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Therapy
Swarnakshi Sharma December 27th, 2023 · 11min read

12 Best Online Peer Counseling Platforms to Join in 2024

As mental health awareness is increasing, so is the need and path for mental health care. With online therapy and counseling, accessing help has become easy. We’re able to accept our mental health struggles and seek help for the same from professionals in the field. However, accessibility does not mean affordability.

There are times when all we need is an ear to air our grievances and a shoulder to lean on. Therapy might be great, but sometimes peer support is all we need. We’ve learned how social support can uplift us and support each other while learning through real-world experiences.

There have been studies that suggest that peer counseling can help improve a person’s self-confidence, give them hope, and improve their quality of life. Not only does peer counseling support our mental health, but also helps in personality development.

Research shows that online peer counseling can improve happiness, increase self-esteem, reduce symptoms of depression, loneliness, and anxiety, and reduce day-to-day stress. Peer counseling is not therapy. Where therapy is provided by licensed professionals, peer counseling is provided by trained listeners, moderators, and volunteers who’ve been through similar experiences as you.

To get started with peer support, I’ve compiled the 12 best online peer counseling platforms you can join in 2024 and begin your healing journey.

Best Online Peer Counseling Platforms

1.Peer Collective

Best For: Overall in peer counseling

Cost: $14 – $28 per session

Insurance: Not accepted

Pros:

  • Affordable than other online counseling platforms
  • Your first session is free
  • Whatever your need, you get matched with trained counselors

Cons:

  • No group counseling
  • No customer support
  • No licensed therapy or therapists are available

About Peer Collective:

Peer collective is one of the best online peer counseling platforms that offer you a safe space and ear to air out any issue you have. Peer Collective aims to offer mental health support through empathetic counseling, emotional support, individual attention, and personalized care.

When you join Peer Collective, you get matched with a trained counselor. All counselors are trained and vetted. You can get personalized care for anxiety, crisis, depression, anger management, trauma, and even grief.

Visit Peer Collective 

2. Sesh

Best For: Flexible subscriptions

Cost: $30/session or $60/month

Insurance: Not accepted

Pros:

  • Group sessions moderated by trained professionals
  • Inclusive and diverse groups
  • Easy to use
  • Covers various mental and emotional health issues

Cons:

  • No one-on-one counseling is available
  • Not for teens under 18

About Sesh:

Sesh is a group therapy platform that was formed in 2020 and provides affordable emotional support to whoever needs it. Whether it’s burnout, parenting issues, relationship issues, or anxiety, you can find affordable counseling on Sesh. The best part is that all sessions are led by professional counselors.

However, Sesh only offers group counseling so if you’re looking for a one-on-one counseling session, then Sesh may not be the right fit for you.

Visit Sesh

3. Sanvello

Best For: Insurance support

Cost: $8.99/month

Insurance: Accepted

Pros:

  • Self-care, group counseling, coaching, and therapy are available
  • One-on-one coaching and live classes are available
  • All coaches are trained professionals and experts
  • Accepts insurance so you’re covered

Cons:

  • To access advanced content, you need subscription
  • Counseling may not be for those who want to pay out-of-pocket
  • Some chat rooms are not as active as others and may not fit every individual’s needs

About Sanvello:

Sanvello is another best peer counseling service that you can join this year. It’s a great platform for anyone looking for therapy and counseling. The platform offers a text-based approach to online counseling. The best part is that Sanvello accepts insurance, however, it might not accept all insurance plans.

Sanvello provides self-care, therapy, group counseling, and coaching, so if you’re looking for anything like that, it’s a good platform to check out. It’s also not recommended if you’re not willing to pay out-of-pocket.

Visit Sanvello

4.Circles

Best For: Grief counseling

Cost: $20/week

Insurance: Not accepted

Pros:

  • Offers peer counseling for grief, loss, separation, divorce, etc
  • Structured group counseling
  • Unlimited messaging in a group
  • Out-of-group messaging is also available

Cons:

  • Does not offer one-on-one counseling
  • Not for teens under 18

About Circles:

Circles is another great peer counseling platform that specializes in group counseling and support. Founded in 2017, this online peer counseling platform claims to offer emotional support to all in need. With more than 500 groups, Circles helps people with grief, separation, divorce, stress, trauma, and more.

All the counselors appointed by Circles are trained professionals and the best part is that the groups are small, so you get more out of the discussions. Unfortunately, you can only join one group at a time, but if you don’t find the group helpful, you can easily leave and switch to another.

Visit Circles

5. Monument

Best For: Sobriety support and recovery

Cost: Free community membership but counseling starts at $249/month without insurance

Insurance: Accepted

Pros:

  • Free access to therapist-moderated support groups
  • Free access to 24/7 community
  • Can stay anonymous
  • Sessions covers different topics

Cons:

  • Counseling comes with a subscription
  • Not for other mental health disorders unless alcohol recovery is a factor

About Monument:

If you want specialized care in alcohol support and recovery, then Monument is for you! You can use its free chat and support forums to get the help you need. Monument also offers therapy and medication management but only if there’s alcohol recovery as a factor. With Monument, you also get different support groups on various topics on relapse prevention, relationships, self-compassion, and more.

Visit Monument 

6.HeyPeers

Best For: Online support group

Cost: Free peer support; $6/month for premium subscription

Insurance: Accepted

Pros:

  • Support groups facilitated by trained moderators
  • Covers a wide range of issues and topics
  • Group meetings are also available

Cons:

  • Does not have licensed therapists
  • Some groups are not very active
  • Some content may need a premium subscription for access

About HeyPeers:

HeyPeers is another peer counseling platform that you can join if you’re looking for online support groups that cover a wide range of topics. You can schedule video group meetings and one-on-one sessions with trained moderators. However, the sessions are not moderated by licensed therapists, so beware.

Once you join, you get matched with groups and peer coaching that meets your needs. You can also seek support on different topics such as anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, and more on HeyPeers.

Visit HeyPeers 

7. Supportiv

Best For: 24/7 chatroom accessibility

Cost: $15 for 24 hours

Insurance: Not accepted

Pros:

  • Chat anonymously
  • Chats moderated by trained psychology students
  • You get a group recommendation based on your needs

Cons:

  • Does not have licensed professionals
  • No one-on-one support is available

About Supportiv:

A mental wellness peer program that is moderated by psychology students, Supportiv is the next on our list. This platform matches you with peers who want to talk about the same topics and concerns as you. You will also be able to access resources and tools that moderators recommend. Beyond supportive groups, you can also seek resources to know more about what concerns you.

What I found most useful in Supportiv was that you can join the platform for a day at $15. Commit only for a day and no more than needed!

Visit Supportiv

8. Mindful Care

Best For: Group counseling

Cost: Therapy sessions start at $35 per group session; Individual sessions start at $50; Medication management starts at $175

Insurance: Accepted

Pros:

  • Licensed professionals lead group sessions
  • Sessions are based on evidence-based practices such as CBT, DBT, etc.
  • Affordable group sessions
  • Individual therapy sessions are also available

Cons:

  • Time-specific group sessions
  • No follow-up in group sessions

About Mindful Care:

Mindful Care is another peer counseling program you can join. This platform offers multiple care options that you can choose from. You can seek group sessions or individual sessions. With topics like anxiety, depression, LGBTQIA+, daily life challenges, and more, you can chat with your peers on Mindful Care. However, the group sessions are time-specific so be careful.

Visit Mindful Care

9. Togetherall

 

Best For: Community support

Cost: Free

Insurance: Not accepted

Pros:

  • Licensed professionals lead the community
  • You can stay anonymous and safe online
  • You can access courses, online tools, and resources

Cons:

  • No one-on-one sessions are available

About Togetherall:

Free to join, Togetherall is a peer counseling platform that offers its services to students and employees alike. When you join Togetherall, you not only receive support but give it as well under the guidance of licensed professionals. Togetherall aims to become a non-judgmental and safe place for everyone.

The best part of this peer counseling program is that you can remain anonymous. You can also find further information and resources in their articles sections and self-help courses that cover topics such as anxiety, sleep, depression, trauma, and more.

Visit Togetherall 

10.TalkLife

Best For: Peer support app

Cost: Free to join, but premium content can be accessed via a fee of $2.99

Insurance: Not accepted

Pros:

  • Offers peer support to everyone worldwide
  • Offers anonymous and safe space
  • Clinically governed with real-time moderation

Cons:

  • No one-on-one counseling is available
  • Counseling not provided by professionals
  • Available on the app only

About TalkLife:

Started in 2013, TalkLife is a peer counseling app that understands the stigma and non-accessibility many people experience. Aiming to become a global home to everyone, TalkLife is a team of passionate researchers and clinicians who provide real-time assistance to all.

With TalkLife, you get instant support and can connect with people who are just like you. If you’d like to stay anonymous, then with this peer support app, you can do so. TalkLife aims to be a safe place where you can discuss issues like eating disorders, breakups, relationships, school concerns, and more.

Visit TalkLife

11.The Tribe

Best For: Online community

Cost: Free

Insurance: Not accepted

pros & cons

Pros:

  • Easy to find online support and community groups
  • Peer-to-peer support groups on a wide range of topics
  • Trained listeners and moderators are in charge

Cons:

  • Could be harder to navigate

About The Tribe:

The Tribe is a great peer support and community counseling platform that allows you to choose from its various specialized groups such as anxiety support group, addiction support group, depression support group, LGBTQ support group, and more.

While it’s not a one-on-one counseling platform, you can still use the platform to find therapists and counselors based on your needs, interests, and geographic location. You also have access to post what’s on your mind that will only be visible to your group members or other connections. Want to stay private, no problem with that either!

Visit The Tribe

12.Pay What You Can Peer Support

Best For: LGBTQIA+ community

Cost: Pay what you can

Insurance: Not accepted

Pros:

  • Affordable and accessible
  • Camera use is optional
  • Supportive community for LGBTQIA+ youth and adults

Cons:

  • Time-specific group sessions
  • Limited spaces are available

About Pay What You Can Peer Support:

Pay What You Can Peer Support is an online community that was created by Daniel Cole who himself benefited from online peer support. Wanting to bring that safe space to a community, he decided to create Pay What You Can, making it an accessible space for anyone.

As the name suggests, you pay what you want or can to support the group further. This specialized peer counseling is a non-judgmental and safe space for the LGBTQIA+ community. However, the sessions here are time-specific and are met on Zoom once per week.

There’s also limited space available, so you need to be careful of it while registering. Once your group meeting ends, you will get a prompt that allows you to add a donation to the community.

Visit Pay What You Can Peer Support

Final Thoughts…

Joining peer support groups and online communities can have its benefits and drawbacks. While joining peer support groups may help you, it may not hold the same appeal for others and vice versa. If you feel like you need more than just peer support, then we recommend you reach out to a professional therapist.

While online peer counseling platforms may offer a non-judgmental and safe space to learn from other’s experiences, they may not be enough in some cases. I hope the above-listed online peer counseling programs will help you pick the right one.

For more, you can write to us at info@calmsage.com or DM us on social media. You can also share your thoughts on online peer counseling in the comments section below.

Take Care and Stay Safe!

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