I Needed A Therapist That Could See Me After Work—So I Tried E-Therapy Cafe
My new therapist accommodated my schedule and the prices were affordable too
Getting set up with traditional therapy is very hard. In the past, it has taken me two months to hear back from a therapist about their availability to see me—only for me to realize that I couldn’t afford the cost (even with health insurance) and I’d have to take time off work to attend the sessions, which was just too complicated and not sustainable.
So I started considering online therapy as a way to find more accessible, affordable, and flexible therapy and I found E-Therapy Cafe, a boutique online therapy company that stands out from its (sometimes better-known) competition for its accessibility, affordability, and flexible session times. So far, I’ve tried the service for a month and I can say without a doubt that the company has met all my needs: I can message my therapist anytime and get a response within 48 hours, the prices per session are affordable, and best of all, their schedules are super flexible—so flexible, in fact, that my initial meeting with my therapist was at 9:00 p.m. on a Sunday night. That kind of accessibility is hard to find. Here’s how my experience has been.
Read Next: We Tested the Top Online Therapy Companies in 2024—Here Are the Ones We Recommend
How I Signed Up for E-Therapy Cafe
The website looks a little clunky and busy when you first land on it.. There’s tons of text on squeezed in on every page—often in different fonts, which can be distracting—and at first glance, the site might even come off as unprofessional. However, it’s fairly simple to navigate once you get the hang of it.
At the top of the home page is a button that says, “Take the First Step Now,” which takes you to an intake form to fill out on the site.
The initial intake form is rather detailed. It includes both multiple choice and short answer responses for questions such as gender, relationship status, current feelings and stress levels, and an open area to discuss what you’d like to get from therapy. There is also an option on the initial intake form to choose the provider you prefer, rather than being matched with one.
E-Therapy Cafe refers to its providers as “baristas” to go with the theme of the company—which is strange—but don’t let the unusual language fool you: these providers are all licensed clinical therapists and certified life coaches.
Explainer
It’s important to note that, while licensed therapists are held to legal licensure standards, coaches—even certified coaches—are not held accountable in this way. This is something to be aware of when choosing a provider. However, E-Therapy Cafe addresses this issue by only employing coaches who are also licensed therapists, so you know that no matter who you see, they are a licensed professional.
Each “barista” has an extensive bio that includes their areas of expertise, approach, and facts about them, as well as their license state and numbers. From what I can tell, you have to go to each bio to learn what their particular expertise is. There is not a specific search function that allows you to search for specific specialties or expertise.
I got an email from the E-Therapy Cafe Client Portal less than 24 hours after submitting my intake form that included several long-form questions about my past as well as how I cope with things currently.
In this email, I also got more information on what I needed in order to participate in E-Therapy Cafe sessions, which was just internet connection, video capability, and a back up video app that could be used in case the link to my therapy session I was sent doesn’t work for some reason (although I never had any issues with the links). Additionally, since I did not indicate that I had a preferred provider (though I appreciated the ability to have input in the matter), I was given my assigned provider at this time.
From there, it was time to pay and schedule an appointment on my patient portal with my assigned therapist. I was given access to this portal through the email they sent me. This is where everything happens from here on out. (It’s worth noting that all of this has to be done on the website as there is not an app.)
How Much Does It Cost?
There are both pay-as-you-go and subscription options at E-Therapy Cafe.
Per-session prices are $65, though you can get a slight discount on your first session (which is considered a Trial) and pay $55.
Takeaway
There are two subscription options:
“ETCFlex,” which is eight online sessions within a month and costs $470 per month ($58.75 per session)
“ETC90,” which is a 90-day pack of 24 sessions and costs $440 per month ($55 per session)
Additionally, E-Therapy Cafe offers an Emotional Support Animal (ESA) visit for $170, which includes the session, assessment, evaluation, consultation, and prescription if you qualify.
These out-of-pocket prices are extremely low compared to the average cost of therapy, which can is usually between $100-$200 nationwide for a single session. Unfortunately, E-Therapy Cafe does not accept health insurance, though, and you’ll be charged for the session 24 hours before you attend. E-Therapy Cafe offers a 10% discount for military, first responders, and students though.
Takeaway
All sessions purchased with your subscription expire within either 30 or 90 days, depending on your subscription, which was a bit frustrating.
For example, I signed up for the monthly plan but didn’t end up getting all my sessions done within the month, and my remaining sessions didn’t roll over.
How My Therapy Sessions Worked
After scheduling, I got an appointment email reminder that included the link to go to for the session. I was pleased that I able to schedule an appointment approximately 24 hours after I initially signed up for these services—a much quicker turnaround time than with other online therapy companies, and certainly than with most in-person practices.
There are three different ways you can communicate with your therapist (i.e. “use” a session):
30-minute video calls
30-minute instant e-chat sessions
E-journal entries, which is where you write up to 700 words on how you’re feeling or what you’re struggling with and get a “thoughtful response” from your provider within 48 hours.
The first methods you have to schedule appointment times for. I had a hard time figuring out the e-journal method and never actually got around to doing it as a result (The website FAQs say your therapist has to send you instructions on how to do it, which felt complicated) so I opted for the video calls, and it was a good experience.
The sessions were 30 minutes long, which I felt was reasonable. It was obvious that my provider was at his home, which made sense, as my first session was at 9:30 at night on a Sunday. But even afterwards, most of my sessions were either on the weekend and in the evenings—availability that I really, really appreciated.
Takeaway
The provider I was paired with was an older, male licensed therapist and at first, I wasn’t sure if we’d be able to develop a rapport.
Because he was an older gentleman, I thought there was no way he’d be able to understand me: a 26-year-old working female with a toddler and a baby on the way. We seemed to be in two completely different phases and areas of life. But he ended up being very easy to talk to. He was funny and a little quirky, but I think our dynamic worked. He was kind and attentive. From the way he responded and what I read of him in his impressive bio, he seemed very qualified to talk me through some of the things I brought up. He was able to validate my feelings and encourage me as I work through them and in the end, I was very happy with who the company chose for me.
In addition to our great rapport, we didn’t have any technical difficulties at all. He was a bit late getting on once so I thought I was in the wrong spot, but he ended up popping in and it all went smoothly. My initial visit went longer than thirty minutes just because we had a lot to discuss, and my provider seemed to be fine with that.
While I didn’t feel the need to switch providers, it isn’t hard to do—you just have to reach out to the company and they’ll handle it for you, no questions asked.
Pros and Cons
I really appreciated and enjoyed my experience with E-Therapy Cafe. It was certainly the most positive therapy experience I’ve had in my life so far. All that said, the company has its good and bad.
Pros
Much more availability than traditional therapy
Relatively affordable compared to traditional therapy and other companies
Clinicians with a wide range of expertise
Detailed provider bio information available
Ability to choose a preferred provider
Discounts for military, first responders, and students
Cons
Insurance is not accepted
No app, so you must use the website
Sometimes information, such as how to do an e-journal, is difficult to find
Website is a little clunky and overwhelming
Final Thoughts
The best thing about E-Therapy Cafe, in my opinion, is its accessibility. Not only do its providers have availability to see you at nontraditional times, I was also able to pay less than what I would for traditional therapy with my insurance, and I didn’t have to miss work or wait for weeks and weeks to hear back. I even did a session while I was away on a work trip. The company’s mission is this: “Professional, convenient, affordable online therapy for all. Anytime. Anywhere.” I definitely think it meets these expectations, and the information provided on the website about its services supports what I experienced.
Takeaway
My provider was also pretty well matched up to what I needed, even though at first I had concerns. He was very helpful, and my experience was mostly very positive.
Most of the negative aspects I noticed had to do with the navigation of the website. I was confused here and there but ultimately ended up being able to find the things I needed. I think with an app and possibly fixing a few bugs there would be fewer negative aspects to mention. It would also be really nice if the company was able to take insurance, but still, paying out-of-pocket was fairly affordable for me thanks to its low per-session prices.
E-Therapy Cafe User Survey
My positive experience seems to align with other people’s experience too. We surveyed 100 current and previous E-Therapy users, and 85% rated E-Therapy as very good or excellent. Ninety-five percent of users stated they were either likely or very likely to recommend the company to others, and 96% were able to find a therapist who met most or all of their needs. Eighty-eight percent rated their therapist’s qualifications as good, very good, or excellent, and 90% would start their search at E-Therapy Cafe again if they needed a new therapist.
Overall, the quality of the care at E-Therapy Cafe was top notch and I’d personally recommend it to others, especially if they have a busy lifestyle and are generally good with technology.
Read the original article on Verywell Mind.
