MyTherapist.ng Targets Easier Therapy Access in Nigeria

In Short

MyTherapist.ng is a Nigerian startup that helps people find qualified therapists, book appointments, and attend sessions via video, audio, or chat. It also includes mood tracking, journaling, meditation, and breathing exercises for support between sessions.

What Happened: How MyTherapist.ng Runs Its Therapy Platform

Founded in 2021 by Oluwaseun Raphael Afolayan and Dedoyin Ajayi, MyTherapist.ng launched a pilot in October 2022. It then went public and began paid therapy bookings in January 2023.

Afolayan said the idea came from the difficulty of finding “reliable, affordable support” during the pandemic and the aftermath of the EndSARS protests. He described the product as built around practical questions, including, “Who should I speak to? What will it cost? When are they available? How do I fit a session into my day?”

He said the company saw “a gap between deciding you need support and actually receiving it.” That can include trouble finding the right professional, understanding the price, or arranging an appointment.

Beyond 1 to 1 therapy, Mytherapist serves individuals and couples. It also offers access pathways through employers and health maintenance organisations (HMOs).

On monetisation, Mytherapist takes a commission on sessions booked through the platform. It also offers paid corporate wellbeing services and an optional membership called Prime, which provides additional features and benefits.

Afolayan said the startup has more than 25,000 users and over 4,000 completed paid bookings. It has onboarded more than 120 therapists, with over 90 active. He added that users, bookings, and completed sessions measure different things, and said the next stage is improving how reliably people move from signing up to receiving care and returning for further support.

The startup was initially bootstrapped. In 2024, it received a US$5,000 grant from 54Collective, plus around US$7,500 in combined grants from Wema Bank Nigeria, ABC Health, and FATE Foundation.

Nigeria remains its core market, though Afolayan said it has seen users access the platform from abroad. He said the company distinguishes cross border usage from “establishing a local operation in another country.”

Why It Matters

Mytherapist is betting that therapy access improves when users can discover a therapist, book, and attend remote sessions in one place, and use self care tools between appointments.

The company is also trying to reduce reliance on out of pocket payments by adding employer and HMO routes, while it works on strengthening care delivery and distribution in Nigeria.