How Much Do Online Therapists Make?
Takeaway: Online therapists and licensed mental health professionals have the potential to earn a comfortable, sustainable, and even high income providing therapy online. With the right approach, it’s possible to build a rewarding and lucrative remote therapy career.
Your actual remote therapist salary will depend on several key factors—including your chosen career path, the online therapy platforms you partner with, and whether you decide to build your own private practice or opt for a hybrid model. By leveraging your skills and making strategic choices, you can maximize your earning potential and thrive in the growing world of online therapy
Take my client, who we'll call Sarah. Sarah, a marriage and family therapist, was working as a remote therapist on one of those big therapy tech companies. She was providing therapy through video and phone calls, working over 40 hours a week, and still struggling to take a vacation. Like many therapists working in online therapy jobs, Sarah wondered: How can I increase my income as an online therapist without burning out? Sarah decided to cut out the middle man launch a cash pay remote practice. Now she's working less, paying her bills with ease, and taking time off.
If we haven’t met, I’m Felicia, a licensed therapist (LMFT) and business coach. I help online mental health therapists, including licensed clinical social workers, licensed marriage and family therapists, and licensed professional counselors, and psychologists, build profitable online therapy practices and make money online—without sacrificing their well-being.
In this post, I’ll share real numbers of online therapist salaries, the key factors that impact your earnings, and actionable steps to help you thrive in the online counseling and virtual therapy space.
The Short Answer: How Much Do Online Therapists Make?
Online therapists in the U.S. typically earn between $30,000 and $150,000+ annually, depending on their work setting, caseload, session fees, and whether they operate their own practice or work for online therapy platforms.
| Setting | Estimated Annual Income | Average Rate per Session | Benefits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Talkspace/BetterHelp Therapist | $30,000–$60,000 | $22.50–$80/session | High volume, lower rates |
| Insurance-based Online Practice | $50,000–$80,000 | $60–$120/session | Moderate caseload, potentially less marketing |
| Cash-Pay Online Practice | $75,000–$150,000+ | $120–$250+/session | Lower volume, premium rates |
| Hybrid Online/In-Person Practice | $80,000–$200,000+ | $120–$300+/session | Flexibility, multiple revenue streams |
| Online Group Practice Owner | $100,000–$300,000+ | Varies | Passive income from other clinicians |
Most fully licensed therapists working for online platforms like BetterHelp or Talkspace therapists report lower average salaries, while those who develop their own private practice or hybrid therapy practice can earn significantly more.
Key Factors That Influence Online Therapist Salary
Now, let's take a deeper dive into what actually impacts how much money you can make as a virtual therapist.
Your Work Setting
Where you provide therapy services is the biggest factor. Online therapy platforms often pay lower rates per session, even as they charge clients premium fees. Licensed therapists who run their own online private practice or offer family therapy and marriage and family therapy independently can set their own rates and keep more of their earnings.
Your Session Fees
Setting your session fees too low can limit your income and may even deter clients seeking quality mental health care. Many professionals find that raising fees not only increases their online therapist salary but also attracts more committed clients. Get my free Private Practice Fee Calculator here.
Your Caseload Management
How many clients you see each week affects both your income and your well-being. Many online mental health therapists mistakenly believe that seeing more clients automatically means more money, but without setting your perfect fee and having the right cancellation policy, this often leads to burnout. The most successful therapists provide therapy to 12–15 clients per week, allowing for better work-life balance and quality care.
Your Business Model
Are you an independent contractor for online therapy platforms, or do you own your own practice? Owning your own online therapy business, even as a solo practitioner, means you keep all your session fees and have more control over your schedule and services. You still have operating expenses as a business owner, but in most cases you'll still make more money.
Your Specialty and Niche
Specializing in specific mental health conditions, like ADHD or eating disorders, and working with niche clients, like couples or children, can help you attract more clients and command higher fees. Those with advanced training in mental health disorders and trained in high demand modalities like IFS or EMDR, often see higher demand.
Examples: What Online Mental Health Therapists Actually Make
While your salary will vary based on all the factors we just discussed, it can be helpful to see some real-life examples to better understand what working as an online therapist could look like for you.
The Platform Survivor: Lisa’s Story
Lisa, a licensed professional counselor, started on BetterHelp and made about $45,000 annually, seeing 25+ clients a week. After launching her own private online therapy practice, she reduced her caseload, increased her session fees, and now earns over $127,000 a year while providing therapy to fewer clients and enjoying flexible scheduling.
The Insurance Optimizer: Marcus’s Journey
Marcus, a licensed clinical social worker, strategically panels with select insurance companies and sees 16 clients a week via video calls, earning about $91,000 annually. His overhead is low, and he provides therapy exclusively from home.
The Hybrid Entrepreneur: Jennifer’s Success
Jennifer, a psychologist with a doctorate degree, combines online counseling with group therapy, clinical supervision, and workshops. Her diversified therapy services bring in over $159,000 annually, demonstrating how online mental health professionals can develop multiple income streams. Learn how to add another revenue stream or add retreats to your business.
How to Increase Your Income as an Online Therapist
Listen closely when I say this: you can be an effective, compassionate therapist and make good money doing—and it's okay to want that. Here are some of my top tips for growing a profitable practice as a virtual clinician. (P.S. Check out my podcast, The Bad Therapist Show, for even more insight on how to scale your practice without burning out.)
Raise Your Fees Strategically
What it is: You probably know you need to raise your fee. But do you know how to raise it strategically? Having the right fee for you is the difference between continuing to struggle and overwork or finally having the income and life you want.
How to do it: Don't rely on what other therapists are charging to set your fee. Take your financial needs, caseload preferences into account. You can se a Private Practice Fee Calculator like The Magic Sheets to get started and get the exact tools and templates you need adjust your rates inside The Fee Formula.
Why it works: Without a clear strategy for raising your fees, you're likely to repeat common mistakes like charging a much too low fee just because other therapists in your area do too. Factoring in your own needs and capacity allows you to feel confident stating your fee, to know why your fee is what it is, and helps you understand the investments you'll need to make in marketing to attract clients at that fee.
Build Your Own Online Therapy Practice
What it is: Creating a fully remote therapy practice is easier than ever and while you will have some overhead costs, you have the freedom to charge much higher fees AND you don't have to split your fee with a tech giant.
How to do it: Did you know in most cases you can register and start a business in one day? It's really not as hard as you think and I've made is especially easy with my Starting a Private Practice Checklist.
Why it works: Transitioning from an independent contractor for online platforms to owning your own practice gives you control over your schedule, fees, and client base. Licensed therapists who run their own practice can provide therapy on their terms and keep 100% of their earnings. With the right support and tools, you can do this too! Invest in the right marketing strategy from day 1 to get even faster results.
Pick a Niche and Market Your Practice
What it is: One of the benefits of partnering with one of those big tech therapy companies is that you don't need to do any marketing to get clients. But marketing is an important and necessary part of every successful practice.
How to do it: I know picking a niche can feel hard and marketing is even more daunting. But I promise you it gets easier over time. Listen to How to Choose a Niche You Love (Episode 4) on The Bad Therapist Show and join the next cohort of Liberated Business to get business coaching from me and access to the most up-to-date and effect marketing strategies for therapists.
Why it works: I am living proof the power of marketing. Believe me when I say I used to HATE marketing. While I don't always love it (like I would't marry it or anything), I have so much respect for it. It's what's allowed me to save more money than ever before, pay off debt, and travel the world. Good marketing speaks to your people, it makes you and your work more visible, and that means more people get help. It's a good thing.
Focus on Client Retention
What it is: Implement systems to ensure the client journey exceptional from the very start.
How to do it: Make it easy for potential clients to reach out, respond to inquires quickly, and create a smooth onboarding process. Set clear attendance and cancellation policies while building a strong therapeutic environment.
Why it works: Client experience matters, especially when you're charing higher rates. Retaining clients is more efficient than constantly trying to find clients.
Develop Additional Revenue Streams
What it is: Once your practice is humming along, it's time to build on that momentum and start scaling your business for more impact, more income, and more variety.
How to do it: Consider offering group therapy, clinical supervision for those completing supervised clinical hours, or create scalable offers like courses, programs, or retreats. Pitch yourself for paid speaking engagements or collaborate with other business to offer paid workshops. Always consider what would make you happy and what your audience wants.
Why it works: Creating additional revenue streams not only takes the pressure off your client work as your only source of income, it also adds variety to your work and can dramatically increase your income. This can help you serve more clients, increasing your income without taking on a full-time job’s worth of individual sessions.
Is Online Therapy a Good Career Path?
The short answer is yes, online therapy can be a good career path—but it really depends on how you go about it.
Online therapy offers flexibility, the ability to work from anywhere, and the chance to make a positive impact on people struggling with mental health issues. Many therapists appreciate the work-life balance, flexible scheduling, and opportunities to provide therapy to more clients than traditional in-person therapy allows.
However, your online therapist salary will vary based on several factors: your credentials (master’s degree or doctoral degree), licensing requirements, clinical supervision, job market demand, and your approach to building your therapy practice. Many therapists start as independent contractors or on teletherapy jobs to gain experience before launching their own practice.
Final Thoughts: Building a Sustainable Online Therapy Practice
Your earning potential as an online therapist is not limited by working online—it’s shaped by your willingness to treat your therapy practice as a real business. Whether you’re a licensed clinical social worker, licensed professional counselor, or marriage and family therapist, there are more resources and opportunities than ever to earn a competitive salary with a fully remote practice.
Working with a business coach can help give you the support and courage to make dramatic changes in your business for the better. As a therapist myself, I understand the risks and rewards of private practice. That's what makes business coaching with me so different. Get my free private practice fee calculator and Check out the "Work with me" section of my website to learn about courses, programs, retreats, and private business coaching
Since 2019, I've been helping therapists across the United States and Canada achieve their private practice dreams allowing them to scale back their client work while scaling up their income. I help you clarify your ideal client, hone your marketing and messaging, heal your money wounds, and increase your visibility online to increase your income and create a bigger impact.
Stop accepting low wages from online therapy platforms and start building a practice that delivers quality mental health services to your clients while supporting your own well-being. With the right strategy, you can focus on what you love—providing emotional support to those who need it and make a positive impact—all while earning what you deserve in the evolving world of online mental health care.
