According to Mental Health America, 56 percent of adults with mental illness in the United States don’t receive any treatment. In addition, 24.7 percent of adults with mental illness state they are not able to receive the treatment they need for their condition.
Lack of access to mental health services can result from financial issues, no available treatment options in a user's area or even a disconnect between primary care and behavioral health providers.
To help counteract these issues, a variety of online mental health therapy providers have launched over the years. While having many options available can certainly be a good thing, popular providers like BetterHelp and TalkSpace can also have problems of their own, with demand for therapists sometimes exceeding their ability to provide timely, daily responses.
This is where new online therapy platforms like Calmerry can make a difference. Here’s a closer look at what Calmerry has to offer and what makes it your best bet for online therapy:
How Does Calmerry Work?
Calmerry is a subscription-based online therapy platform available for both Android and iOS, as well as computers. This HIPAA-compliant platform aims to provide high-quality, consistent mental health care in a flexible manner that meets the unique needs of each individual — all without having to leave their own home.
Calmerry offers a wide range of fully licensed therapists and mental health professionals. After a user completes a brief assessment and chooses their subscription plan, they are matched to a therapist by Calmerry’s team within an hour. Manual matching, as opposed to algorithms, ensures that clients are connected with the right therapist for their specific situation.
After a client has been matched with a therapist, they can communicate with them via asynchronous chat and audio messages. The therapists are guaranteed to respond at least one to two times per day on regular business days. Users can also schedule live video calls using the app’s calendar tool to find an open time slot for a video therapy session. Users also have the option to schedule live chat via text messaging by agreement with their therapist.
By providing a variety of communications options, clients can talk to their therapist in a way that is most comfortable and convenient for them. Many people find it easier to discuss difficult topics using written communication — this is especially true of introverts and those struggling with social anxiety. Flexibility in communications ensures patients can speak freely about their needs.
If a patient doesn’t like the therapist they are initially matched with, they can switch to a different provider free of charge. Customer support is available 24/7 to help users have a positive experience with the platform.
What Types of Therapy Does Calmerry Provide?
Calmerry’s network of 500+ professional therapists offers expertise in many specialties of mental health, enabling them to meet a variety of challenges and severity levels. Areas where Calmerry offers online therapy include broader issues like depression and anxiety, stress and burnout, grief and trauma and low self-esteem. Their therapists can also assist with more specialized concerns, such as family conflict, LGBTQ+ issues, substance abuse, emotional abuse, PTSD, OCD and more.
Based on information provided by the client during their initial assessment and their conversations together, the therapist can help individuals develop a comprehensive therapy plan tailored to their specific needs. However, it should be noted that Calmerry doesn’t offer psychiatry or medication management services. Calmerry currently focuses on individual therapy and does not provide couples or group therapy.
In addition to providing access to a licensed therapist, Calmerry also offers a variety of free tools. A mood tracking bot, journaling tool, self-assessments and access to expert tips and webinars provide extra resources that can aid a client during their mental health journey. These extra resources can help supplement therapist communications and enable clients to track their progress and growth.
How Much Does It Cost?
One of the chief advantages of online therapy programs like Calmerry is that they tend to be much less expensive than in-person therapy, especially for individuals whose insurance doesn’t cover mental health appointments.
Calmerry lets users choose between three monthly subscription plans, with a welcome discount off the normal price for the first month of service. Messaging-only plans start at $167.96 for the introductory month. A plan that adds one live video session in addition to unlimited messaging is $207.96 for the first month. And a monthly messaging plus four live videos plan starts at $269.96. Users can also buy extra video sessions for $45 each. Also, there are promo codes on the Calmerry website for additional discounts.
Calmerry users can cancel their subscription at any time, and will be refunded for any unused time remaining on their subscription plan — so there is no need to worry about paying for services that are no longer used or wanted.
Get the Help You Need
With growing shares of adults reporting serious psychological distress and substance use issues, access to quality mental health care has never been more important. With the help of online therapy platforms like Calmerry, patients can overcome common barriers to receiving care, such as high costs, scheduling challenges or transportation concerns. By ensuring that mental health is truly prioritized, patients can begin a journey to improve their overall well-being.
