The market share of online therapy was valued at $2.36 billion in 2020, but it’s projected to reach $23.49 billion by 2028. This makes it clear that online therapy is becoming a reliable option for getting mental health services in the safety and comfort of people’s homes. This may be particularly helpful to the LGBT community, which has long been underserved in terms of mental health support.
As sexual minorities often experience mistreatment and discrimination, they are more vulnerable to physical and mental health risks compared to heterosexual and cisgender people. Pride Counseling is one of the largest platforms offering online therapy services specifically targeted towards the LGBT community.
However, there are great alternatives to Pride Counseling that are worth looking at, such as DoMental.
In this article, we will be comparing Pride Counseling and DoMental in terms of pricing, services offered, and therapy quality. We will also walk you through how to get started on Pride Counseling and DoMental, so you know what to do once you’ve decided which online therapy service is the right fit for you.
Why Online Therapy to Begin With
Research suggests that the LGBT community is more likely to suffer from mental health issues, such as depression and suicidal thoughts and behaviors, than heterosexual and cisgender people. They also experience higher levels and concentration of bullying compared to heterosexuals.
According to research, there are also higher rates of unmet needs and untreated depression in trans and bisexual communities than in heterosexual and cisgender ones. This makes it even more important for the LGBT community to have access to mental health services that are open and accepting of all genders and sexualities.
Going to online therapy or counseling for mental health concerns is a great way to address these problems. Not only is it often more affordable, but research also shows that online therapy may be as effective as in-person therapy. Some people may also find online therapy to be a more approachable and comfortable medium of communication.
Online therapy is also a good option for people living or working in remote areas where a therapist may not be as easily accessible. In the same vein, online therapy is a viable option for people with physical limitations who may find it inconvenient to travel for face-to-face therapy.
Pricing
Pricing determines whether a service is accessible to the general population, and facts suggest that the cost of therapy is often a barrier that prevents people from getting the help they need.
The price of online therapy for both Pride Counseling and DoMental depends on the type of service you’ll need. Both Pride Counseling and DoMental have subscription-based plans staying below $130, but DoMental is more affordable, which makes it a good alternative to Pride Counseling.
DoMental offers services at $29 to $47 per week, depending on the kind of subscription plan you pick. Meanwhile, Pride Counseling pricing ranges from $60 to $120 per week, billed every four weeks. Pride Counseling costs are also based on your location and the availability of their therapists, so they have differing prices for each state.
DoMental services are not covered by health insurance, although coverage may vary depending on your provider. Meanwhile, Pride Counseling reviews tell that the platform doesn’t bill insurance companies, so payment for their services will come out of your own pocket. However, it’s possible to request healthcare reimbursement from your insurance company by requesting receipts from your Pride Counseling counselor and submitting an insurance claim.
Finally, both Pride Counseling and DoMental allow you to cancel your subscription at any time, for any reason.
Services
Both Pride Counseling and DoMental offer a wide range of services to people in need of therapy. This includes video sessions with easy scheduling, as well as text and audio messaging.
Pride Counseling therapy caters mainly to the LGBTQIA+ community, although like DoMental, they do accept and welcome all identities.
Both platforms use different ways to match a client with a counselor. Pride Counseling’s matching process is manual and usually takes at least 48 hours but could take up to two weeks depending on the availability of a counselor that fits you.
DoMental is a great alternative to Pride Counseling because they use a smart matching algorithm to match you with a suitable therapist, a process that usually takes two hours or less after the initial sign-up.
With Pride Counseling, you can send unlimited texts to your counselor, but responses will depend on their availability. This means you may not receive a response right away, and if they’re on leave, you may not receive a response at all.
DoMental therapists will do their best to reply to you within two hours on weekdays. DoMental puts more on the table as an alternative to Pride Counseling. DoMental guarantees that while an immediate response may not be possible at all hours of the day (your therapist needs sleep, too!), you will get at least two messages from your therapist a day outside of your sessions.
Aside from that, DoMental offers a few more equally useful features and services to help you on your therapy journey. DoMental offers a personalized visual therapy roadmap to help you keep track of your progress, mental health exercises, guided meditations, a daily mood tracker, and a gratitude journal.
This way, you have more ways to improve several aspects of your daily life and mental health outside of your therapy sessions.
Therapy Quality
Both Pride Counseling and DoMental will provide you with human-to-human interaction even through a screen, so you can guarantee that the person talking to you is not a robot. This makes the conversation with your therapist feel very natural and thus easier to follow.
Therapists from Pride Counseling and DoMental are qualified and experienced professionals who are trained and able to handle LGBT concerns, although neither site provides a page for their teams’ bios.
Nevertheless, each platform will give you adequate data privacy and security. In DoMental, you can even have your counseling completely anonymously.
Pride Counseling and DoMental use a variety of methods and techniques to facilitate the therapy, which will depend on individual circumstances. However, neither platform provides psychiatric services, so clients who need medication management or recommendations for HRT or surgery may need to get additional support from a local psychiatrist.
Getting Started
Now that you’re convinced online therapy may be right for you, it’s time to get on the platform. Like anything that’s new, getting on an online therapy website may be a tad intimidating, but we’re here to walk you through it.
Pride Counseling
Pride Counseling’s sign-up process is relatively simple, and you can sign up either on the website or the Pride Counseling app. First, you’ll be asked to answer a questionnaire to help get a clearer view of your current health and mental state. There will be additional questions on your gender identity and sexual orientation, such as the pronouns you use. You may skip these questions if you’re unsure what to answer.
After answering the questionnaire, Pride Counseling will ask you to make an account. You can opt for anonymity by choosing a nickname. After this, you will be asked more questions, this time regarding your preferences for a counselor. If you would rather have a counselor who identifies as LGBT, you can point this out.
This information will be used by the platform to match you up with a therapist, counselor, or social worker who fits your needs and preferences. As Pride Counseling reviews your answers manually, this may take from 24 to 48 hours, or in some rare cases, a few days. Afterward, you will be asked for a payment method or a subscription plan, and once you’re set up with a therapist, you’re good to go.
DoMental
As an alternative to Pride Counseling, DoMental has a similar process, but because the matching process is done using an algorithm, you can get started much earlier.
Similarly, you will be asked questions at the beginning of the sign-up process to determine the type of counseling you’re looking for. You may opt for individual counseling. If you’re doing it with a partner, you may choose the Couples category. If you’re a teen, you may opt for Teen counseling.
Afterward, you will be asked to answer a short survey to determine the mental health problems you’re struggling with the most. Questions will include your symptoms, how often they occur to you, how severe they are, and how intense. You will also be asked whether you’ve had therapy sessions before and what you’re looking for in a therapist.
Then, you will be redirected to a page where you will learn how many users of DoMental have similar symptoms and how online therapy has helped them and may help you as well. Meanwhile, an AI algorithm will find the most suitable therapist for you in two hours or less.
After this, you can click Start Therapy. This will be the point where you sign up and are prompted to download the app, although you can use both the website and the app for your sessions.
Once you have everything set up, your therapist will get in touch with you, and you can get started as soon as you’re ready.
How to Choose
Ultimately, you are free to choose the service provider most suited for you. Pride Counseling’s service may be best for adult clients who need professional support to deal with stress, anxiety, depression, and other issues faced by people in the LGBT community.
As an alternative to Pride Counseling, DoMental offers a wide range of support for teens, adults, and couples in the LGBT community. Neither platform is an emergency service, so it’s not a viable option for people with suicidal thoughts or psychosis, although DoMental therapists will respond as fast and as often as physically possible.
If you’re in need of medication management or gender-reaffirming care, you may also want to see a psychiatrist instead.
However, if you’re part of the LGBT community and in need of counseling or therapy, Pride Counseling and DoMental can provide you with the support you need.
