Matching at Lebona is done by people, not an algorithm. That makes it better and slower. Here is exactly what happens, how long each part takes, who reads your answers, and what you can change.
Start the intake formAbout 8 minutes · free · no account
One question per screen, so nothing feels like paperwork. You'll be asked which country you're in, what kind of support you want, which language you're most comfortable in, and a short well-being check adapted from PHQ-4, GAD-7 and WHO-5. At the end we ask how you'd like to be contacted and when. Every answer stays in your browser until you press submit.
Start it nowWithin 24–48 hours
A trained care coordinator, a person, not an automated system, reads your answers and works through the verified therapist pool in your country. They weigh language, gender preference, therapy style, availability and the specific difficulty you described. If your answers suggest you need more than online care, or need it faster than we can provide, they tell you that honestly and point you at the right service instead.
On your chosen channel
We contact you on WhatsApp, Telegram, by phone or by email, whichever you picked, at the time of day you said suits you. You get a short introduction to your proposed therapist: who they are, where they trained, how they work, and why the coordinator thinks they fit. If something feels wrong, say so and you'll be offered someone else.
Usually the same working day
Pay through the channel you already use, Telebirr or bank transfer in Ethiopia, M-Pesa in Kenya, MTN or Airtel Money in Rwanda. Send back a screenshot or transaction ID, we verify it by hand, and your session is confirmed in writing with the time and how to join.
Fees & payment detailA human reading your intake form catches things a form never will, but it means a 24 to 48 hour wait. This service is not for immediate medical emergencies. If you are in crisis, contact your national helpline directly: Ethiopia 952 · Kenya 1190 · Rwanda 116, or go to the nearest health facility.
Most people have never done this before. That is completely normal.
There is no exam and no correct way to start. "I don't know where to begin" is a perfectly good first sentence. Your therapist will help you find the thread.
Most sessions run over the channel that works best for you: a call, a video link, or messaging. Lebona's code of conduct applies to your therapist there exactly as it would in a clinic.
Switch between Amharic, Kiswahili, Kinyarwanda and English mid-sentence if that is how you think. Your therapist will follow.
You are not being billed for performance. Sitting quietly for a minute is often where the useful part starts.
Trauma work in particular is never rushed. Nothing gets opened before you have somewhere safe to put it down.
Many people need six to twelve sessions, not years. When you're ready to stop, you and your therapist plan the ending together.
The self-guided side is permanently free. Sessions are paid locally, per session or in blocks, and nothing is charged before you have been matched.
Worksheets, guided audio, screenings, mood tracking and the whole article library. No account, no card.
Telebirr and bank transfer in Ethiopia, M-Pesa in Kenya, MTN and Airtel Money in Rwanda. Verified by hand against your receipt.
Fully subsidised places each month for students, unemployed people and low-income households. No means test, no documents.
Stored in your own browser while you answer it. On submit it is compiled into our internal care-coordination tracker, where it is read by one coordinator and the therapist you are matched with. We say this plainly because matching is manual: a person really does read it.
Held off-platform on the channel you chose. Your therapist keeps brief clinical notes, as they are professionally required to, and remains bound by Lebona's code of conduct and by their national board.
If there is a serious and immediate risk to your life or someone else's, your therapist is obliged to act to keep people safe. They will tell you they are doing it, and involve you wherever possible.
No. Most people who come to Lebona have never seen a mental health professional and have no diagnosis. You do not need a doctor's letter, and you do not need to be struggling at all: a large share of our users come for stress management, burnout prevention and personal growth.
Every clinician holds a recognised qualification in clinical or counselling psychology, social work or psychiatry, and is registered with their national body: the Kenya Counsellors and Psychologists Board, the Ethiopian Ministry of Health, or the Rwanda Allied Health Professions Council. We verify credentials directly with the issuing institution, check references, and require ongoing supervision. Therapists who accumulate unresolved complaints are removed from the roster.
Yes. A significant number of our clients are East Africans living abroad who want a therapist who understands the cultural context without it having to be explained. The intake form asks for your country so we can match time zones and confirm the therapist is permitted to work with you where you live. Choose "Somewhere else" and a coordinator will tell you honestly what is possible.
Largely, yes, and this is deliberate, adolescents do not open up when they believe a transcript goes to a parent. At the outset the therapist agrees clear boundaries with both of you: you will be kept informed about attendance, progress in general terms, and anything that concerns their safety. The content of what your child says stays between them and their therapist.
Nothing punitive happens. Your coordinator will check in a couple of times, then leave the door open. Because you pay per session or per block, nothing accrues while you are away. People disappear for a month and come back, and that is a completely normal shape for this to take.
Yes. Browse the directory, read profiles, and tell your coordinator who you want. The intake form still helps. Your therapist reads it before the first session so you don't have to start from zero.
Our therapists do not prescribe. Where medication may help, we refer you to a psychiatrist we work with, and your therapist continues alongside that treatment. If you are already taking something, tell your therapist. It changes how they plan the work.
Write to us with a question before committing to anything. A coordinator answers, not a bot.