Best Online Addiction & Substance Abuse Counseling Services (2024) (2024)

Pros

• Specialized platform for sobriety and AUD support
• Offers plan options that combine medication management, group therapy, and individual therapy online
• Includes unlimited messaging with providers
• Offers a free community membership with group sessions and a peer support forum
• Accepts insurance
• Accepts Medicare and Medicaid in some states

Cons

• Therapy plans not available in all states
• Physicians treat AUD only
• Physician care membership requires per-session fees for prescriber appointments

Session Format Therapist-moderated group sessions; unlimited messaging with your physician; live video sessions

Cost $9.99 to $249 per month; free community membership available

Prescribes Medication Yes

Accepts Insurance Yes

Monument is an online platform that specializes in supporting people with alcohol use disorder. It has plans that offer different ways of supporting sobriety: therapist-moderated group sessions, a peer support forum, medication management, and therapy sessions.

When signing up, individuals will complete a 15-item questionnaire that assesses the severity of the AUD symptoms they’re experiencing. After viewing their assessment results, Monument will recommend one of four plans: Free, Physician Care, Total Care Biweekly, or Total Care Weekly.

In its therapy sessions, licensed therapists use cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and motivational interviewing (MI) techniques with the aim of empowering sustainable behavioral changes. According to the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers Incorporated, MI involves the therapist engaging with their client as an equal partner while refraining from offering unsolicited advice. A meta-analysis published in Addiction found that the combination of CBT and MI had a clinically significant effect in the treatment of people with both AUD and major depressive disorder.

Monument can connect you with a licensed physician who can evaluate you and initiate medication management, if appropriate. Monument physicians specialize in the treatment of AUD and may prescribe either naltrexone (Vivitrol) or disulfiram (Antabuse) as part of your treatment plan, if appropriate. Monument can send your prescription to Amazon Pharmacy, which delivers your prescription medication from Monument to your home at no additional cost.

Monument does not have licensed providers in all 50 states. For therapy and medication management, you must live in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, California, Pennsylvania, Washington, Virginia, Georgia, Colorado, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Kentucky, Florida, Ohio, Arizona, Iowa, or Washington, DC.

Therapist-moderated support groups on Monument happen weekly or twice a week at set times. Subscribers can join with their nickname and have the option to participate however they feel comfortable. It’s optional to turn on the microphone or camera or join the group chat. The therapists moderating the groups can offer guidance and reminders of lessons or resources, as well as encourage connections and shared experiences in the group. After the group session concludes, attendees can join a discussion group with other attendees to continue with chat-based peer support. When a member of our reviews team joined a support group session, they found it to be a welcoming space where attendees were gently encouraged to take advantage of the support offered by their peers.

Monument Plan Options and Pricing

Monument offers four plan options to support people with AUD: a free community membership, a Physician Care plan, and two Total Care Plans (one with weekly therapy sessions and one with biweekly therapy sessions).

The community membership includes access to 60-minute therapist-moderated group sessions and an anonymous 24/7 group discussion forum where attendees can get support from their peers.

The Physician Care plan costs $9.99 a month, plus a $45 initial fee for one online physician appointment and a medical intake assessment. The plan includes unlimited messaging with your physician, but follow-up visits with the physician cost $45 per session. Monument recommends that subscribers to this plan check in with their physician every 90 days. The cost of the medication is not included. You can either use your pharmacy copay or pay out of pocket. Monument states that, on average, a 30-day supply of daily medication costs less than $40 per month, out of pocket.

The Total Care plans include everything offered in the Physician Care plan and the community membership, plus 45-minute live video therapy sessions with a licensed therapist. There are two types of Total Care plans:

• Total Care (Biweekly) Two therapy appointments per month
• Total Care (Weekly) Four therapy appointments per month

Monument accepts insurance and lists the carriers it accepts by state on its insurance webpage. If your insurance carrier isn’t listed, you can check your eligibility by completing an online form, and Monument will get back to you via email within 24 hours. Monument accepts Medicare in Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and Washington. It accepts Medicaid in New York and Virginia.

Compare Monument Plans