Did you know that you can now find an online therapist or counsellor, and have an online therapy or online counselling session, 24/7? Sites such as Pretty Padded Room, and 7 Cups of Tea, offer help and solace to those in need at the click of a button, some of them including free help!
Licensed Online Therapists
Pretty Padded Room offers licensed therapists, who will give you a confidential, private, online counselling session, starting at $25.00.
As they explain, “Pretty Padded Room is a platform that lets you connect with trained therapists online to release stress easier and faster. And since it’s virtual therapy, our doors are open anytime and anywhere.”
Pretty Padded Room has, as of this writing, eleven therapists (some LCSWs, some PhDs), all of whom, we note, are women. They also offer digital journaling.
The Internet Patrol is completely free, and reader-supported. Your tips via CashApp, Venmo, or Paypal are appreciated! Receipts will come from ISIPP.
CashApp us
Venmo us
Paypal us
Sessions at Pretty Padded Room are $45.00 each, and they also offer monthly package deals (and an introductory session at $25.00).
They also maintain a Pretty Padded Facebook page, where they post motivational messages to their followers.
Free “Active Listeners”
The service that 7 Cups of Tea offers is slightly different, and free. Yes, free.
7 Cups of Tea takes volunteers from all walks of life, and trains them to be “active listeners”. Explains the 7 Cups of Tea site, “Listeners are required to complete an online course which helps develop Active Listening skills. The course also goes over certain scenarios in which a Listener may need to refer the person with whom they are speaking to a professional licensed therapist, counselor, or emergency contact. While many of our Active Listeners happen to be licensed professional counselors and therapists, they do not give medical or psychological advice during conversations.”
This is how they are able to offer a free service. But don’t think that because it’s free, and because the person with whom you are connected may or may not be a licensed therapist, that the service is not useful. In fact, we can imagine it being very useful in many situations.
As 7 Cups explains, “7 Cups of Tea is an on-demand emotional health and well-being service. Our bridging technology anonymously & securely connects real people to real listeners in one-on-one chat.
Anyone who wants to talk about whatever is on their mind can quickly reach out to a trained, compassionate listener through our network. We have hundreds of listeners who come from all walks of life and have diverse experiences.
People connect with listeners on 7 Cups of Tea for all kinds of reasons, from big existential thoughts to small, day-to-day things that we all experience. Unlike talking to family or friends, a 7 Cups of Tea listener doesn’t judge or try to solve problems and say what to do. Our listeners just listen. They understand. They give you the space you need to help you clear your head.”
So, the next time you can’t sleep, in the middle of the night, because you have something on your mind, you just may want to consider opening your laptop and connecting with a listener or a therapist at one of these services.
The Internet Patrol is completely free, and reader-supported. Your tips via CashApp, Venmo, or Paypal are appreciated! Receipts will come from ISIPP.
CashApp us
Venmo us
Paypal us
