The 10 Best Online Grief Counseling Services We Tried and Tested in 2024

Grief brings up all manner of sensitive subjects and vulnerabilities as you move back and forth through its stages. You deserve a therapist who will give you their undivided and compassionate attention as you work through these heightened emotions. And we believe that at Teladoc, you can find just that. We tested Teladoc five times across Ohio, Missouri, New York, and Texas, and found its licensed providers to take a personalized, studied approach to the care they provide. While we did not turn to Teladoc because of grief in particular, our experiences make us confident that its therapists can treat grief effectively and compassionately.

We were especially impressed with our therapists’ thoroughness and consistent attention—we appreciated that they asked a lot of follow-up questions and seemed to remember everything we’d discussed in previous sessions. As the therapists got to know us, the advice became more personalized. Sessions were at least 45 minutes, with some lasting 50 or 60 minutes, which could be particularly useful for those who are dealing with grief and need extra time to explore their emotions without worrying that their session is going to end suddenly, leaving them at the height of difficult feelings. 

We never had any technical issues accessing Teladoc’s services, and we tried—and were pleased with—both its video and phone sessions. However, in one scheduled video session, our therapist kept the camera off, which we found a bit disappointing. Despite this, the therapist's observations were helpful and we felt positive about the session overall. Another thing we didn’t like was that we couldn’t communicate with our therapists between sessions (a feature that’s common in other online therapy services). In addition, we wish we could have seen prices before taking the time to sign up, as cost is often a major factor in deciding which therapist to try. Still, overall, we had fantastic experiences with Teladoc’s mental health care.

• Insurance Accepted: Accepts many insurance plans, including major providers like Aetna, UnitedHealthcare, and some Medicare and Medicaid plans
• Subscription Required: No, pay-per-session service
• Out-of-Pocket Costs: Varies by insurance; if you’re paying out of pocket, therapy appointments are up to $119 per session; up to $299 for an initial psychiatry consultation and up to $129 per session for follow-ups
  

We surveyed 100 users of Teladoc:

• 94% rated Teladoc as very good or excellent overall
• 89% rated their therapist’s qualifications as very good or excellent
• 94% said that most or all of their needs were met at Teladoc
• 98% are likely or very likely to recommend Teladoc to a friend or someone like them
• 20% were seeking treatment for grief or loss
  

We tested BetterHelp's live chat feature eight times in Missouri, Massachusetts, California, New York, Kansas, and even the U.K. With BetterHelp, we could choose to meet with our therapist for a scheduled phone, video, or live chat session, and we liked that at any point ahead of our scheduled sessions, we could switch to a different mode of communication so the format of our therapy could be tailored to our needs on the fly.  BetterHelp also delivers for those who are grieving in the intake process itself: When you sign up, you can choose “I am grieving” as part of the questionnaire and the platform will do its best to match you with a therapist who specializes in grief counseling.

We found that between scheduled live sessions we could send a text, audio, or video message to our therapists, with replies five days a week. In some cases, the responses were what you might expect from the world’s biggest online therapy company—short and vague, referencing the possibility of going over whatever it was we brought up in our message in our next session instead. But in many cases, we found our therapist’s responses to be thoughtful and caring, and we even received multiple replies a day from some providers. These messages helped us feel supported even between sessions, which might be especially important for someone currently dealing with grief. 

Just keep in mind that it may take a couple tries to find a therapist who is a good match. For example, one therapist was a no-show to a live session and didn't answer our messages. We reached out to BetterHelp and were able to switch to a new provider quickly, and we found our second therapist to be very communicative and considerate. It's also important to note that BetterHelp practices surge pricing, which means that the more demand there is for mental health services in your area, the higher the price for those services will be.

• Insurance Accepted: No
• Subscription Required: Yes, one monthly subscription plan with weekly rates subject to surge pricing
• Out-of-Pocket Costs: Varies by demand and location; typically costs about $70 to $100 per week, for a total of about $280 to $400 billed monthly

We surveyed 100 users of BetterHelp:

• 87% rated BetterHelp as very good or excellent overall
• 87% rated their therapist’s qualifications as very good or excellent
• 95% said that most or all of their needs were met at BetterHelp
• 96% are likely or very likely to recommend BetterHelp to a friend or someone like them
• 27% were seeking treatment for grief or loss
  

Fewer than half of Americans under 50 have lost a parent, and the proportion only falls from there when considering younger age groups. Even fewer have lost a child, sibling, or partner in young adulthood. If you’ve lost a parent or other close loved one as a young adult, you may not know many people your age who share your experience and can relate to your grief. While it’s not a replacement for professional grief counseling, The Dinner Party was founded to fill the gap in support for grieving young adults with virtual meet-ups.  

Although we did not test The Dinner Party’s services ourselves, we felt its specialized services for this particular kind of grief set it apart, making it worth a mention. This completely free nonprofit connects young people from across the U.S. to one another so they can grieve, remember, and even laugh together. The Dinner Party was founded by two friends who had each lost a parent in their 20s and struggled to relate—or relay their experiences—to their peers. What began as their own personal potluck for young adults who had lost someone evolved into a nationwide network of in-person parties and then, during the pandemic, a fully online constellation of virtual tables. 

When you sign up for The Dinner Party, you can choose to “pull up a chair” to existing “tables,” some of which are open to anyone dealing with any sort of loss, while others are for only specific groups, such as survivors of suicide deaths, adult orphans, or BIPOC or LGBTQIA+ folks. If you don’t see a group that fits your situation, you can join a waitlist or, if you prefer one-on-one connection, The Dinner Party’s staff will help match you to a peer through its Buddy System.

• Insurance Accepted: N/A
• Subscription Required: No
• Out-of-Pocket Costs: The Dinner Party is a free service.

We have not had the opportunity to survey any users of The Dinner Party yet, but we recognize this service’s importance, and after consulting with three licensed therapists, we felt the service was necessary to include on this list. 

“As a young adult who has experienced a loss that does not usually affect your age group, like the loss of a parent or a child, you might feel alone in your grief,” says Hannah Owens, LMSW, a subject matter expert. “The Dinner Party therefore provides the important service of connecting you with others who understand your loss, which can be imperative in working through your grief and learning to keep living without your loved one.”

A loss early in life disrupts the already turbulent teenage years in ways that may not fit neatly into the adult image of grief. Teens are still going through developmental changes that alter the way their grief presents and potentially put them at risk for further mental health concerns. Teen Counseling employs more than 13,000 therapists—with staff in every state—who specialize in adolescent mental health and can help teenagers (and their families) understand what they are going through. 

We tried out Teen Counseling in Michigan, Florida, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and New York, and unsurprisingly, our teens’ preferred method of communication was via live chat sessions. We appreciated that parents and teens have separate messaging threads that aren’t shared with each other, so our teens could talk one-on-one with their therapists without having to worry about what their parents would say. In both our teens’ sessions and our own (where we discussed our relationships with our teens), we felt that, for the most part, our providers listened to us carefully and remembered important details we had shared in past sessions—traits that would be especially important when working with a teen who is grieving. In fact, you can select “loss of a loved one” when signing up for Teen Counseling, guaranteeing that you and your teen will be connected with a therapist who can help with grief. 

Our experiences with Teen Counseling weren’t perfect, though. We often had technical difficulties, with video connections sometimes being so spotty that we couldn’t even see our therapist’s face on the screen; in another instance, we and our teen couldn’t connect to our session at the same time, despite this being an advertised feature. In addition, our teens sometimes felt their therapist relied too much on information we had given them in our parent-therapist sessions, so our teens avoided digging into the topics that were really bothering them since the therapist did not introduce them.

• Insurance Accepted: No
• Subscription Required: Yes
• Out-of-Pocket Costs: Range from $260 to $360 per month, depending on your location and therapist availability (uses surge pricing, like parent company BetterHelp), and include four live sessions (typically one $65 to $90 session per week) in the format of your choice, plus 24/7 messaging with your teen’s therapist.

We surveyed 100 users of Teen Counseling:

• 86% rated Teen Counseling as very good or excellent overall
• 87% rated their therapist’s qualifications as very good or excellent
• 93% said that most or all of their needs were met at Teen Counseling
• 93% are likely or very likely to recommend Teen Counseling to a friend or someone like them
• 24% were seeking treatment for grief or loss

Children only begin to understand the concept of death between ages 5 and 7, and that confusion can complicate their ability to accept and cope with the loss of a loved one, particularly a sibling or parent. The licensed child psychologists, clinical social workers, and psychiatrists at Little Otter are powerful allies as you and your little one navigate their grief. All Little Otter providers are specialists in child mental health and family systems. The company works with children from infancy through age 14, putting together a team and care plan to ensure that as a child gets counseling, their parents, co-parents, or guardians get coaching to stay in the loop about how best to support their young kid through grief.

We tested Little Otter four times in California, Pennsylvania, and New York, and each time we were impressed with the services we received. Although we and our children were not dealing with grief specifically, the quality of care at Little Otter makes us confident that it can address this difficult issue with compassion and understanding. We found our therapists to be kind, knowledgeable, and especially adept at treating children—each of our providers was able to quickly and easily develop a rapport with our kids. Our providers were able to help our kids talk through difficult feelings in an age-appropriate way. We also liked that Little Otter approaches the mental health care of a child as a family-involved process, and offers sessions with parents alone or along with their kid.

The major downside of Little Otter, though, is its prices—they are steep. As much as we liked the care we received through Little Otter, most of us would not have been able to continue using its services in an ongoing way due to the expense. We also wished there was more diversity in Little Otter’s providers.

• Insurance Accepted: Yes, in network with AmeriHealth, Sana, Independence Blue Cross (in Delaware and Pennsylvania), and Florida Blue. However, the providers will fill out reimbursement forms and accept HSA/FSA.
• Subscription Required: No
• Out-of-Pocket Costs: Free kickoff session; $195 per standard therapy session, and $390 for a 90-minute assessment; $500 for a 75-minute psychiatry evaluation; $250 per 30-minute psychiatry follow-up. You can also sign up for discounted bundles: $527 for an assessment bundle (90-min assessment and one standard therapy session), $702 for a 4-session bundle, $1,326 for an 8-session bundle, and $1,989 for a 12-session bundle.

We surveyed 100 users of Little Otter:

• 86% rated Little Otter as very good or excellent overall
• 86% rated their therapist’s qualifications as very good or excellent
• 96% said that most or all of their needs were met at Little Otter
• 95% are likely or very likely to recommend Little Otter to a friend or someone like them
• 26% were seeking treatment for grief or loss

As you move through the phases of your grief, your needs may shift. Thriveworks’s unique scheduling system offers you the flexibility to schedule sessions with your therapist as often or infrequently as you want. We tested Thriveworks in Massachusetts, Missouri, Kentucky, Kansas, New York, South Dakota, Florida, and Ohio, and although we didn’t seek treatment for grief specifically, the company identifies this condition as a specialty and offers treatment for it, setting it apart from many online therapy competitors in this particular area.

One of the things we appreciated the most about Thriveworks is that our counseling process began with choosing our own therapist rather than relying on a matching service from the company—this made the process seem much more personalized right off the bat. This kind of choice is especially important for those dealing with grief, who need to be able to establish a rapport with their therapist as soon as possible to be able to trust them with such a delicate and impactful feeling. (In fact, you can choose “grief/loss” as the specialty you are seeking when signing up.) In addition, we were able to schedule as many or as few sessions with our therapists as we needed—this flexibility is especially helpful for those in the throes of grief who might need more support than a service that operates on a once-weekly session subscription can provide.

Although we did not seek treatment for grief, we were often pleased with the mental health care we received from Thriveworks, which included everything from help with communication in our relationship to ADHD symptoms to teen counseling. We found most therapists to be engaging and thoughtful and they referenced things we’d discussed in previous sessions, which made us feel like our providers were truly invested in our care. However, in one case we had a therapist who seemed pushy and dismissive and when we tried to switch to another therapist we couldn't find any options in our area who had the specialties we were seeking (EMDR therapy to help process trauma).

• Insurance Accepted: Different providers accept different insurance plans, but you can filter therapists by the insurance plans they accept; Thriveworks accepts major insurance plans such as BlueCross, Anthem, Optum, United, Aetna, Cigna, Humana, and many others
• Subscription Required: No
• Out-of-Pocket Costs: Varies by insurance and provider (rates can be found on provider bio pages); self-pay options start at $200 per session

We surveyed 100 users of Thriveworks:

• 88% rated Thriveworks as very good or excellent overall
• 90% rated their therapist’s qualifications as very good or excellent
• 96% said that most or all of their needs were met at Thriveworks
• 96% are likely or very likely to recommend Thriveworks to a friend or someone like them
• 27% were seeking treatment for grief or loss

There are few shocks more severe than the loss of a child, which leaves the bereaved feeling as if time is moving out of order. Through The Compassionate Friends, you can connect with others who are also going through the unimaginable. 

The nonprofit organization hosts daily, virtual live chat groups for mourning parents, grandparents, and siblings of children who have passed away. Groups meet primarily in the mornings or evenings and are completely free to join. While they are not led by licensed professionals, they are guided by vetted moderators who have been through the loss of a child themselves. The Compassionate Friends is not a substitute for professional counseling, but it can be a great source of peer support. If you need an empathetic ear between the hours of the organization’s meetings, you can join its Facebook groups for 24/7 chat access. 

Although we did not test The Compassionate Friends’ services ourselves, the availability of support specifically for the loss of a child made it stand out to us as an important service.

• Insurance Accepted: N/A
• Subscription Required: No
• Out-of-Pocket Costs: Compassionate Friends is completely free to use.

Because Compassionate Friends is a volunteer-based peer-support organization, it was not included in our surveys of online therapy companies, but this long-standing charity has brought comfort to many grieving loved ones since its inception as a series of in-person meetings in the U.K. more than 50 years ago.

“Because the loss of a child brings such specific and intense grief, it’s incredibly important for those experiencing that loss to have a way to connect to others who have been through the same thing and can help guide them through this tragedy,” says Owens.

If you’re unsure about what you need in the wake of a loss, you’re not alone. That’s why Grief in Common offers a host of different forms of support groups, open to anyone who is grieving, at a low cost. And while we did not try out Grief in Common’s services ourselves, we felt that the peer support it offers is often essential when experiencing grief.

When you sign up for Grief in Common, you’ll be asked to create a profile that describes you and the loss you are coping with. This facilitates the website’s “Make a Connection” function, which allows individual members to find other grievers they might relate to. Grief in Common’s open-ended live chat is available to anyone who is coping with a loss, 24/7. You can also opt to join drop-in weekly general grief support groups or monthly specific groups. Or, you can schedule a one-on-one session with a “grief coach.” While these coaches are not necessarily licensed professionals, they are people with experience in supporting those who are dealing with a loss.

• Insurance Accepted: N/A
• Subscription Required: No
• Out-of-Pocket Costs: Grief in Common has a library of resources for free and joining the live chat costs only about $1 per month or $10 per year. There are also dedicated monthly Zoom support groups for particular kinds of loss (such as loss of parents) and seminars, each of which cost $25. For individual support from a grief coach, Grief in Common offers a free 15-minute consultation. A 90-minute full intake and individual session is $95.

While Grief in Common is not technically an online grief therapy company (so not one we could survey users about), it maintains an active and broad platform of thousands of members and we felt it was an important resource to include on our list. “Finding peer support after a loss can be incredibly bolstering for many people,” notes Owens, “and being able to connect with those who have experienced the same type of loss as you can make grieving feel easier and less lonely.”

Grief can trigger a series of additional stressors, including the financial burdens a family often endures following the loss of a loved one. Grief counseling can be much more affordable through your insurance—often costing only your copay—and LifeStance Health offers a full range of insurance-covered care for you and your family. We tried out LifeStance six times across Ohio, Michigan, Oregon, Florida, New York, and Illinois, and although we did not seek services for grief specifically, we were happy that the company accepted our insurance and provided quality care. 

We had especially good experiences in couples and family therapy, which can be helpful for whole families who have recently suffered a loss and are looking for help together. Our therapists came to our sessions prepared, having clearly looked over the information we provided them before our appointments, and we felt they were warm, knowledgeable, and eager to help. Even after our first session, our therapists provided us with useful tips and insight into the issues we brought up, and they didn’t overload us with homework. LifeStance can also connect you with one of its grief support groups (although these only meet in person; the company’s website and providers can help you find one in your area). 

We did discover a few downsides in our testing, though. When we had to pay out-of-pocket because our insurance wasn’t accepted, we couldn’t find any information about prices before signing up. In addition, in one case, we couldn’t actually sign up for services at all—we had to contact the brick-and-mortar offices directly, even though we were looking for telehealth, and were never able to set up an appointment despite weeks of reaching out to customer service. Bear in mind that your experience with LifeStance might differ greatly depending on your location.

• Insurance Accepted: Yes, accepts most insurance plans, including Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, Carelon, and Humana
• Subscription Required: No
• Out-of-Pocket Costs: Varies by insurance and doesn’t list its exact prices until you sign up and check on your insurance coverage

We surveyed 100 users of LifeStance Health:

• 77% rated LifeStance Health as very good or excellent overall
• 84% rated their therapist’s qualifications as very good or excellent
• 95% said that most or all of their needs were met at LifeStance Health
• 89% are likely or very likely to recommend LifeStance Health to a friend or someone like them
• 26% were seeking treatment for grief or loss

After experiencing a loss, you might feel stuck in your grief. “Getting unstuck” is the central mission of E-Therapy Cafe. E-Therapy Cafe’s goal is to use its HIPAA-compliant platform to help its clients move forward from anything holding them back from living life to the fullest, including grief, as well as trauma, anxiety, and relationship issues—all problems that can accompany a loss. We tried out E-Therapy Cafe six times in Missouri, Texas, California, Michigan, and Colorado, and were overwhelmingly pleased with the care we received.

We tested E-Therapy Cafe's individual and couples therapy services, and every time our providers were informed, caring, and totally engaged in our sessions. They remembered details from our previous sessions—which is especially important for those dealing with grief who do not want to repeat themselves over and over and therefore relive painful feelings that they are trying to work through—and were always punctual. We had the choice of either being matched with a provider or choosing one ourselves; we liked this flexibility and felt like this would be useful for those dealing with grief who need to develop a quick and strong rapport with their therapist in order to get the most out of therapy. We could also choose between different communication styles—video session, e-chat session, or e-journal.

One of our only complaints about E-Therapy Cafe is that sessions are only 30 minutes long. However, we did appreciate the ability to double up on sessions, scheduling two 30-minute sessions in a row so that we actually had an hour. And because the company’s prices are so low, scheduling multiple sessions was still comparable to competitors’ prices for just one session. It’s also important to point out that E-Therapy Cafe employs both licensed therapists and coaches, who are not held to the same licensure standards as therapists. But even when we were working with coaches, we felt like they were professional and qualified to help us.

• Insurance Accepted: No, but E-Therapy Cafe will provide superbills that you can submit to insurance for partial reimbursement
• Subscription Required: Both pay-as-you-go and subscription options available
• Out-of-pocket costs: ETCTrial, $55 (one trial session, valid for 30 days after purchase); ETCStraight, $65 per session (extendable half-hour video, phone, email/chat session); ETCFlex, $470 (eight sessions per month, non-renewing); ETC90, $440 (90-day pack of 24 sessions); ETCReflect, $65 for between-session support (e-journal); ETCPet, $170 (emotional support animal prescription for those who qualify)

We surveyed 100 users of E-Therapy Cafe:

• 85% rated E-Therapy Cafe as very good or excellent overall
• 88% rated their therapist’s qualifications as very good or excellent
• 96% said that most or all of their needs were met at E-Therapy Cafe
• 95% are likely or very likely to recommend E-Therapy Cafe to a friend or someone like them
• 21% were seeking treatment for grief or loss