Online therapy platforms connect people with licensed clinicians by text, video or app. The category spans consumer subscriptions, insurance-friendly services and employer benefit programs. BetterHelp, Talkspace, Cerebral, Brightside Health, Modern Health, Real, Joon and Brainworks all advertise here. Their ads show how brands talk about a sensitive subject, lower the barrier to a first session and balance emotional resonance with the strict rules that govern health and mental health advertising.
BetterHelp is the world's largest online therapy platform, founded in 2013 and acquired by Teladoc Health in 2015. With over 30,000 licensed therapists, it defined the DTC teletherapy category through aggressive podcast sponsorships, YouTube creator integrations, and high-volume paid social — becoming the blueprint for mental health DTC marketing.
Brainworks is a UK neurofeedback company founded in 2007, among the first in Britain to offer the therapy clinically. Operating from London, it provides in-clinic and at-home neurofeedback using 19-sensor QEEG brain mapping for ADHD, anxiety, PTSD, autism, and depression, with sessions available 9am–9pm.
Brightside Health is a San Francisco telehealth platform founded in 2019 that combines therapy and psychiatric medication management for depression and anxiety. Co-founded by a psychiatrist (Mimi Winsberg), the brand differentiates on clinical outcomes — citing data that 75% of members improve — rather than purely on convenience or price. Also searched as Brightside.
Cerebral is a US telehealth platform founded in 2020 offering subscription-based mental health care including therapy, psychiatry, and medication management for ADHD, anxiety, and depression. It scaled rapidly via aggressive digital advertising before navigating regulatory scrutiny around stimulant prescribing.
Joon is a US DTC child mental health platform that matches families with licensed therapists while keeping kids engaged via a gamified companion app. The dual-track model addresses the dropout problem endemic to traditional pediatric therapy.
Modern Health is a San Francisco mental health platform founded in 2017 that sells primarily to employers as a comprehensive employee benefit covering therapy, coaching, psychiatry, and digital wellness tools. Achieving unicorn status in 2021, it is one of the most-funded workplace mental health startups and operates in 200+ countries.
Pathways is a technology brand in the health-fitness space; specific product details are limited, but the brand appears to offer app or platform-based tools related to wellness or personal development. It markets primarily direct-to-consumer through digital channels.
Real is a New York-based mental health app founded in 2019 by Ariela Safira that brings the evidence base of group therapy to a mobile subscription at $28/month. Backed by Lightspeed and athlete-investors Megan Rapinoe and Eric Kendricks, it differentiates from 1:1 teletherapy platforms by making peer group sessions with licensed therapist facilitation the core product.
Talkspace is a New York-based online therapy platform founded in 2012 that pioneered text-message-based therapy and drove mainstream telemental health adoption through major TV campaigns and celebrity partnerships, notably Michael Phelps. It went public via SPAC in 2021 and has expanded into insurance and B2B EAP channels.
Most online therapy ads open with empathy and convenience. They name a feeling or situation, then show how simple it is to start: a short questionnaire, matching with a provider, and sessions from home. Calls to action center on a quiz or sign-up flow. Brands differ by model. BetterHelp and Talkspace speak to adults wanting flexible, accessible counseling, with Talkspace emphasizing insurance-friendly access. Cerebral and Brightside Health pair therapy with medication management for conditions such as ADHD, anxiety and depression. Real offers group therapy via app. Joon speaks to parents of kids with anxiety. Brainworks promotes non-drug treatment. Modern Health sells to employers, so its ads address HR and benefits buyers instead of patients. Creative uses testimonials, calm visuals, creator partnerships and short explainer videos. Because this is health advertising, claims are cautious, and platforms have rules about targeting and sensitive attributes.
Pay attention to tone. Reassuring, plain language usually outperforms clinical jargon in this category, but brands strike different balances. Note how each one names the problem and how directly it does so. Compare the entry point: quiz, matching, free consult, insurance check. These show how each brand lowers friction and who it expects the buyer to be. Watch who is addressed. Individuals, parents, patients and employers need different messaging. Modern Health and Joon demonstrate how much copy changes when the audience shifts. Finally, look at compliance patterns. Wording about outcomes, medication and diagnosis tends to be careful. Saving long-running ads shows which phrasing survives platform review. Treat this as research and confirm current rules for health advertising before launching your own campaigns.
They lead with empathy and ease: name a common struggle, then show a quick quiz, provider match and sessions from home. Testimonials, creator partnerships and short explainers are common, and claims stay cautious because of health ad rules. Filter by date, country and format in AdLibrary to see which creative has stayed in rotation, then save the strongest examples to compare hooks, proof and offers.
Cerebral, BetterHelp, Talkspace, Modern Health, Brightside Health, Real, Joon and Brainworks are included, from consumer subscriptions to employer benefits. Open any brand page to see its ads, then compare hooks, formats and offers side by side to see how each brand positions itself against the others in the category.
Different brands target adults seeking counseling (BetterHelp, Talkspace), people needing therapy plus medication (Cerebral, Brightside Health), parents (Joon) and employers (Modern Health). Reviewing each ad shows which audience it is built for. Filter by date, country and format in AdLibrary to see which creative has stayed in rotation, then save the strongest examples to compare hooks, proof and offers.
Search and save ads from every brand above across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and more.
See all ads on AdLibrary →