Start Your Healing Journey With Online Therapy to Treat Trauma

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Trauma often lingers in your mind and body, according to Boston University School of Public Health, negatively affecting your physical and mental health. But it’s never too late to start healing. You can heal from the negative effects of the trauma on your emotional health with proper treatment.

To find the best online therapy that offers treatment for trauma, our reviews team reviewed existing best practices and read survivor experiences to better understand the effects of trauma on survivors and the types of treatment that can help. Our team consulted trauma experts and studied the latest recommendations from the American Psychological Association (APA), the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for PTSD (NCPTSD), and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Here are our recommendations.

• Best for Therapy and Support Groups: BetterHelp
• Best for Therapy and Medication: Brightside
• Best for Managing PTSD: Online-Therapy.com
• Best for Choosing Your Therapist: Zocdoc

According to a paper prepared by SAMHSA (PDF), trauma results from experiences of physical, emotional, or life-threatening harm, whether you’re the victim, a witness, or the loved one of someone who experienced it. According to SAMHSA, those traumatic experiences can include exposure to natural disasters, combat, and various types of abuse, neglect, and violence.

Sarah Rollins, a licensed master social worker and trauma specialist in private practice in Detroit, says that trauma isn’t so much about what happened to you but more about what happened inside you, to your nervous system, during a traumatic event. “Trauma is our body's response to what happened or didn't happen, that was too much or too little, too fast, or too overwhelming,” Rollins says. Experiencing a traumatic event can have immediate and lasting negative effects on your physical, mental, and emotional health, as well as your relationships with others and overall well-being, according to SAMHSA.

Symptoms of Trauma

Mary Joye, a therapist certified in trauma therapy in private practice in Winter Haven, Florida, says that the experience of trauma constantly floods your body with stress hormones that you can’t handle. “The brain is doing its best to protect the person from future trauma, so it creates fight, flight, and frozen symptoms that hinder healthy living,” Joye says.

According to the NCPTSD, those symptoms of trauma may look like:

• Trouble eating and sleeping
• Neglecting self-care
• Feeling numb or devoid of love and joy
• Having upsetting nightmares
• Feeling alert and on edge
• Being easily startled
• Feeling helpless and scared
• Having difficulty concentrating
• Avoiding reminders of the trauma
• Losing trust in others
• Having a negative worldview

According to the SAMHSA report Trauma-Informed Care in Behavioral Health Services, the best therapy to heal from past trauma depends on the nature of the trauma and the specific needs of the individual being treated, such as where they are in their recovery, their traumatic experience, their symptoms, their demographics including age or gender, and the presence of other mental health concerns. Common co-occuring conditions with having experienced trauma include depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or suicidal thoughts since your trauma or self-medicating with drugs or alcohol, according to the NCPTSD.

Some of the most effective types of therapy for healing past trauma include cognitive behavioral therapies, cognitive processing therapy, exposure therapy, and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy, according to SAMHSA.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), according to SAMHSA, is an effective type of talk therapy for treating trauma, substance use disorders, and PTSD. According to the APA, it helps you challenge and reframe your negative thought patterns and beliefs, teaches you skills to cope with stress, and empowers you with a healthier understanding of yourself. CBT can also provide strategies to better cope with the effects of your trauma  and improve your sense of control over your life.

Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT), a type of trauma therapy designed for children and adolescents, can help improve emotional and behavioral issues related to a traumatic event, according to the TF-CBT Certification Program. This type of therapy actively involves family members to reduce their feelings of stress related to the event, improve parenting skills, and show them how to support the child who experienced the trauma.

Exposure Therapy

Exposure therapy, according to SAMHSA, is a recommended treatment for those who experience fear-related trauma symptoms such as flashbacks, intrusive thoughts, and avoidance of trauma reminders. In a safe and controlled environment, your therapist will gradually expose you to your fears and memories related to the traumatic event using images or real-life reminders of it, according to SAMHSA. It notes that this type of therapy can help you process the trauma and desensitize you to it. Exposure therapy takes an average of nine to 20 sessions to work.

Cognitive Processing Therapy

According to the APA, cognitive processing therapy is a 12-session treatment that has been proven to reduce trauma symptoms in survivors of child abuse, natural disasters, war, and sexual assault. Using this type of therapy, you write a detailed account of your trauma and how it affected you and read it during sessions and at home, according to SAMHSA. Your therapist helps you "unlearn" negative thinking patterns related to the trauma and address areas in your life that may have been impacted by it, such as how you interpret or redefine your underlying beliefs on intimacy, power, trust, and control, that have been affected by trauma.

EDMR

EMDR, according to the NCPTSD, helps you process your traumatic memories while simultaneously reducing your physical and emotional reactions to them. In a safe and controlled environment, you recall your trauma while your therapist uses visual, auditory, or tactile cues to guide your attention back and forth. The NCPTSD notes that this is done for 30 seconds at a time until you feel less stressed, and each session lasts 50 to 90 minutes.

Emma Basch, PsyD, a licensed clinical psychologist and trauma specialist in private practice in Washington, DC, says that EMDR is her “go-to” intervention for patients with trauma.

Pros

• Sign-up process allows you to request a therapist who specializes in trauma
• Option to sign up for trauma recovery support groups
• Financial aid offered to eligible individuals

Cons

• Does not accept insurance
• Some reviews mention issues with therapist availability

With BetterHelp, you can get connected with a trauma therapist by starting with its thorough questionnaire during the sign-up process. In it, you can specify that trauma led you to seek therapy and request a therapist with experience in trauma or abuse. You can also share what you're hoping for in a therapist, such as someone who explores your past, helps you set recovery goals, or teaches you new skills. Additionally, you can indicate whether you would feel more comfortable with some therapists over others, such as a female therapist or someone older than 45.

The BetterHelp questionnaire also asks whether you experience intimacy issues or chronic pain, which according to research published in the Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association (PDF), are two common problems you may experience after trauma.

You can also get peer support through some of the trauma support groups on BetterHelp. According to SAMHSA, connecting with others who share the lived experience of trauma can give you hope for the future and teach you tools for navigating recovery. If you have withdrawn since your trauma, attending a therapist-led support group could also help ease you out of isolation in a safe and supportive environment.

BetterHelp trauma support groups are held at the same time every week. The following are a few examples of the type of trauma support groups you can join:

• From Trauma to Triumph, every Wednesday at 12:30 p.m EST
• Women’s Support: Healing From Domestic Violence and Abuse, every Wednesday at 7 p.m. EST
• Cycle Breakers: Untethering From Dysfunctional Family, every Thursday at 2 p.m. EST
• Overstanding and Overcoming Abuse, every Thursday at 7:30 p.m. EST
• Parenting Kids With Trauma and Special Needs, every Thursday at 8 p.m. EST

BetterHelp costs between $240 and $360 per month depending on your location, therapist availability, and therapist preferences. Subscriptions include four live therapy sessions per month via video, audio-only, or synchronous messaging (live chat). You can send an unlimited number of messages per month to your therapist between sessions. Therapist response rates vary.

BetterHelp does not accept insurance. You may be able to save on your subscription if you qualify for financial aid. You can learn more about its financial aid program and other features of the platform in our reviews team’s 2023 BetterHelp review.

BetterHelp Reviews

BetterHelp is an accredited business with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) with an A rating overall. At the time of this writing, it had an average rating of 4.04 out of 5 stars BBB based on more than 400 reviews. On Trustpilot, it has an “Excellent” rating with an average rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars with more than 5,000 reviews. The BetterHelp app has an average rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars on the App Store based on more than 95,000 reviews. On Google Play, the average rating for BetterHelp is 4.6 out of 5 stars based on more than 36,000 reviews.

Customers who left positive reviews mentioned that they were quickly matched to a therapist, that BetterHelp made therapy more accessible, that its app is easy to use, and that they made great connections with individual therapists. They also mentioned it was convenient and easy to choose between video, audio, and chat therapy sessions.

Among the negative reviews were those that cited issues with some BetterHelp therapists arriving late to appointments, problems with therapist availability when scheduling appointments, difficulties finding the right therapist, and feeling misled that BetterHelp advertises weekly pricing when it charges for each month in advance.

Pros

• Options for therapy, medication, or a combination of both
• Can provide remote care to help manage mental health crises
• Accepts insurance

Cons

• Crisis care not available nationwide
• No live chat or audio-only options for live sessions

If you are struggling with symptoms of trauma, Brightside can help meet your mental health needs using therapy and medication. Brightside can also treat issues that you may be experiencing alongside trauma, including panic disorder, major depressive disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Brightside providers can prescribe non-addictive medication to help you treat your trauma symptoms if medically appropriate. The Brightside Medication Plan costs $95 per month and includes an initial evaluation with a psychiatric provider, unlimited video follow-ups as needed, and unlimited messaging. The Brightside Therapy Plan, which includes weekly 45-minute therapy sessions and unlimited messaging but no medication management, costs $299 per month. The Brightside Therapy and Medication Plan, with the benefits of both previous plans, costs $349 per month.

Brightside accepts insurance. If you receive medication from Brightside and don’t use insurance, you'll pay $15 for a 30-day prescription, including shipping. With insurance, your medication will cost your pharmacy copay.

According to the NCPTSD, experiencing trauma may increase your risk of suicide, especially if you survived sexual violence or childhood abuse. Brightside offers a Crisis Care program that's designed for patients who are often excluded from outpatient treatment, whether in-person or online, because of their elevated suicide risk. The structured, 4- to 12-week program uses a research-backed framework to reduce your future risk of self-harm and attempted suicide. Patients get weekly video sessions, or more as needed, with a dedicated clinician trained in suicide intervention and prevention. Patients also get unlimited messaging with their provider between sessions and a progress tracking tool so they can view their progress over time. Clinicians may provide a combination of therapy and medication if they determine it is in the best interest of the patient.

Crisis Care is not for individuals requiring emergency services or psychiatric facility admission or with primary substance use disorder, psychotic disorders, or severe personality disorder. If you are considering suicide, call 911 or visit your local emergency room. Alternatively, you can dial 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline for emergency mental health support.

The Crisis Care program is only available in select states, with a complete national rollout coming soon.* You need insurance to be eligible for the program. Your cost, if any, is dependent upon the details of your insurance plan.

*For new members of Brightside, Crisis Care is available in Alabama, Arizona, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Washington, and West Virginia. For active members of Brightside, Crisis Care is available in Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Jersey, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and West Virginia.

Brightside Reviews

At the time this article was written, Brightside had 1.33 out of 5 stars on BBB, based on 15 reviews. On Trustpilot, it had an average rating of 1.6 out of 5 stars with 27 reviews. On the App Store, the Brightside app had an average rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars based on more than 100 reviews. It does not have an app on Google Play.

Positive Brightside reviews mention great experiences with its providers, gratitude for in-network insurance coverage, the ease of scheduling appointments and messaging providers, and an intuitive user experience on the app.

Negative reviews cite issues with Brightside providers canceling or not showing up for appointments, problems with Brightside providers leaving the platform, and issues with therapists not having enough available appointment slots every month.

Our reviews team reached out to Brightside to ask how the company responds to these negative online reviews. Brightside responded that they “welcome feedback across these platforms” and that they “also encourage our clinicians and members to share feedback with us directly. We take all online reviews of our company very seriously and address each one individually–as well as seek out any patterns to improve our processes. While we strive to offer the highest quality care and experience, we recognize there is always room for improvement.”

You can read more in our reviews team’s Brightside 2023 review.

Pros

• All therapists practice CBT, a recommended approach to trauma therapy
• All subscription options include unlimited messaging, yoga videos, online journaling, and a therapy workbook
• Offers a variety of plan options

Cons

• Doesn’t accept insurance
• Therapist availability depends on your location

All Online-Therapy.com therapists practice CBT, a form of talk therapy the APA strongly recommends for treating PTSD. You can schedule video, audio, or chat therapy sessions depending on your preferences. You can also practice what you learn in therapy with its online cognitive behavioral workbook. Some of the workbook’s topics may help you process and heal from your trauma, including challenging your negative emotions, accepting and practicing self-compassion, and actively working on being happier.

A subscription with Online-Therapy.com also includes tools to help support you during your trauma recovery. According to the NCPTSD, ways to positively cope with your trauma and the related stress include practicing relaxation exercises, distracting yourself with work or fun activities, and accepting that trauma recovery is a process. With Online-Therapy.com, you can practice relaxation through its yoga and meditation videos, plan and log self-care exercises with its activity tracker, and record daily reflections in an online journal.

Online-Therapy.com offers three plan options. Its Basic Plan costs $200 per month and does not include live therapy sessions but offers unlimited messaging with your therapist, a journal, yoga videos, and a self-paced CBT program. Throughout the program, you'll complete worksheets at your own pace, and your therapist will read your answers and respond within 24 hours, Mondays through Fridays. Its Standard Plan includes the same features of the Basic Plan as well as weekly 45-minute therapy sessions for $320 per month. Its Premium Plan also includes the same features as the Basic Plan but offers twice-weekly 45-minute therapy sessions for $440 per month.

Online-Therapy.com Reviews

Online-Therapy.com does not have any reviews on Trustpilot or have a profile with BBB. It does share more than 2,500 therapist reviews on its website from current and past Online-Therapy.com users, including many four- and five-star reviews. Online-Therapy.com does not have an app.

To learn more, you can read our reviews team’s 2023 review of Online-Therapy.com.

Pros

• Filters allow you to find a provider who uses the type of trauma treatment you’re most interested in
• Detailed trauma therapist profiles can help you decide on a therapist
• Allows you to input your insurance details to find an in-network trauma therapist

Cons

• Some reviews mention issues with Zocdoc overbooking appointments
• Provider profiles not always up-to-date

The right online trauma therapy and therapist depends on your unique needs and preferences, and that is where Zocdoc can help. With Zocdoc, you can search for someone who practices the type of therapy you’re most interested in, such as CBT or exposure therapy, for example.

Another way to choose a therapist is by reading Zocdoc provider profiles, especially if you want someone experienced in treating your type of trauma. During your search, you can look for an online therapist who has experience with the following:

• Betrayal trauma
• Childhood trauma
• Domestic violence
• Emotional abuse
• Intergenerational trauma
• Narcissistic abuse recovery
• Physical abuse
• Psychological trauma
• Sexual abuse counseling

You can also look at each therapist’s background, credentials, upcoming availability, and previous patient reviews, which can help you determine whether they’re the right fit. If you enter your insurance information into your Zocdoc search, it will prioritize in-network online trauma therapists to save you the most money.

Zocdoc Reviews

Zocdoc is a BBB-accredited business with an A+ rating. It had more than 300 BBB reviews and an average rating of 4.24 out of 5 stars at the time this article was written. On Trustpilot, it was rated 4.3 out of 5 stars with more than 7,000 reviews. On the App Store, the Zocdoc app is rated an average of 4.6 out of 5 stars from more than 11,700 ratings. On Google Play, the app also has more than 11,700 ratings, with an average of 4.4 out of 5 stars. Zocdoc is a telehealth platform, so its reviews reflect all of its services and not just online therapy.

Positive reviews mention that it is easy to use Zocdoc to find in-network providers and book appointments. They also mention finding great doctors and specialists and that the platform helped them find providers with appointment times that fit their schedule.

Negative reviews cite issues with Zocdoc overbooking appointments, problems with not finding enough in-network providers, and issues with provider profiles not having the most up-to-date information, such as the insurance they accept and whether they're accepting new patients.

We independently investigate and recommend products and services we believe will enrich the lives of our readers and meet their specific needs. You can read our full online therapy review methodology here. We’ve spent many hours carrying out in-depth research on the online therapy market. You can trust our review because we did the legwork for you in these specific ways:

• Engaged in ongoing independent research
• Mystery shopped each of the brands
• Contacted the brands’ customer service teams to ask questions and gauge responsiveness
• Consulted six leading psychologists and psychiatrists
• Became customers of online therapy providers ourselves
• Reviewed academic research about the efficacy of online therapy versus in-person therapy
• Read hundreds of verified customer reviews from trusted third parties such as the BBB and Trustpilot

If you are in crisis, waiting for an online therapy appointment is not safe. In case of an emergency, call 911. That includes plans to harm yourself or others. If you’re having suicidal thoughts, you can call the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988. Help is available 24/7. You can also send a text message to the Crisis Text Line at 741741. A crisis counselor will respond via text to help you stay calm and make sure you’re safe.

You can also reach out to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 800-662-HELP (4357). The SAMHSA helpline is a free, confidential, 24/7, 365-day-a-year treatment referral and information service for individuals facing mental or substance use disorders.

Online therapy for the treatment of trauma can help improve your physical and mental health, relationships with others, and overall well-being. For therapy along with peer support from other survivors, our reviews team recommends BetterHelp. If you want to consider medication and therapy to help treat your trauma symptoms, consider Brightside, which also has a crisis care program for individuals who have considered suicide. For the most strongly recommended type of talk therapy for trauma, look at the CBT plans that Online-Therapy.com offers. If you prefer to choose your own therapist, Zocdoc can help you find one who has experience treating your type of trauma, practices an approach you’re interested in, and accepts your insurance.