Talkspace, a leader in online mental health therapy, has always focused on making professional support accessible to those who need it. With a mission to provide easy, affordable, and confidential therapy, they’ve helped millions find relief through text, audio, and video-based therapy sessions. But beyond professional support, they recognized a growing need—users also wanted a sense of community, a space where they could connect with others facing similar struggles.
<sprscript-green>The Challenge<sprscript-green>
Creating peer connection that’s safe, supportive, and on teen terms
Teens are facing a mental health crisis. According to the CDC, over 40% of high school students report persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness. In this emotionally complex time of life, peer connection is more than just helpful—it’s vital.
But creating those connections isn’t easy. Many teens struggle with social anxiety, identity formation, and fear of judgment. Much of their interaction happens online, where communication can be misread and cruelty is only a comment away. Recognizing the need for a space that reflected the way teens communicate—with honesty, emotion, and authenticity—Talkspace set out to create a peer support feature that would complement therapy, not replace it.
They needed a partner that could help them build an environment teens could trust: a space that was moderated, emotionally safe, and fully aligned with clinical goals—while still feeling natural and engaging for teens.
<sprscript-green>Why Social+<sprscript-green>
The right partner to build peer support within the therapy experience
Talkspace chose Social+ because it offered the flexibility to add a fully embedded social experience within the Teenspace platform—rather than bolting on a third-party forum or redirecting users to a separate app. This meant the experience could be fully customized, deeply integrated into the Talkspace therapy journey, and designed from the ground up for teens.
Crucially, Social+ also offered scalability. As Talkspace continues evolving its offering to meet the needs of different populations, Social+ provides a foundation for future expansion into features like real-time chat, short-form video, and even live interaction—ensuring Talkspace can continue to meet teens where they are.
<sprscript-green>Implementation and Use Case<sprscript-green>
Building teenspace community: Anonymous, safe, and designed with teens
Teenspace Community was co-developed by Talkspace’s clinical team alongside real teens to ensure that the experience would feel authentic, safe, and emotionally resonant. Social+ made it possible to bring this vision to life quickly and securely through its modular SDKs, allowing the Talkspace team to maintain control over both design and functionality.
The feature is now available to partners offering Talkspace teen therapy, and it's designed to function in three key ways:
Teens are prompted each day with a reflection question to encourage self-expression and emotional insight. They can respond anonymously, see how others answer, and begin to build a sense of connection and shared experience.
They can also react to and affirm each other’s reflections using emojis or encouraging comments—giving and receiving support in simple, positive ways that help them feel seen and valued.
Finally, teens can choose to share their reflections directly with their therapist with a tap, providing additional insight for therapy sessions without needing to reframe their thoughts.
With continuous moderation powered by clinical experts and AI tools, Teenspace Community stays safe, supportive, and troll-free. Every participant is verified to be a real teen receiving therapy through Talkspace, ensuring authenticity across the board.
<sprscript-green>Results and Impact<sprscript-green>
Early engagement and strong foundations for emotional growth
Though recently launched, Teenspace Community is already showing signs of meaningful impact. Teens are engaging actively, expressing themselves more freely in therapy, and building positive patterns of peer interaction.
Research supports this approach: structured peer support has been shown to reduce depression, anxiety, and loneliness, offering teens not just emotional relief, but a sense of agency and empowerment. With the combined structure of therapy and peer interaction, Talkspace is seeing deeper engagement and more holistic support for the teens in their care.
“We know that young people turn more toward their peers in this season of their lives, and that’s why we are passionate about meeting young people where they are and creating a safe space for them to show up for each other,” said Liz Colizza, Director of Research and Programs at Talkspace. “Peer support is increasingly recognized as an important component of supporting young people’s mental health, because it allows young people to connect over shared experiences and it empowers them to provide encouragement and support for each other.”
<sprscript-green>Future Plans<sprscript-green>
Bringing therapy and peer support together, at scale
Talkspace sees Teenspace Community not just as a feature, but as a model for modern, multi-modal mental health care. By combining clinical therapy with structured peer support in one seamless platform, they’re offering teens the kind of connection that builds resilience and accelerates healing.
With Social+ as their technology partner, Talkspace plans to expand this model to reach even more users, add richer interaction formats like short-form video and live content, and continue delivering mental health support that fits into real life—especially teen life.
As more schools, employers, and organizations look for ways to support the mental health of young people, Teenspace Community stands out as a powerful, evidence-backed solution that empowers teens, strengthens families, and helps entire communities thrive.
