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Choose based on the kind of support you need: a self-guided app can offer exercises or symptom tracking, while online counseling connects you with a clinician for assessment and treatment. Before signing up, check who provides the service, its evidence and privacy practices, how it handles worsening symptoms, and what it will cost. This guide focuses on U.S. readers; licensing, insurance, privacy rules, availability, and crisis resources can differ elsewhere.
First decide what kind of support you need
“Mental health app” and “online therapy” are not interchangeable labels. A self-guided app may provide structured exercises or mood tracking; another may support care by letting a user share information with a clinician. Online counseling is care delivered by a professional and may include assessment, diagnosis, treatment planning, individual, group, or family therapy, and—depending on the clinician and service—prescriptions. Ask exactly what is being offered and who is responsible for providing it. A tracking or self-help app is not automatically psychotherapy or a substitute for clinical assessment.
| Option | What it may provide | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Self-guided app | Exercises, education, or mood and symptom tracking. | Whether the app itself has evidence for its stated purpose and intended users; privacy, safety instructions, and limits. |
| App alongside care | A tool for tracking or practicing skills in a care plan, potentially with information shared with a clinician. | Whether the clinician can access the data, how sharing works, and whether it is useful for the care plan. |
| Online counseling | Appointments with a clinician by video, phone, or other supported formats; services can include assessment and treatment. | The clinician’s identity, license for the client’s location, experience, approach, availability, privacy arrangements, and cost. |
These categories can overlap, but the label alone does not establish safety or effectiveness. NIMH’s guidance on telehealth for mental health and HHS’s behavioral-health telehealth guidance describe virtual care; NIMH also explains how to evaluate mental health apps.
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Identify its purpose, owner, and audience
Find the developer or organization behind the app, its stated purpose, intended users, funding or conflicts of interest, price, and recent update history. Check whether it is meant for general wellbeing, a specific concern, symptom monitoring, or use with a clinician. A tool designed for one audience or purpose may not fit another.
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Look for evidence about this app—not just its method
Ask what supports the app’s claims: Has this particular product been studied? Is its clinical foundation named? Were the results relevant to people like its intended users, and are limitations explained? Evidence supporting a therapy method does not automatically establish that an app implements that method well or works for a particular person. NIMH notes that most mental health apps lack peer-reviewed evidence and that there is no nationally accepted standard for evaluating them. Technology can change faster than rigorous studies, so consider the app’s current version and claims rather than relying on a method’s reputation alone.
The APA App Evaluation Model offers a framework for considering clinical foundation, intended users, evidence, privacy, safety, and usability. It is a guide, not a universal pass/fail certification. No single rating can establish that an app is right for every user or care context.
Read the privacy policy as a list of specific questions
Look for what information the app collects, why it collects it, where it is stored, who receives it, whether it is shared or sold, and whether you can opt out, export, or delete your data. Check authentication and security disclosures, breach response, and whether data is processed by AI and under what safeguards. If the policy is missing or hard to understand, that is a reason to avoid entering sensitive health information. APA’s evaluation framework flags privacy and security as issues to examine, while noting there is no gold standard for rating an app’s privacy.
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Check safety and day-to-day usability
- Find what the app says to do if symptoms worsen, whether it offers a quick route to human help, and what it cannot provide. An app should not leave the impression that it is an emergency service.
- Confirm supported phones, operating systems, browser access, internet or bandwidth needs, and whether any functions work offline.
- Check language, reading level, disability access, and technical support. Consider whether the interface is manageable enough to use consistently for its intended purpose.
- If a clinician is involved, ask whether app data can be shared with them and whether that sharing would actually help the care plan; weigh that benefit against the privacy trade-off.
NIMH recommends checking developer credentials and emergency recommendations, looking for relevant studies, asking a trusted provider, and trying an app when appropriate to judge its usability. There is no widely accepted national rule for choosing among the many available apps.
How to check an online counseling service and clinician
Verify the person who will provide care—not only the platform that schedules or hosts the appointment. APA guidance on online therapy explains that professional licensure is jurisdictional: a clinician generally must be licensed where the client is located. Confirm that the clinician can treat you where you will be during appointments.
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- Ask who the clinician is. Get their name, profession, credentials, license number, and licensing jurisdiction. Verify the license with the relevant licensing authority if you have questions.
- Ask about fit. Describe the concern you want help with and ask about the clinician’s experience treating it, the treatment approach, and whether they work with your age group or other relevant needs.
- Clarify the care plan. Ask what the first appointment involves, the expected frequency or course of treatment, available formats such as video or phone, and how between-session messages work.
- Ask how worsening symptoms are handled. Find out how to reach the clinician between appointments, expected response times, and what to do if you need urgent help.
- Confirm location and availability. Check that the service operates where you live and can schedule appointments at times you can use. Continuity may matter if you move or travel, so ask how location changes affect care.
NIMH recommends asking about a provider’s experience, methods, and typical treatment length. A free introductory session, if offered, can help you assess fit; it does not replace checking credentials or clarifying fees.
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Coverage and prices depend on the plan, provider, service, and location. Before booking or starting a subscription, check directly with the insurer and the provider’s billing office. Ask about:
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- Whether the clinician is in network and whether the service is covered at all.
- Your deductible, copay, coinsurance, or possible out-of-network reimbursement.
- Any session fee, subscription charge, cancellation policy, or charge for missed appointments.
- Whether an introductory consultation is free and whether a subscription renews automatically.
- Required devices, internet access, data use, language options, and accessibility support.
For counseling, privacy also depends on the place you join from. Choose somewhere you will not be disturbed or overheard, as HHS and NIMH advise. Headphones may help you hear the clinician privately, but they cannot stop someone else from hearing your side of the conversation or secure information transmitted through the service. Consider whether your device, account, and network are private enough for the appointment.
Know the limits and the crisis route
A self-guided app and a scheduled teletherapy appointment are not emergency services. Before you start, locate the app or provider’s instructions for worsening symptoms and identify how to reach a person directly. For U.S. readers who are struggling or thinking about suicide, NIMH directs people to call or text 988 or use 988lifeline.org. In a life-threatening emergency, call 911. The SAMHSA national crisis-care guidance describes a crisis system built around someone to contact, someone to respond, and a safe place for help; local resources and service availability vary.
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