Best Online Therapy for ADHD

Since ADHD’s impacts vary from person to person, Talkspace’s flexibility makes it one of the best platforms for those with ADHD. If ADHD affects your relationship, you can choose Talkspace’s couples therapy service. If you want ADHD-specific counseling or treatment for co-occurring mental health conditions, its individual therapy plan might be ideal. If your teenager with ADHD needs someone to talk to, it also offers adolescent therapy. Additionally, Talkspace has specialized care for veterans and LGBTQIA+ folks.  

Talkspace offers a full suite of online therapy options. Depending on the plan you choose, you can message and have live sessions with your therapist. It also offers psychiatry services that may benefit you if you need non-stimulant medication. All of its services are designed for convenience. It matches you with a therapist within 48 hours, and you can switch easily if the therapist is not a good match. If you are looking for accessible online therapy, Talkspace is an ideal starting place.

While Talkspace accepts major insurance plans and health spending account (HSA) and flexible spending account (FSA) cards, it doesn’t accept Medicare or Medicaid. There are four subscription plans and an add-on psychiatry service:

• Messaging-only service: $69 per week; includes unlimited messaging with your therapist during the workweek
• Therapy-only service: $99 per week; includes four live video sessions monthly
• Therapy + messaging service: $129 per week; includes both messaging and four therapy sessions per month
• Couples therapy: $109 per week; includes unlimited messaging and four live sessions per month
• Psychiatry services: $249 for the initial evaluation and $125 for each follow-up appointment

Talkspace’s users found the service helpful and easy. Even though you don’t get to choose your therapist, over half of our surveyed users never had to change therapists, and 30% only had to change once. Eighty-two percent of users found the website easy or very easy to navigate. Nearly a third said it was better than their previous experiences with in-person therapy, and 40% said it was just as good.

Navigating medication management for ADHD can be complex. Not only are there different types of medication available, but several of them are designed to last for different amounts of time depending on the version you take, such as extended-release tablets. Many also have unpleasant side effects.

Talkiatry’s unique treatment model equips it to manage these challenges. Its psychiatrists can prescribe stimulant medications, a rarity for online psychiatry services. Stimulant medications are the first-line treatment for ADHD because they stimulate chronically understimulated brains, allowing people to focus on tasks that they would otherwise find too understimulating to pay attention to. However, because they are also used recreationally, they are controlled substances, leading many online psychiatry services to not offer them. 

Talkiatry’s providers meet with their clients for 30-minute follow-up appointments, and you can message your provider at any time. Being able to talk through medication options and timing as you are experiencing medication for the first time can be incredibly helpful. Talkiatry also offers talk therapy through its small team of psychotherapists, but you need a referral from one of its psychiatrists to access this service. 

Talkiatry’s psychiatrists specialize in several areas, including serving the LGBTQ+ community and children. However, it only serves the following states: Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia, plus Washington, DC.

Talkiatry accepts major insurance plans, HSA/FSA payments, Medicare, and Medicaid. It doesn’t post its out-of-pocket costs on its site.

Users were very satisfied with Talkiatry. Ninety-five percent rated it as good, very good, or excellent overall. Eighty-seven percent would be likely or very likely to recommend the service to a loved one.

The brand recognition of BetterHelp may be ubiquitous, but a full understanding of its services is not. BetterHelp, founded in 2012 by tech entrepreneur Alon Matas, is an online therapy service that offers a single monthly plan that includes weekly sessions with a licensed therapist, unlimited messaging with your therapist, and group therapy. The plan also includes an online journal where you can respond to prompts and share (or not share) your answers with your therapist. After you fill out an intake form, BetterHelp begins searching for a therapist for you. Within 48 hours, one appears in your portal and you can begin messaging them immediately. 

By indicating that you want a therapist that specializes in ADHD, you’ll be matched with someone who can help you navigate the specific challenges that come with ADHD. Furthermore, BetterHelp’s group sessions include a weekly ADHD support group moderated by an ADHD specialist. 

Because BetterHelp cannot provide any diagnoses, it may not be the best service for those looking to be evaluated for ADHD or those with more complex mental health histories. However, if you are looking for a straightforward way to access ADHD-friendly care, BetterHelp may be the option for you.

BetterHelp’s biggest flaw is its pricing. The cost varies from $60 to $90 per week. While it does offer various discounts (such as a student discount), and you can apply for financial aid, this does not make the service affordable. Only 21% of our users ranked it as “very affordable.”  

The company also does not accept insurance, nor does it help you to submit reimbursement claims. Furthermore, the prices vary because BetterHelp engages in surge pricing, meaning that the higher the demand for mental health care in your area, the more you will pay for it. While this practice makes sense for a service like Uber, it is unethical when applied to any type of health care.

Eighty-six percent of the users we surveyed rated BetterHelp as good, very good, or excellent overall. Another 63% said that it was better or much better than services they used in the past. Based on our user responses, BetterHelp lives up to its reputation as a solid online therapy provider.

Little Otter addresses child mental health with the view that helping parents navigate their child’s behavior means helping the child succeed. Little Otter offers families a mix of medication management, couples therapy, parental coaching, family therapy, and talk therapy for children. This holistic support is crucial because research indicates that having a child with ADHD is incredibly stressful, sometimes so much so that parents need mental health support. Because Little Otter's treatment includes the whole family, kids affected by their sibling’s ADHD also receive help.

Little Otter specializes in ADHD. It offers a specific ADHD plan, including a diagnosis for the child, medication management, and talk therapy support for the family. Furthermore, Little Otter also treats co-occurring disorders such as autism and anxiety, which is especially important since research indicates that 50% to 70% of autistic people also have ADHD.

However, Little Otter isn’t right for every family, especially since it’s unavailable in every state. It is only available in the following locations:

• California
• Colorado
• Florida
• Maryland
• Illinois
  
• New York
• North Carolina
• Pennsylvania
  
• Texas
• Utah
  
• Virginia
• Washington, DC

Additionally, the cost of Little Otter’s services might be prohibitive for some families.

Little Otter accepts one insurance plan, Kaiser Permanente. However, it accepts HSA/FSA funds and allows you to submit reimbursement claims to other insurance companies. Out-of-pocket costs vary by service:

• ADHD evaluation costs $500; if your child is diagnosed, you can either pay $225 per month for holistic care (which includes parenting coaching sessions and ongoing monitoring) or $250 for each follow-up appointment 
• Initial welcome session costs $90
• A welcome session plus one follow-up appointment costs $540
• A welcome session plus 11 follow-up appointments costs $2040

Little Otter’s users are satisfied with the services they received. Nearly half indicated that their provider's qualifications were very good or excellent. Another 70% said that their providers met most or all of their needs.

Amwell is a telehealth company offering online therapy and medication management services as well as general virtual medical treatment. Signing up for therapy or psychiatry services is as simple as creating a profile for the site, choosing the specific mental health service you want, and scheduling with a provider licensed in your state.

Amwell also offers therapy services for children age 10 and up, which sets it apart from other online therapy or telehealth services and makes it a good option for children diagnosed with ADHD. However, Amwell does not offer psychiatric services for clients under the age of 18.

Amwell does employ therapists who specialize in ADHD; however, you will need to read each therapist’s bio to determine if this applies to them, as there is no way to filter for this specialty. Additionally, you can search for ADHD under the site’s “Conditions” tab and connect with a doctor or therapist directly from that page.   Amwell’s therapists and psychiatrists are qualified to treat ADHD as well as a broad range of co-occurring disorders.

Amwell accepts over 55 insurance plans, including Medicare, and FSA/HSA payments. Without insurance, therapy sessions cost between $109 and $129 per session. Initial psychiatry sessions cost $279 and follow-ups are $109.

Of our surveyed users, 88% rated Amwell as good, very good, or excellent overall, and another 91% rated its psychiatry services as good, very good, or excellent. Additionally, 60% said that Amwell was helpful or very helpful in connecting them to a therapist.

The Thriveworks model of care is uniquely suited to families dealing with ADHD. Because it offers a full spectrum of therapy services to adults, children, teenagers, and families, it can support the entire family even if multiple members in different age groups have the disorder. For example, your family could receive therapy from one Thriveworks therapist while your teen has individual therapy and your partner receives medication management from a Thriveworks psychiatrists. Due to its easy scheduling system that allows you to choose a therapist primarily based on availability, it is easy to find someone who can meet with your family, even if each member has a different schedule. 

Founded by psychologist AJ Centore, PhD, the company expanded to have over 300 in-person therapy offices and serves all but a few states. Its large network of psychiatrists and therapists means that the company can treat a wide variety of disorders with different modes of therapy, which is helpful if your family faces a mix of mental health concerns.

Thriveworks accepts the following insurance plans:

• Aetna
• Blue Cross Blue Shield
• Cigna | Evernorth
• Compsych
• Humana
• Medicare
• UnitedHealthcare | Optum

 However, not all of its therapists accept all insurance plans. Out-of-pocket rates start at $99 per session.

Ninety percent of the users we surveyed gave Thriveworks an overall rating of good, very good, or excellent. An astounding 98% rated its psychiatry services as good, very good, or excellent.

Founded in September of 2018 by entrepreneur Zach Booker and Randy Duthler, MD, ADHD Online does one thing and does it well: Provides medication management and talk therapy for adults and children with ADHD. While other companies offer similar services, ADHD Online’s assessment process is its standout feature. To become a patient, you must complete an assessment that a doctorate-level mental health care provider then uses to create a 10- to 15-page diagnostic report. This guarantees that the company only provides medication to those who truly need it, and offers you a clear picture of your ADHD symptoms.

The professional who determines your ADHD diagnosis is separate from your other providers so that the assessor doesn’t benefit from diagnosing you with ADHD. This system prevents the company from following the path of companies such as Done, which currently faces a DEA investigation due to its prescribers potentially offering stimulant medication to all of their patients regardless of whether they have ADHD. By keeping diagnosis and prescriptions separate, ADHD Online removes any incentive for their evaluators to diagnose patients with ADHD who do not meet diagnostic criteria.

ADHD Online’s psychiatry services are offered in 38 states. It also offers talk therapy to those living in Georgia, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Its assessment can be brought to other providers and is available in all 50 states.

ADHD Online does not accept insurance but will allow you to submit for reimbursement. It also accepts HSA/FSA payments. Your first psychiatry appointment costs $199 and follow-up appointments are $99. Talk therapy appointments are also $99. Insurance may cover the cost of medications.

We were unable to survey ADHD Online users, but through online research and comparing it to similar companies, we are confident that it provides users with a positive experience.

Alok Kanojia, MD (aka Dr. K) created Healthy Gamer after he posted an “Ask Me Anything” thread on Reddit and saw the demand for video-game-savvy mental health care. Dr. K is a Harvard University psychiatrist specializing in video game addiction. After starting successful Twitch and YouTube channels, with 611K and 1.06M followers respectively, Dr. K expanded his business to appeal to more than just gamers by creating video guides and hiring coaches to help tech-savvy people take control of their mental health. A scientific advisory board supports the site to address ethical concerns and align the content with the latest research. 

In September 2022, Healthy Gamer released the “ADHD & Doing Stuff” module of the guide. The 49 videos, each between four and 35 minutes, teach you everything from the science of motivation to how to parent a child with ADHD. The guide focuses on “doing stuff.” It teaches you how to reach your goals if you struggle with motivation and/or attention. For example, four videos are dedicated just to how to get organized and another five on the neuroscience of rewards. 

The guide presents itself as a map of interconnected content, showing how the ADHD module connects to the anxiety, depression, and meditation modules. Videos in the ADHD module often have accompanying meditation videos and/or worksheets attached to them to help you incorporate the content into your life.

Healthy Gamer also offers coaching in the form of group sessions, one-on-one sessions, and career coaching. Although Healthy Gamer makes it clear that its coaching is not therapy, we would like to reiterate that coaches are not therapists and should not address serious mental health concerns.

Each of the four modules of Dr. K’s guide costs $20, but if you buy them all at once, it costs $60.

We have not had the opportunity to survey Healthy Gamer’s users, but the company has received little negative media coverage and few complaints on social media.

The Attention Deficit Disorder Association (ADDA) provides support to adults with ADHD through workshops, webinars, virtual peer support groups, and its annual international conference. Its virtual peer support groups stand out because not only do they specifically target adults with ADHD, but each group addresses a different subgroup. There are support groups for members of specific minority groups, for those with specific life experiences including partners of people with ADHD, those who work from home, and those with high IQs.  

Groups meet multiple times a month via Zoom and are led by peers. To join, you must be an ADDA member. However, that membership includes as many support groups as you want. So, for example, if you’re Black and a woman over 50, you could join both the Black and the women over 50 support groups. 

To be clear, because these groups aren’t led by a licensed professional, they are not the same as group therapy and aren’t a replacement for therapy. However, by enabling you to connect with those like you, a peer support group can help you realize that you are not alone in your ADHD challenges.

To join a support group, you must be an ADDA member. ADDA’s members gain a suite of benefits, including all of the informational content on the site and discounted tickets to ADHD-related events.

There are three membership plans:

• Individual: $7.60 per month or $79.97 per year
• Family: $15.60 per month or $159.97 per year; includes benefits for the member, their spouse/partner, and their children
• Professional: $15 per month or $150 per year; includes a listing in ADDA's professionals directory and advertising discounts

Although we did not survey users of ADDA’s virtual support groups, we did research its work. It has no negative reviews on social media or negative news coverage.