E-therapy apps see booming business since coronavirus pandemic. I gave one a try.

My new therapist seemed wise and compassionate, with her salt-and-pepper bob and sensible glasses. But given we’d never met, how could I know she wasn’t really some guy in a poodle suit, downing Tequila shots while chuckling away at my inner child’s expense?

After all, she (or he) was my texting therapist, hired with Tinder-like ease as I clicked on her photo online. Life is hard, and the psychiatrist who helped me through my tortured early 20s retired, so I figured I’d give it a try.

As it turns out,...