According to the American Psychological Association (APA), New Yorkers report higher levels of stress than the rest of the United States, simply because of the unique pressures they face.
Money, work, health and wellness concerns, high costs of healthcare and attempting to maintain a balance between home and work life, all take a heavy toll on a New Yorker’s physical and mental health.
If the hesitancy in reaching out for professional help is not bad enough, the difficulty of finding the right mental health therapist in New York City can make the whole process even more daunting, especially if you are seeking help for the first time.
A website launched by the Mayor of New York City in 2021, MentalHealthforAll.nyc.gov provides resources to every resident, with any kind of mental health issue, to connect with mental health services across the city.
Moreover, online platforms also provide a short insight on a therapist’s credentials, with options for scheduling appointments. Once you have made a list of potential caregivers, you can narrow down your choice by browsing over their website for additional information.
Online therapy in New York will empower you to talk to a matched therapist from the comfort of your private space on phone or through video conferencing. During your session, you will get emotional support from your therapist who will further guide you to develop clear and measurable goals that you will revisit during the course of treatment.
Alternatives for NY residents
New York residents looking for online therapy services have plenty of options.While BetterHelp and Talkspace are the two prominent apps best for overall therapy, Amwell and Brightside are reputed for their excellent online psychiatry support.
NYC Well is another connection to free and confidential health support for New Yorker’s in a mental health crisis. NYC Well provides counselor support and access to mental health and substance abuse treatment in over 200 languages, 24x7x365. NYC counselors are also trained to take calls from deaf or hard of hearing individuals by using video relay services.
A new app, Talkiatry, which has begun doing the rounds only since April 2020, has created quite an impact in New York. Apart from offering only counseling and therapy, Talkiatry has upped the ante by including psychiatric care for both patients as well as the clinicians. Bestonlinetherapy.com has the most thorough review of this app, highlighting both the good and the bad, and comparing it to bigger therapy apps such as BetterHelp for example.
Robert Krayn and Dr Georgia Geveras, founders of Talkiatry, believe that more than 60% of people with mental health conditions are left untreated each year, as a result by 2025 the shortage of psychiatrists is going to be very severe.
A major advantage of Talkiatry’s service is their link with as many as 60 insurance plans, making it the most economical online therapy app for the customer.
Again despite offering more services than its nearest competitors,Talkiatry is yet to land itself in any kind of security controversy, unlike BetterHelp and Talkspace.
Ayana Therapy is another online therapy company, launched in 2019 by Eric Coly whose sole aim was to make therapy more accessible to diverse therapy seekers over this platform.
As a black man from Senegal, Coly suffered from depression and found connecting to the right therapist a problem and so did his peers. Hence his resolve to make Ayana address long-standing issues of the marginalized communities.
Ayana is more like a referral network, where therapists retain their own procedures and policies and provide affordable therapy to treatment seekers from diverse communities.
You have the option of remaining anonymous on the Ayana app while you are matched with a certified mental health professional in New York based on a questionnaire before you join.
Key highlights
- In 2022 Amwell launched a new digital tool that will help in delivering Cognitive Behavioral Therapy interventions across a broad spectrum of mental illness.The new tool will allow the user to get individual determinations and receive support to virtual therapy and psychiatry as needed.The platform also provides a surprisingly unique feature that makes video based treatment seem totally like a traditional in-person session (you can even hide your face during the appointment).
- Calm,which is a wellness and sleep app acquired the Ripple Health Company in 2022 to expand its mental health care with new offerings.
- Talkiatry is attending to professional medical services much beyond just counseling and into medication and diagnosis. However, despite its series A funding increased to $37m from $20m, its growth potential as compared to such companies as BetterHelp, is not imminently expected.
Credentials
The best online therapists in New York City should have verified credentials to validate their level of expertise as well as a license to work in New York State. A licensed therapist must have a master’s or doctoral degree from an accredited institution. They must also have 3000 hours of supervised practice experience to receive licensure.
Accessibility
If therapy has to be effective, it needs to be easily accessible and convenient. Flexible working hours and ability for remote appointments should be considered.
Cost
For therapy to be a total success, multiple sessions are needed for it to take effect. Therapists should offer affordable payment options such as monthly subscription or per session fee.The availability of sliding scale rates and insurance plans must also be taken into account.
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