During House Hunting Stress, My Partner and I Turned to MDLIVE for Couples Therapy

Overall, my partner and I have a healthy, happy relationship. But like all couples, there are good and not-so-good times. We started house-hunting in May, a process filled with both excitement and overwhelming stress. And, to be honest, a few heated arguments. Any big change is bound to be stressful, and with the current real estate market, that normal stress has only been exacerbated.

So, when the opportunity to try out couples therapy at MDLIVE arose, it was perfect timing. We figured it would be a perfect way to navigate the experience of buying a house without being at each other’s throats.

MDLIVE is a general telehealth platform rather than a therapy-specific one. It offers urgent care, primary care, dermatology, and mental health services including online therapy and psychiatry to individuals aged 10 and up. To be honest, this concerned me: I wondered if a platform that exclusively catered to mental health would provide better therapy services. I shouldn’t have worried—MDLIVE proved to be the absolute best online therapy platform I’ve ever encountered.

I’ve tried a few different online companies and, although I’ve had good experiences, none of them have been quite as effective for me as in-person therapy. Plenty of studies have demonstrated the efficacy of online therapy, but that hasn’t always been the case for me. MDLIVE was the exception. Of all the other platforms I’ve tried, it was the only one that felt comparable to in-person therapy.

Here's how our month of couples therapy at MDLIVE went.

How I Signed Up 

The MDLIVE website is clean, easy to navigate, and incredibly user-friendly. There is a ton of information about the company and services available on the homepage and navigation is clear. Throughout the site, I found buttons inviting me to “learn more” or “see a doctor.” Under the “Patients” tab at the top of the page, you can click on any of the services to learn more about them.

When I navigated to the “Mental Health” page, I was happy to find that it was just as well-organized and upfront as the rest of the website. There is an explanation of how therapy with MDLIVE works, a list of common issues therapists can help with, and a definition of how psychiatry differs from therapy. Prices are also clearly outlined—this was refreshing to me since so many therapy companies utilize a geographical pricing system, where the cost of therapy varies based on where you live.

After first creating an account, I was taken to a private patient portal. Since MDLIVE offers multiple services, the portal serves as a central hub for patients to schedule appointments, message providers, and access all medical and health records.

Once on the portal, I finished the sign-up process by entering information about my health history (current medications, allergies, surgeries, etc.), my behavioral health history (reason for seeking therapy, past diagnoses or hospitalizations), my lifestyle (sleep quality, exercise habits, use of alcohol, etc.), and family history. All in all, the whole thing took a total of 10 minutes.

Pricing 

Unlike other teletherapy companies, MDLIVE does not offer any subscription options for online therapy users. Instead, you pay per-session. Prices are transparent and straightforward. 

If paying out-of-pocket, therapy sessions cost $108 each. Psychiatry appointments will cost $284 for the initial appointment and $108 for follow-up visits.

number of popular insurance plans, including Cigna, Humana, and Aetna. Unfortunately, my insurance plan wasn’t covered, so I ended up paying $108 for each session. Even still, I found the price comparable to other platforms I’ve used in the past, and on the lower end of national averages. 

Therapist Selection and Scheduling 

The patient portal makes it easy to schedule appointments for any type of care—you’ll simply log on and select the service you’re seeking.

After choosing “therapy,” I was prompted to input my primary concern. I could either search for a mental health condition or select a pre-written concern from a list of examples, including: 

• I have been feeling down
• I have experienced trauma
• I recently had major life changes
• I have relationship issues

Because I was interested in testing couples therapy, I chose “relationship issues.” However, that option also had an information tab and when I clicked on it, the following pop-up appeared:  

“We primarily provide individual counseling. However, our providers can advise you if couples counseling is more appropriate.”

I was a little confused as to whether or not I would actually be able to receive couples therapy, so I just hoped for the best and clicked “continue.”

Next, I was able to choose my therapist and schedule an appointment. Therapists at MDLIVE are all licensed mental health counselors, social workers, or marriage and family therapists. I could choose from a list of therapists licensed in my state.

I was also really happy to find that several providers offered night and evening appointment times. Since my partner works during the day, we ended up choosing a therapist that offered the most flexible scheduling options.

How Therapy Sessions Work 

Depending on the provider, therapy sessions with MDLIVE can be done via phone or video. For phone sessions, the therapist will call you at the appointment time. Video sessions, which are what we had, are held through the website or the mobile app. In between sessions, you can also message your provider through your patient portal. However, MDLIVE does not offer an instant chat or texting option. 

After scheduling our first appointment, I received a message from our therapist letting me know that he had another client right before our session and might be five minutes late. I’ve had to wait for other therapists before, without being warned ahead of time, so getting a heads up was greatly appreciated. 

I also liked that the platform offers gentle reminders. I received a few emails in the days leading up to the appointment as well as a text 15 minutes ahead of time.

Our First Therapy Session 

At the beginning of the session, our therapist introduced himself, told us how long he’d been practicing, and then briefly explained confidentiality. I have a background in psychology and have been to therapy before, so I was already familiar with client confidentiality, but none of the other online providers I’ve been to have done this. Every therapist I’ve seen in person has, however, so this small detail instantly made him seem more professional.

Then, he asked us some questions about our relationship and why we were seeking therapy. He started the session by asking us, “What was it that initially drew you to your partner?” I thought that was a good, positive way to break the ice, especially before delving deeper into the things we wanted to work on. 

The entire session felt easy and comfortable—he was understanding and empathetic while also challenging us to see things from each other’s perspective. At the end of the session, he asked us if we felt like he was a good fit and whether or not we wanted to continue therapy with him. Even though it can be an awkward topic, I liked that he didn’t just assume we liked him and try to schedule another appointmentt without making sure we were interested.

We really clicked with our therapist, so we went ahead and scheduled our next appointment with him at the end of the session. While we chose to stick with him throughout our month of therapy, MDLIVE makes switching providers easy. From your patient portal, you have the option to schedule a follow-up appointment or choose a different provider.

Our Second Session 

During our second session, we ran into some technical issues. Just like before, we logged on to the MDLIVE platform and, while the video was clear, the audio wasn’t. As a result, our therapist was having a hard time hearing us clearly. To make sure we had an effective session, he suggested calling us on the phone to talk, but still leaving the video on so we could still see one another.

While this workaround was successful, it was frustrating to deal with glitchy technology. Initially, I thought it might be due to the fact that we had storms in our area, but since we ran into the same problem in our next few sessions, it was clear that it was the MDLIVE website.

Still, once we were able to circumvent the technical bugs, we were both happy with the actual therapy.

He gave us both the opportunity to speak freely and, even though our sessions lasted an hour, they never felt too long. Instead, it felt exactly like my past experiences with in-person therapy—personal, comforting, and substantial.  

Pros and Cons: 

I absolutely loved our experience with MDLIVE, but there are always pros and cons to every company.

Final Thoughts 

My partner and I were both equally impressed with MDLIVE. Despite some technical issues with the therapy platform, the quality of care we received was fantastic.

Finding the right provider is one of the most essential aspects of therapy, so I liked that I was able to choose my own therapist. Our therapist was empathetic, warm, and genuine, and it made a big difference. I’ve tried multiple forms of therapy in the past, and my preference has always been in-person over online. However, my experience with MDLIVE really proved that a good client-therapist relationship can transcend location and cultivate an online therapy environment that’s just as welcoming and effective as in-person therapy.

Based on our experience with MDLIVE, we’re among the vast majority of users who had a truly incredible time utilizing its online therapy. In fact, we liked it so much that we’re going to continue using the platform for therapy going forward.