- We personally tested Regain with several testers engaging in months of therapy sessions, interacting with the platform, and discussing how the therapy affected their relationships with their partners.
- For each therapy platform we test, we conduct overall testing surveys to gather feedback from real-life users. We also host focus groups to gain insight into the pros and cons of each platform. Lastly, we interview mental health experts to gain insight into how the platforms may benefit users.
- The strategy behind how we tested Regain involved asking each tester to sign up for a paid subscription to Regain and engage in at least four therapy sessions. Three different users tested Regain over a 3-month subscription and participated in a total of 12 therapy sessions. Just like real users would, we also asked them to go through the process of switching therapists to see how easy or difficult it is, contact customer service to assess that experience, test any special features offered by the platform and at the end, cancel their subscription.
Learn more about how we tested Regain.
Key takeaways
- We recommend Regain for couples looking for therapy who also want additional resources to learn about each other. The platform offers self-reflection tools and video lectures that partners can use separately or together.
- Regain does not take insurance. Costs range from $65-$90/week, billed monthly.
- Regain lets two partners share one joint account. However, that means both partners can see all messages composed and sent.
- Regain does not prescribe medication.
Healthy relationships are an important part of feeling connected to those around us. Studies show improving the health of your relationships can also improve your mental health. Regain is an online therapy platform from BetterHelp that offers couples and relationship counseling. Our Handbook Team personally tested the platform to find out how Regain works and what tools it offers to support healthier relationships. Read on for our review of this couples-focused online therapy platform.
Our final verdict on Regain
Regain is a private-pay online therapy platform specifically designed for couples. It offers extra tools, like group therapy, online class modules, and worksheets, to help couples gain extra insight before and after therapy sessions. Partners share a messaging account but can do sessions solo or together.
Who should consider using Regain: Couples who want relationship therapy with live therapy sessions (including live chat) as well as messaging support.
Who should consider other options: Couples who want to speak privately to a therapist. Regain’s platform is a shared joint account, so messaging is shared between both partners.
Regain highlights
What is Regain?
Regain is a sister platform of BetterHelp, but its features are tailored toward relationship and couples therapy. In addition to the four live therapy sessions included in its monthly subscription, features of Regain include:
- A separate login and digital journal for each partner.
- Digital worksheets assigned by therapists.
- A shared messaging room between you, your partner, and your therapist.
- Ability to attend group therapy sessions (formerly called Groupinars) and video lectures by Regain therapists.
We liked that the platform included additional resources like digital worksheets and classes alongside sessions with therapists.
How does Regain work?
Regain is an online couples’ therapy platform with sessions completed via the Regain app or through a web browser. Sessions are self-scheduled and conducted via video, phone, or live chat. Membership is monthly and includes four therapy sessions per month, with sessions ranging from 30-45 minutes. The monthly fee covers both partners, so sessions can be shared.
How to sign up for Regain
Our testers used an online web browser to sign up for Regain. The first screen asks you what type of therapy you are interested in: individual, couples, or not sure yet.
The platform is designed for couples, but individual therapy is also offered.
Regain is not the right solution for you if any of the following is true:
- You are a minor, or you are under the care of a legal guardian.
- You are in an urgent crisis or an emergency situation.
- You were required to undergo therapy either by a court order or by any other authority.
- You are in a physically abusive relationship or are concerned for your safety in the relationship.
- You do not have a device that can connect to the internet, or you do not have a reliable internet connection.
The next screen asks you if you have any therapist preferences. If you don’t have any specific preferences, there is no option to choose from, but our tester noted that you can just hit “next” without choosing any option.
Our tester also pointed out that there were no options for a therapist of color, nor was there an option for a therapist of a different religion other than Christian. “This was limiting in its service offering,” our tester noted.
In the “About your partner” section, our tester also noticed that the form didn’t allow for married partners to specify if they had different last names, which seemed out of touch with inclusivity as well.
Payment
The payment process was simple and straightforward. It clearly outlines the cost of each session, broken out by weekly cost, although the billing subscription is paid monthly.
Regain is also unique because it offers financial aid for extenuating circumstances. If you believe you may be eligible, you’ll need to fill out a form to determine how much financial aid Regain can offer you.
From our testing experience, the maximum financial aid appears to be a 30 percent discount ($63 per week / $252 per month).
How to match with an online therapist/psychiatrist on Regain
As we mentioned earlier, there were some preferences you could choose for your therapist, but with limitations. For example, Regain offers a Christain-based therapist or non-religious option, but no other belief systems are specified.
There is an option for an LGBTQ+ therapist, but nothing specific for non-binary or transgender therapists. Our tester also noted that some of the professional background options for the therapist seemed irrelevant, such as therapists with executive coaching experience.
After you choose the options that are available to you, Regain matches you with a therapist. The process of therapist matching can take a few hours or up to a few days. In the meantime, as you wait for your match, the platform offers you additional tools and resources, such as:
- Journaling with specific mental health prompts like anxiety and depression or more general options, like gratitude.
- Group class therapy options.
- Crisis counseling hotline.
Our testers liked the classes led by licensed therapists on Regain, called webinars. Users can join anonymously and participate in Q&A segments. Classes were categorized under the following topics:
- Wellness.
- Skill-building series.
- Relationships.
- Anxiety.
- Substance abuse.
- Trauma.
“I was really impressed by the giant list of free classes you could take as part of the subscription!! There were around 30 different classes on offer during our time testing on various topics hosted by experts.”-Regain tester
Classes can be a way for both partners to reflect on how they participate in relationships and learn new skills in areas like communication and conflict resolution. According to Domenique Harrison, licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) in Los Angeles, California, these skills are often the weakest in couples seeking relationship therapy. She further explains a lack of strong relationship skills can lead to defensive responses, resentment, pain, and disconnection.
Matching with a therapist
Our tester was matched with their first therapist within an hour of signing up for the platform, which they were very impressed with. After matching, you self-schedule your sessions based on the therapist’s available calendar.
The tester also appreciated that the therapist they matched with asked preliminary questions before the session to help them prepare:
1. What would you say are your top 3 issues/concerns for your relationship that you would like help with?
2. When did you first start noticing those 3 issues/concerns?
3. Did something happen recently that inspired you to seek counseling? Or have you been thinking about doing it for a while?
One tester encountered issues with being matched with therapists who weren’t actually licensed in their state. They had to go through several rounds of customer service to get the issue resolved. Concerningly, our testers had to check the therapists’ licenses on their own, as the platform didn’t pick up the lack of licensing for their chosen state.
Due to scheduling conflicts with their first matched therapist, our tester was guided to switch to a new therapist almost immediately and found that process seamless. Changing a therapist is easy; you can choose the “change therapist” option in the dropdown menu.
When our testers felt their initial therapist wasn’t the right match, they were given an expanded list of provider profiles to help them choose their next provider. They could then schedule their first appointment with this new therapist that same week.
Each therapist sets their own availability, which isn’t specified until you match with a therapist. There’s also no option to match with a therapist based on your own availability, so if you have limited availability, our tester noted that could be a point of frustration since you have to be matched before seeing the therapist’s availability.
However, all of our testers found ample evening availability with their therapists, which they really appreciated.
From one of our Regain testers
“The availability really impressed us. Not only were there night appointments, but there were multiple night appointments most nights of the week. It also helped that we had an incredible therapist who made time in her schedule any week we needed it. I think we would have lost our momentum if we had to go long stretches between appointments or if we’d had to wait a long time before our first appointment.”
Our tester also offered the following insights about the therapists they interacted with on Regain:
- Each therapist was unique, and there was a diverse pool of types of therapists (MFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs), as well as different genders, ethnicities, ages, and religious orientations.
- “The therapists seemed like real people who actually cared.”
Live video sessions
Our testers utilized the video chat and live chat portal options for their therapy and follow-up sessions. Here are the highlights our testers reported:
- Users on Regain can connect with their therapists online via messaging and live (audio or video) sessions on the platform.
- Our tester had positive experiences with the video platform and did not report any glitches or issues.
- Our tester also enjoyed the free group therapy webinar option, which allowed the user to “feel” connected to the larger therapy community (global) on similar topics that were important to couples, such as communication or conflict resolution.
“The platform was intuitive, easy to use and navigate, and it was easy to join the session.” –Regain tester
Live chat sessions
- The live chat sessions were easy to navigate and can be done solo or together, although the live chat option is “stored” so both partners can see it.
- The stored chat option also means you can’t message your therapist privately with Regain. The messaging room is shared between you, your partner, and your therapist, so the group can see all messages. Entries in your digital journal are not shared unless you share them with your therapist and partner in the group messaging room.
- Our tester liked that their therapist messaged them between sessions to check-in.
- Our tester also liked the preliminary “homework” their therapist sent to gain insight into their relationship therapy goals. The survey was easy to fill out in the online portal, too.
Our testers found the worksheets useful, helping them prepare for their live sessions with discussion points.
Experts like Frank Thewes, a licensed clinical social worker in Princeton, New Jersey, encourage self-reflection for each partner in a relationship as an important driver of progress in relationship therapy.
Self-reflection is the secret sauce in couples therapy. That’s why it’s possible to make relationship changes even when you’re attending individual therapy. You have to look at what you do that promotes toxic patterns and incomplete communication. You have to take responsibility for yourself as a way to improve the relationship as a whole.
Frank Thewes, LCSW.
What other users are saying
In our October 2023 survey of 600 online therapy users, we learned that respondents who opted for online couples therapy preferred it over traditional therapy because of the convenience of attending sessions at home. Respondents indicated they chose online couples therapy for the following reasons:
- To avoid commuting to their provider’s office.
- To attend sessions from the privacy of their home.
- Unable to attend in-person sessions due to caregiving responsibilities, i.e., childcare.
We learned with any online therapy platform, finding the right fit with a therapist can still be time-consuming. Our tester couple found their first therapist match quickly, but still had to switch to find a better fit. Similarly, the majority (81 percent) of Regain respondents in our survey took up to two weeks to get started with their therapists.
Taking the time to find the right fit can be rewarding, however. Compared to all respondents who used online therapy platforms, respondents who used Regain used the platform for longer. Sixty-nine percent of respondents who used Regain used the platform for more than six months, compared to 42 percent of all survey respondents.
Getting longer-term support from therapists can help build an effective therapeutic relationship. When we held a focus group interview with real online therapy users, one individual shared how the therapeutic relationship with their therapist motivated them to continue receiving mental health care.
You get used to a certain person, and I look forward to my sessions because this person knows me now. And it takes time. It takes time to build that relationship, and once that relationship is built, it’s like, I don’t want to break that.
Focus group participant, online therapy user.
How much does Regain cost?
A Regain subscription can cost between $65–$90 per week or $260–$360 per month, making it an affordable online therapy platform. According to the platform, subscriptions are billed monthly, and the cost can vary depending on your location and preferences. Like most other online therapy subscriptions, you can cancel your subscription anytime.
You can pay by credit card, PayPal, or Google Pay. Unlike its sister sites, BetterHelp and TeenCounseling, Regain doesn’t allow you to use your Flexible Spending Account (FSA) or Health Savings Account (HSA) funds to pay for its subscription.
Insurance options
Regain does not take insurance for its subscriptions and doesn’t accept FSA or HSA cards. Although most health insurance plans include behavioral health benefits, coverage for couples therapy can vary by insurance plan.
If you are looking for a platform that accepts insurance, read our review of the best online therapy that takes insurance.
Regain financial aid
Regain offers financial aid for users who sign up and can’t afford therapy. After completing the intake questionnaire and registering for a Regain account, we found the financial aid application on the checkout page.
Financial aid is calculated based on factors such as your and your partner’s employment status, financial burden, and veteran or military status.
Our experience with Regain customer service
Despite having a positive experience with the platform’s services and features, our testers experienced an inconvenient back-and-forth with customer service. While canceling their Regain subscription, testers noticed their final appointment was also canceled because it was scheduled the same day that their subscription was set to renew. Our testers had to email Regain customer service a few times to clarify their situation before the platform offered to extend their subscription end date to accommodate their appointment.
Our Regain testing experience
Collectively, the Handbook Team has put in more than 7,500 hours of research, testing, and evaluation to review different online therapy platforms, down to the fine print. We wrote this review to guide you in finding a provider who can best fit your mental health care needs.
Our Handbook Team has consulted with more than 60 mental health experts in total. Testers explore the platforms and attend online therapy sessions for at least four weeks. Our testers are instructed to test the platforms through the lens of a real user, paying attention to how easy or difficult it is to find a therapist they could talk to. Testers log their experience in a diary and come together to share their findings when testing concludes.
Our challenge is to test and evaluate the features and experience of the platforms themselves rather than the care from individual providers.
How we tested Regain
Fill out the intake assessment.
Subscribe as a new user and invite their teen to join the platform.
Get matched with a therapist.
Go through steps to change therapists.
Schedule and attend four weeks of appointments.
Contact customer support with questions.
Explore other platform features, including digital journals and worksheets.
Review billing policies and cancel subscription.
We assign couples to test the Regain platform, and they complete online therapy sessions for four weeks. Our testers try both the desktop platform and the mobile app. These testers use the platform through the lens of a real user, paying attention to how easy or difficult it is to find a therapist they could talk to. The couples compare notes and talk about what tools they found useful in their relationship and what they don’t like about their experience. We combine that documentation with research and interviews with our medical experts. For a review on a couples counseling platform, we speak to Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFTs) and therapists who specialize in relationships.
Compare Regain to other online counseling platforms
| Monthly Cost | $260–$360 | $436 | $440 | $436–$516 | $640–$700† |
| Services Offered | Individual and couples therapy | Individual and couples therapy; Psychiatry | Individual and couples therapy | Individual and couples therapy; Psychiatry; Urgent care | Individual, couples, child, teen, and family therapy; Psychiatry |
| Accepts Insurance? | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
* Monthly cost for four weekly live therapy sessions without using insurance.
† Estimated monthly cost for an initial session ($220) and three follow-up sessions ($160 each), or four follow-up sessions. Actual costs may vary by clinician, per Thriveworks customer service.
Our final verdict
Research has shown that virtual couples counseling can be just as effective as in-person couples counseling. Couples looking for online relationship therapy may find Regain’s feature-packed platform to be a valuable monthly subscription. Our Handbook Team liked that they were matched quickly, could switch therapists easily, and remained connected to their therapist via unlimited messaging between sessions. Unlike other online telehealth platforms that only offer couples therapy sessions, we liked that users on Regain had the option to learn more about themselves and their relationships through self-reflection tools and video lectures. Still, teletherapy may not be right for you and your partner, and Regain is not a good option if you wish to use your insurance to pay for therapy or if you are looking for an online psychiatry option.
Frequently asked questions
Once you sign up for a Regain subscription, you will be matched with a licensed therapist and can book your first appointment. As part of your subscription, you can invite your partner to the platform, and you have access to resources like a digital journal, a shared chat room with your therapist, classes, and the platform’s video lectures about relationship skills and mental health.
Regain is a legitimate online therapy platform that offers relationship therapy sessions with licensed therapists. The platform has provider profiles displaying the therapist’s credentials and license number.
No, Regain doesn’t have a free trial, but it does offer financial assistance for those who qualify.
No, Regain doesn’t take insurance for its subscription.
References
- Braithwaite, S. & Holt-Lunstad, J. (2017). Romantic relationships and mental health. Current Opinion in Psychology, 13: 120–125. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2016.04.001
- Kysley, A., Bishop, B., Kane, R.T., McDevitt, M., De Palma, M., & Rooney, R. (2022, February 3). Couples therapy delivered through videoconferencing: Effects on relationship outcomes, mental health, and the therapeutic alliance. Frontiers in Psychology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.773030