This post is sponsored by Peer Collective
I was looking for a new therapist due to most places not working with my insurance.
I saw an opportunity to try out online counselling and I immediately jumped at the chance to try something new to fix my anxiety-ridden life.
Signing up for a profile on the Peer Collective website was fairly easy. First, the site asks what someone wants to work on, gender preference of the counsellor (with LGBTQ+ options!), race preferences, etc.
With this information, they match the person with the best peer counsellor, including a short bio. Most are short blurbs about the peer counsellor’s life, how how they conduct sessions.
They also show a few that don’t match everything asked for, but have most of the preferences.
Then, you pick a time and date. Some peer counsellors are booked two months out, and some you can book in the next hour!
My favourite counsellor was usually available most days.
I decided to do a phone call for my first session because of my anxiety of being on camera. Also the perk of not having to get out of bed and get dressed to go to therapy was a win for me.
For my first peer session, I chose someone who was a POC. It was my first time having a Black therapist and I didn’t know what to expect.
When the session started, she asked me what I wanted to talk about. I realized I missed a box I had to fill out on what our session was about so I promptly apologised. Even with the mishap, talking to someone from the same race was a welcoming experience.
I was more at ease and felt she could relate to more to my problems. It was super friendly and inviting; rather than the sterilised therapy visits I used to go to.
For my other sessions, I tried different variations of age, race and LGBTQ+ people. All of the counsellors at Peer Collective were nice, and were great at helping me feel better about what was happening in my life.
Each one had a different way of working through how I was feeling so I could see how each person personally shined at this job.
Personally, I thought it was cool that all the peer counsellors I interacted with asked if it was okay if they shared something from their own lives to relate to what was happening.
It was a nice gesture, instead of steering the session instantly into a conversation about themselves.
I also asked about if Peer Collective sessions would be covered under a flexible spending account, but I didn’t hear back before finishing this article.
I realised after my four appointments with Peer Collective that I ended up laughing with all the peer counsellors instead of crying.
I was feeling more refreshed and motivated after my appointments than I did at my in-person therapy.
So far, I’ve already recommended the site to another friend to try since it, as it’s inexpensive and all the counsellors are great to work with.
As for me, I’ve already booked my next couple of sessions.
if you’d like to try out Peer Collective, you can sign up with TB2020 to get an hour’s session free. Just insert the code at checkout!
