As a Busy Mom, I Needed Flexible, Affordable Therapy—and I Found That with Teladoc

Throughout the past three years, Verywell Mind has tested Teladoc's online therapy services multiple times. In this review, we discuss our findings from our most recent tests of the company in 2024. Then, Mary Sauer explains her experience testing Teladoc in 2023.

Our Most Recent Testing - Our First Tester

In the summer of 2024, we had two people from New York try out Teladoc for over a month, both of whom had never tried online therapy before. Our first tester was looking for help with anxiety.

Signing Up for Teladoc

I've never tried online therapy and was skeptical about the online aspect, but overall I had a very pleasant experience. I thought the sign-up process was easy and not intimidating for first-timers like myself. I chose a regular mental health counselor that specialized in anxiety. I thought her approach was going to be a good fit for me.

I was asked basic questions about my mental health/medical history (like if I drink, smoke, am on medication, etc.) and before each session I filled out a questionnaire about my mental state, such as: How often have you felt anxious in the past few weeks? Are you having trouble sleeping? Etc. The company asked about my insurance during sign-up and held my card information on file for booking appointments.

Choosing My Therapist

I was able to choose a therapist based on their profile, which included a description of what they specialized in (for me, it was anxiety) and I could see the next time they were available. I was also able to filter options by things like gender. However, I wished I was able to see therapist reviews on their profiles. I've had negative experiences with doctors in the past so that was an important part of the process for me. I separately had to Google every therapist I looked at. 

When booking each session, I was able to choose between phone or video calls.

I was able to pick my therapist out of a list of therapists that were available. I could read the description of each therapist and look at their therapy style, availability, professional history, and some personal facts before booking with them. The ability to choose was very important to me because I wanted to find someone who specializes in the area that would be most beneficial for me. I ended up finding a therapist that met my needs, but I wish there were more options after 5 p.m. or on weekends.

My Therapy Sessions

On my therapist's bio it says that her approach "is client-centered and emphasizes the mutual development of goals for therapy" and "uses several different theoretical modalities such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Interpersonal Therapy, Reality Therapy, and Solution-Focused Therapy." She did not explain her approach to me in the session, but I knew beforehand because of her description.

The first session was spent listening and gathering information. At the time, I shared a specific situation that was bothering me and she asked follow-up questions that helped her get to know me. We touched briefly on different aspects of my life without getting too involved. Overall, I felt like the more she got to know me, the easier it felt talking with her and the more personalized her "advice" become. I ended up applying her tips in real life situations, and each time I did, it helped with my anxiety. 

I overall liked my therapist and I thought her guidance was very helpful, but there were times I felt like her approach was a little tough. She was active in the session and the conversation always flowed. She never gave me homework, but did recommend books and encourage journaling. Although I liked her, I don't think she was a perfect fit for me, but good enough for right now.

How I Felt About Teladoc

I've never tried therapy, online therapy, or this service before, but I thought the value was worth the cost. The average cost of therapy in my city is $157, so I thought it was relatively cheap in comparison because I was able to use my insurance to pay for sessions. Each session cost $90 after insurance coverage. 

I've put off therapy for years (despite wanting to) and can't stress enough how easy the signup process was. Everything felt straight to the point and clear. The site was easy to navigate. The cost was pretty good (with insurance). I loved that it could all be done online and no phone calls were needed. And as I mentioned above, it was not very intimidating at all, which was my favorite part.

This type of therapy would be most beneficial for someone who has a flexible schedule—I noticed that most appointment times were between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. I also think it would be good for people who are looking for low-cost therapy or anyone who would prefer to have remote sessions.

Our Most Recent Testing - Our Second Tester

Our second tester in 2024 was seeking help for women’s health issues, and had a similarly positive experience.

Why I Chose Teladoc

I tried online therapy because I have had major stressors in my life this past year in addition to the normal full-time parent work-life balance challenges. This is the first time I tried online therapy. As a busy working parent, I appreciated the convenience of doing therapy from my phone. 

I chose a doctor that specializes in women's health. I underwent surgery earlier this year due to finding out about a genetic mutation and wanted a provider that potentially understood women's health issues. 

Choosing My Therapist

After signing up I had to request a therapist within a preferred timeframe. I was shown a list of therapists with brief bios. I wish I was able to see some feedback about the therapists or reviews. It felt like I was blindly choosing someone. 

I was able to choose the modality my therapist would specialize in and picked cognitive behavioral therapy. I do feel that style is a better fit for where I am at right now.

I was also able to choose between voice call and video call. This choice ended up not being too helpful, though, because even though I chose video, my therapist chose to be off-screen. This ended up working well even though it wasn't my initial preference. 

Scheduling was OK, but because I missed one of the original messages needing billing info I had to reschedule my second appointment and that took longer to get a time that I preferred. 

My Therapy Sessions

The first session was focused on gathering information about me. Teladoc does not ask you to provide a lot of information outside of general history of the patient before the first session, so my therapist asked a lot of questions. I gave her a synopsis of why I decided to make my first appointment, and she asked more questions for me to describe the situation. She did make some initial presumptions of what I shared, which was interesting and gave me something to think about. 

She then ended the session by giving me homework to work on, like making lists of things that were bothering me between sessions so that we can talk about them at future sessions. This was a helpful exercise that it took me some time to get used to, but once I did I was able to reflect and dig into those topics with her at my following session.

My initial impression wasn't great because she kept the camera off—I would have preferred for both of us to stay on-screen—but once I got used to it I adjusted. I like that she was action-based and that even during that first intake session it felt like a comfortable conversation. She made good observations that helped me look at my situation differently. This definitely helped me feel heard and connect more. 

I did like that my therapist led the session and knew when to move the conversation along, and giving me the homework was a good way for me to make the most out of our follow-up session. 

How I Felt About Teladoc

I would see my Teladoc therapist again. I think she is straightforward, action-based, and observant. I think the cost—$90 per session using my insurance—was worth it too. 

I’d recommend Teladoc to someone who is a little open-minded and doesn't have very specific needs for a therapist. I got lucky in liking the therapist I chose but I can see this being a clunky process if we didn't hit it off right away. Scheduling was simple and I was surprised at how quickly I was able to book something once registered. 

Mary's 2023 Testing

In 2023, we asked Mary to test Teladoc's online therapy services in order to understand the quality of care the company can provide. These are her personal insights.

Why I Chose Teladoc

As a mom of four, keeping up with my day-to-day responsibilities can feel overwhelming. And lately, I’ve been feeling like my anxiety was getting the better of me. I knew that getting back to therapy could be helpful, but finding a new provider kept getting pushed to the bottom of my to-do list. When I finally made time to reach out to counseling services in my area, I had a hard time finding an in-person provider who could accommodate my limited schedule. 

So I started looking at online therapy options and landed on Teladoc since it advertised flexible scheduling options for weekly therapy sessions. While I didn’t know much about Teladoc when I first found the company, I was happy to learn it offers teletherapy throughout the United States (including Missouri, where I live) and has self-pay therapy sessions that fit my budget.

After testing Teladoc for a month, I was pleased with the service. I thought my providers were knowledgeable and easy to talk to. I appreciated the flexible scheduling options and the fact that I could cancel last minute, or even no-show, without paying cancellation fees. Keep reading to learn more about the ins and outs of my Teladoc experience.  

How I Signed Up for Teladoc

I went right to Teladoc’s website to start the sign-up process. The homepage was easy to navigate but required me to begin the sign-up process to get the full details on the available services.

I wasn’t able to view the profiles of providers beforehand, either. And, signing up required that I disclose personal information, including some of my mental health history. I would have much preferred to have the information I was looking for upfront before I was asked to disclose this information.

That said, signing up wasn’t difficult. The process included a health questionnaire covering my general health history and a mental health inventory assessing my overall mental health. I answered questions about my mood and emotions in the context of my day-to-day life. The questions included gauging if I was feeling depressed or hopeless, if I was experiencing thoughts of harming myself, and how much pleasure I was taking in my daily life. 

After answering these questions, Teladoc prompted me to enter my insurance information. I also had the option to select self-pay and wait until after I was matched with a provider to enter payment details. 

How I Looked For and Chose My Therapist

Next, I selected my therapist. While some services match client and provider, Teladoc compiled a list based on my questionnaire response. I chose my first provider from this list.

Even though Teladoc doesn’t publish provider bios on its website, there is an extensive FAQ section where I could get some of my questions answered. The provider I chose, like all of the providers working with Teladoc, was appropriately licensed, meaning they were licensed to provide therapy in my state. I went with a licensed clinical social worker. However, Teladoc also works with board-certified psychiatrists and licensed counselors. I felt confident my provider had the training and experience to provide high-quality care.

How My Therapy Sessions Worked

Both of my sessions at the Teladoc were 60-minute long video sessions—this is on the long side for online therapy sessions, which often only last 30 or 45 minutes. I joined each session from my patient portal via the Teladoc website. I found the platform easy to use and I didn’t experience any technical difficulties. 

In each session, the provider offered the option of homework but was very clear they didn’t want to add to my plate as a mom of four. I felt comfortable saying no, or that I would prefer a short activity over something I would need to do each day. Since I only saw each therapist once, I didn’t have the opportunity to build much of a rapport with my providers. Although we may have only scratched the surface, I did walk away with two new mindfulness practices that resonated with me. I have continued to use these practices regularly since then.

It’s important to note, however, that, unlike other online therapy companies such as Talkspace or BetterHelp, you can’t text or email your provider in between sessions, even from your account on the Teladoc site. Still, this did not detract from my experience with Teladoc.

I was able to schedule sessions that fit into my schedule including in the morning before my husband started work. Plus, Teladoc only charges for the sessions you attend. This means that even no-shows or last-minute cancellations don’t result in a charge. 

I decided to try out a new provider for my second session (not because I didn’t click with my first, I just wanted to see how easy it was to switch). To do this, I indicated to Teladoc that I wanted to schedule a second session. Then, I answered a short series of questions and was given the option to select my original provider from the top of a list of providers or scroll down to select a different provider. 

Our Other Testers' Experiences with Teladoc

We had two other people test Teladoc’s individual and couples therapy services across Texas and Ohio (as well as Missouri), and each of them had a similarly positive experience—especially with our couples counseling. 

Our couples therapist came prepared, having obviously read all the intake information we provided, and she was both friendly and professional.

It was clear that she took notes during each session and she was able to call back to issues we’d discussed in previous appointments without us having to remind her; this made us feel as though she was invested in our care.

For one of our individual therapy sessions, we felt as though our provider was also compassionate and friendly, if a bit clinical. Our first session was basically an intake session, with our therapist apparently reading from a list of questions; and although we found her responses to be warm, this approach stunted the flow of conversation a bit. We had better luck with another provider, who came prepared to our first session having read all of the intake information we’d provided ahead of time (something we can’t always count on, based on our other experiences with online therapy). She was punctual to our session and we found her to be proactive, friendly, and very clear about what we could expect from our work with her—we very much appreciated this transparency. 

Pros and Cons

I had a great experience with Teladoc over the month I tried it out—I appreciated its flexibility and the quality of care I received from my providers. But it’s important to consider the good and bad with any company.

Final Thoughts

At the end of my first month with Teladoc, I felt my experience was in line with my expectations. The sessions were an hour long and cost less than what I would pay using my insurance for in-person therapy. There was also a variety of providers available, and I could easily switch to try and find one that fit me best. 

Like our surveyed users, I would also certainly recommend Teladoc to someone with limited access to therapy, either because of their location or scheduling restrictions like mine. Teladoc made a lasting impression on me thanks to its commitment to making quality mental healthcare providers accessible to anyone, no matter their schedule or location. I will continue to recommend the service moving forward.