiences with Talkspace couples therapy.
Matthew Church's Experience with Talkspace
Randi Sprintis's Experience with Talkspace
Detailed Review of Talkspace Couples Therapy
Talkspace has created a valuable program for couples with its Talkspace Couples Therapy plan. For $436 monthly, you unlock weekly sessions with a licensed therapist for you and your partner (romantic or not), as well as weekly live educational workshops.
Talkspace Couples Therapy
A subscription to Talkspace Couples Therapy grants you and your partner access to four 30-minute sessions per month with a licensed therapist conducted via 3-way phone or video. You can also message your therapist in between sessions in a shared chatroom with your partner. Talkspace Couples Therapy costs $436 monthly.
Talkspace Couples Therapy sessions are 30 minutes long and can be conducted by video, phone, or live messaging. You and your therapy partner don’t need to be in the same room or physical location to conduct sessions. Both partners don’t need to attend every session – it’s up to you and your therapist to decide how sessions should work and flow.
When I signed up for Talkspace Couples Therapy, it was easy to get started by answering a few onboarding questions, selecting a therapist that seemed like a good fit, and adding my partner to the virtual therapy “room.” Unfortunately, my therapist had to cancel our initial session due to illness with very little notice, but I was able to get a new appointment a couple of weeks later.
When it came time for our appointment, my partner and I both attempted to join the virtual therapy session on separate devices on our home WiFi network. I was able to join right away, but my partner was unable to join the video session from multiple devices. Despite several attempts, we ultimately had to continue the session by crowding ourselves together using my phone’s camera. While we were easily able to remedy this since we were in the same room at the time of the session, we definitely would have run into problems had we not been.
Despite the technical hiccups, our Talkspace Couples Therapy session went excellently. Scheduled for 30 minutes, we used all of the time allotted, as our therapist was very detailed and took a thorough look at both my partner’s and my separate backgrounds and our history as a couple. I felt that my therapist was an excellent fit for us and I felt a rapport instantly. I also felt reassured by my therapist’s statement that we could message him at any point using the app.
Talkspace Live Workshops
With a Talkspace Couples Therapy subscription, you also gain access to live workshops put on by Talkspace therapists. The range of topics on offer was very impressive, ranging from coping skills, meditation techniques, parenting tips, resources and skills for couples, and much more. Several 60-minute workshops are held every week from Monday – Thursday via Zoom.
Talkspace workshops are available as an add-on to individual therapy plans, and are available by default for couples therapy plans once weekly. There seems to be a good variety of content specifically for couples each week, so this is a great additional benefit that adds quite a bit of value to the service. Workshops are scheduled well in advance and the upcoming workshops can be viewed at any time in the Talkspace app.
Talkspace Couples Therapy Cost & Insurance
Talkspace Couples Therapy costs $436 monthly. This ongoing subscription includes access to weekly 30-minute therapy sessions for you and your partner. You’ll also gain access to live educational workshops for you and your partner once per week and unlimited ongoing messaging with your therapist.
Does Talkspace Couples Therapy Accept Insurance?
Yes, Talkspace does accept insurance for therapy. Keep in mind, though, that many insurance plans don’t cover couples therapy. Reach out to your insurance payor to ensure that this service is covered and in-network with Talkspace Couples Therapy.
Talkspace allows you to use FSA or HSA funds for mental health services that it renders – you’ll simply use your HSA card as your payment method. However, it’s always wise to make sure this is a covered expense for your insurance plan.
Who Does Talkspace Couples Therapy Serve?
Talkspace Couples Therapy serves anyone above age 18 in any of the US states. You do not have to be part of a marriage or romantic relationship in order to use Talkspace Couples Therapy. People with other types of relationships such as family members, colleagues, or friends are also able to use Talkspace Couples Therapy to improve their relationships and communication.
Talkspace Couples Therapy is specifically designed for couples, marriages, and other relationships. If you’re looking for individual therapy, you should consider Talkspace’s main individual therapy option, as seen in our full Talkspace review. Another great option for individual therapy is BetterHelp. For relationship coaching instead of therapy, Relationship Hero is a great option.
Talkspace Couples Therapy Reviews by Users
Since Talkspace Couples Therapy doesn’t have a separate app or website from its main individual therapy offering, the reviews you find are more general and don’t specifically refer to Talkspace Couples. Regardless, the insights from user reviews are still valuable in helping us understand the quality of Talkspace’s platform.
Overall, users have a strongly positive sentiment toward Talkspace. Most reviews are positive, and negative reviews are usually a couple of years old, indicating that Talkspace has improved recently. By far, the most common issue cited in complaints and negative reviews was customer service. Many users felt that Talkspace customer service was unresponsive, difficult to access, and unhelpful.
Reviews from Apple App Store | 4.8 out of 5 stars | 30k+ reviews
Positive reviews from the Apple App Store indicated that users were generally pleased with the Talkspace app. Hundreds of users indicated they appreciated the accessibility and quality of services on the platform.
Negative reviews from the Apple App Store highlight issues with customer service, billing, and insurance services. There were a number of reviews stating that they had problems with individual therapists or providers that weren’t addressed. By far, the most common complaint was with customer service being unresponsive or unhelpful.
Reviews from Google Play Store | 4.5 out of 5 stars | 7k+ reviews
Positive reviews from the Google Play Store indicated that users tended to be pleased with the service they received. The majority felt that Talkspace was helpful for their lives and valuable.
Negative reviews from the Google Play Store present a considerable number of reports of bugs in the Android version of the app. Users reported audio issues, crashes, and other bugs as recently as February 2024.
Reviews from Trustpilot | 2.9 out of 5 stars | 306 reviews
Positive reviews from Trustpilot are fewer than the negative reviews. This could be due to the small sample size of only 300 reviewers. Regardless, many users felt that Talkspace was easy to use and very helpful.
Negative reviews from Trustpilot tended to focus on customer service problems not being resolved in a timely or effective manner. Other negative reviews focused on poor experiences with therapists and therapists not replying to messages.
Reviews from Reddit | r/therapy | r/talktherapy | r/mentalhealth
Positive reviews on Reddit regarding Talkspace are a bit of a mixed bag. You can find several reports of people being disappointed by the service and feel that it’s not a good value. For every one post outlining a bad experience with Talkspace, you’ll usually find 3-4 comments relating positive or – at least – neutral experiences. In general, people seem to believe that Talkspace is a good platform, as long as you find a therapist who’s a good fit for you.
Negative reviews on Reddit about Talkspace indicate that the greatest criticism is that many of the therapists appear to use this as a “side job” and so, some users feel as though they aren’t given the best care. In other words, your experience will vary significantly depending on your therapist.
Who May Want an Alternative to Talkspace Couples?
Talkspace couples therapy would be a good choice for many, but those interested in relationship coaching instead of therapy, people experiencing domestic violence, people looking for individual therapy, and people struggling with severe mental health symptoms should look elsewhere.
Those interested in relationship coaching instead of therapy
Relationship coaching and couples therapy are very different experiences. Maybe you’re looking for less intensive care, or just a bit of advice rather than full-blown couples therapy. If that’s the case, Relationship Hero is an excellent option.
People experiencing domestic violence
Talkspace is not a good solution for those currently in an abusive relationship or are concerned for their safety. Both are considered urgent matters and it would be best to seek out help from someone in person. You can also connect with someone on the Domestic Violence Support website or by calling 1.800.799.SAFE.
People looking for individual therapy
Talkspace couples therapy is specifically designed for couples and those in other types of relationships and is designed to be used with those people. If you’re looking for therapy for yourself or just want to work on your relationships without directly involving those people in therapy sessions, consider Talkspace’s main individual therapy offering (visit our full Talkspace review for details) or consider one of the best online therapy options for individuals.
People struggling with severe mental health symptoms
Online therapy is not ideal for those suffering from severe mental health symptoms such as suicidal ideation, hallucinations, or psychosis. Those suffering from severe mental health symptoms should seek in-person care.
If you currently have severe mental health symptoms and need immediate help, you should dial 911, visit the nearest emergency room, or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or by dialing 988.
Talkspace, or any online therapy provider, is not a safe choice for those in an active crisis, as therapists cannot respond immediately. Talkspace is also not ideal for those with a serious mental illness (SMI) such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, eating disorders, personality disorders, or treatment-resistant depression.
Talkspace Couples Therapy Vs. Competitors
Talkspace Couples Therapy is an excellent choice for online couples therapy. However, Regain has more affordable cash-pay rates. Relationship Hero is another good option for non-clinical relationship coaching, and Online-Therapy.com offers a ton of additional resources.
Price: $436 monthly
Insurance Accepted? Yes
-
Couples don’t have to be in the same place to attend sessions -
Live workshops and self-assessment tools are also available
-
Can’t purchase individual sessions -
Must schedule all of your four sessions in your subscription package in one month, or your credits will expire
Price: $260 – $360 monthly
Insurance Accepted? No
-
Financial aid is available to those who qualify -
User-friendly and easy-to-navigate website and app
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Doesn’t accept insurance -
Ultimate costs depend on your location
Price: $80 – $250 per session
Insurance Accepted? No
-
Over one hundred relationship coaches to choose from -
You can choose a coach with a price point that works for you
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Coaches are not licensed therapists -
Does not accept insurance
Price: $440 monthly
Insurance Accepted? No
-
Includes access to a self-guided CBT course -
Both partners get access to the CBT course
-
Insurance is not accepted -
CBT-based therapy only; no other types of therapy
Talkspace Couples Therapy Vs. Regain
Talkspace Couples Therapy Vs. Relationship Hero
Talkspace Couples Therapy Vs. Online-Therapy.com
Talkspace Couples Review – Our Final Verdict
“Overall, I believe Talkspace couples therapy is an excellent choice for online couples therapy. The offerings are on par with BetterHelp’s Regain platform but are slightly more expensive cash-pay, so if you don’t have insurance that’s in-network with Talkspace (and covers couples therapy), then you might be better off with Regain, as most of the features are the same.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Talkspace Couples Therapy Legit?
Yes, Talkspace is a legitimate provider of couples therapy. Talkspace fully vets and verifies all of its therapists and we recommend Talkspace Couples Therapy for many people.
Talkspace Vs. Talkspace Couples: What’s the Difference?
Talkspace and Talkspace Couples Therapy are ultimately multiple plans on the same platform. Both services use the same app and website and often pull from the same pool of therapists. Talkspace Couples Therapy is different in that it allows a partner to join therapy both in-session and in the ongoing chat, so the therapist can work with both individuals and the relationship as a whole.
How Does Talkspace Couples Therapy Vet & Verify Its Therapists?
All Talkspace therapists are fully licensed mental health providers such as licensed psychologists, licensed professional counselors, clinical social workers, and mental health service providers. Providers must hold the minimum qualifications in the state in which they practice.
How Am I Matched With a Talkspace Therapist?
Talkspace Couples Therapy uses your responses to an intake questionnaire to help match you with therapists who might be a good fit for you. Once Talkspace finds your top matches, you’ll be able to pick between your three top matches and schedule an appointment with one of them. Talkspace makes it easy to change therapists later, if needed.
Can I Choose a New Talkspace Therapist?
Yes, changing your Talkspace Couples therapist is simple. Just log into your account on the Talkspace mobile app or website, navigate to your account, and select “Change provider.” After this, you’ll answer a few questions and be able to select from a list of new therapists.
How Much Does Talkspace Couples Therapy Cost?
Talkspace Couples Therapy costs $436 monthly. This ongoing subscription includes access to weekly 30-minute therapy sessions for you and your partner. You’ll also gain access to live educational workshops for you and your partner once per week and unlimited ongoing messaging with your therapist. Talkspace also accepts insurance which can lower the cost significantly.
Can I Use My HSA/FSA for Talkspace Couples?
Yes, Talkspace does accept FSA or HSA funds for mental health services. However, it’s wise to check with your insurance provider to ensure that this is a covered expense.
How Do I Cancel My Talkspace Couples Subscription?
You can cancel your Talkspace subscription at any time. Your account will be marked as “do not renew” and you will still have access to your account until your subscription ends. To cancel, go to your account on the Talkspace mobile app or website, scroll to the “Payment” section, then, simply click “Stop Subscription”.
If you are ever concerned that you did not unsubscribe correctly, I recommend emailing [email protected].
Does Talkspace Couples Issue Refunds?
Talkspace may offer refunds on a case-by-case basis. If you feel you are entitled to a refund, reach out to Talkspace directly via email at [email protected].
Is Talkspace Couples HIPAA-Compliant?
Yes, Talkspace has privacy policies consistent with HIPAA standards. For more details, consult Talkspace’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
History & News About Talkspace Couples Therapy
Year Founded: 2012
Founders: Roni & Oren Frank
Publicly Traded? Yes
Talkspace was founded in 2012 by married couple Roni and Oren Frank. It is headquartered in New York City and has been publicly traded since 2021. Early in Talkspace’s history, the company experienced criticism regarding inflated claims of effectiveness, therapists with questionable credentials, and issues with client data privacy.1
In 2020, journalists from the New York Times published an account that Talkspace was commissioning its employees to use burner phones to pump up positive reviews for Talkspace on app stores, and has knowingly released private client data and therapist chat logs in internal meetings, wherein supposedly anonymized identifying information was released.2 Talkspace co-founders Roni and Oren Frank wrote a response to the New York Times piece stating that many points within the article are false or misconstrued. Moreover, they contend that the New York Times reporter ignored many facts presented in their initial interview and further contend that Talkspace committed no wrongdoing in this instance.3
Choosing Therapy strives to provide our readers with mental health content that is accurate and actionable. We have high standards for what can be cited within our articles. Acceptable sources include government agencies, universities and colleges, scholarly journals, industry and professional associations, and other high-integrity sources of mental health journalism. Learn more by reviewing our full editorial policy.
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Essig, T. (2015). Talkspace argues with Talkspace: Conflicting messages and clinical risk. Forbes. Retrieved from: https://www.forbes.com/sites/toddessig/2015/06/29/talkspace-argues-with-talkspace-conflicting-messages-and-clinical-risk/
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Hill, K., Krolik, A. (April, 2020). At Talkspace, start-up culture collides with mental health concerns. The New York Times. Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/07/technology/talkspace
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Frank, R., Frank, O. (August, 2020). Talkspace founders respond to a New York Times article. Medium. Retrieved from: https://medium.com/@founders_22883/talkspace-founders-respond-to-a-new-york-times-article-78d6f5c45c59
We regularly update the articles on ChoosingTherapy.com to ensure we continue to reflect scientific consensus on the topics we cover, to incorporate new research into our articles, and to better answer our audience’s questions. When our content undergoes a significant revision, we summarize the changes that were made and the date on which they occurred. We also record the authors and medical reviewers who contributed to previous versions of the article. Read more about our editorial policies here.
Author: Matthew Church, MS (New author)
Medical Reviewer: Kristen Fuller, MD (New medical reviewer)
Primary Changes: Full rewrite of article, conducted new review of Talkspace Couples Therapy, and updated star rating score based on new experience. Fact-checked and rewritten for accuracy and readability. All new content was written by Matthew Church, MS and medically reviewed by Kristen Fuller, MD.
Author: Randi Sprintis, MS (No change)
Medical Reviewer: Benjamin Troy, MD (No change)
Primary Changes: Added review summary and features.
Author: Randi Sprintis, MS
Medical Reviewer: Benjamin Troy, MD
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Additional Resources
To help our readers take the next step in their mental health journey, Choosing Therapy has partnered with leaders in mental health and wellness. Choosing Therapy is compensated for marketing by the companies included below.
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BetterHelp (Online Therapy) – Relationships aren’t easy – a licensed therapist can help. Live sessions can be done via phone, video, or live-chat. Plus, you can message your therapist whenever you want. Visit BetterHelp
Online-Therapy.com (Online Couples Therapy) – Do you and your partner want to work together to have less arguments and better communication? Are there children involved and being caught in the crossfire? Do you love each other but are having a rough time operating as one unit? Couples therapy can help. Get started
