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Mental health care is an essential part of whole-person well-being. In 2024, there are more effective and convenient ways to take care of your mental health than in previous decades, but sometimes those resources are not accessed. For instance, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reported in 2021 that more than half (53%) of U.S. adults 50 and over didn’t receive mental health services for their mental illness. [1] National Institute of Mental Health. Mental illness. March 2023. Found on the internet at https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/mental-illness
Online therapy—attending therapy sessions virtually—can be a convenient way to access mental health care from the comfort of your home. Grow Therapy is an online mental health platform connecting users to virtual therapy and psychiatry appointments. We thoroughly researched the platform and compared it to others we’ve tested to see if it could be a good fit for you.
BetterHelp has a wide selection of therapists available in all 50 states. The platform offers various bonus features, such as mental health webinars and group therapy sessions on topics like setting boundaries. If Grow Therapy isn’t available in your state or you’re looking for more features, BetterHelp could be a good choice. A downside: BetterHelp does not accept insurance.
Here’s how you can book an online therapy appointment on the Grow Therapy platform:
Our tester found it simple to book an appointment time on Grow Therapy: “I was able to find a provider very easily and book a session three days later. I could have gotten a session [the next day] if I wanted.”
Compared to other online therapy platforms we’ve researched, there’s no need to fill out a lengthy health questionnaire before seeing pricing, provider profiles, or creating an account. Once you’ve chosen your provider and booked an appointment, you’ll receive a comprehensive intake form and symptom assessments before you meet with your provider.
Like Sesame Care, we found it simple to choose a provider and book an appointment on the Grow Therapy platform. Read about our experience with the Sesame Care platform in our review of Sesame online therapy.
You can reschedule or cancel up to 24 hours before your appointment for free. If you cancel or reschedule within 24 hours of your appointment, Grow Therapy will charge you a no-show or late cancellation fee, set by the provider up to a maximum of $200.
Unlike virtual therapy sessions on some other platforms, therapy sessions on Grow Therapy are often 60 minutes long, double the 30-minute sessions on BetterHelp and Talkspace.
A unique feature of Grow Therapy is the ability to message your therapist before and during a session. This feature can be helpful for giving quick updates on whether you’re joining or running late to the session or sharing links or resources during a session. You can also message your therapist after your first session and between subsequent sessions. Our tester’s provider used this messaging feature to share helpful resources, such as articles about her concerns and an activity log for coping skills.
Online psychiatry sessions on Grow Therapy, called medication management sessions, are between 45–60 minutes long, depending on the provider and location. Providers may be able to assess and treat your mental health concerns using medication therapy, but the platform doesn’t offer medication delivery.
If you have an insurance plan in-network with Grow Therapy providers, the online platform may be a good choice for you. Compared to paying out-of-pocket, using your insurance coverage for online therapy can be a convenient and more affordable way of receiving mental health care. Learn more about other affordable options in our review of affordable online therapy platforms.
Our Reviews Team liked that you can browse provider profiles and choose your therapist or psychiatry provider. Here’s what our tester said: “I love that I get the option to pick my provider. Reading their bios allowed me to make an informed decision on which provider I thought would be most compatible with me and my needs.”
We also liked that providers’ availability was clearly posted so you could choose a therapist with a schedule that works for you. This feature can help you conveniently manage your mental health care if you have a busy schedule.
We noted that the platform showed providers with appointment availability within 48 hours, so Grow Therapy can be a good option for those who want to get online mental health care sooner. Lillian Rishty, a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) at NYC Therapy Group in New York City, explained why getting timely mental health care is important: “Longer wait times might [worsen] existing conditions or lead to a deterioration in mental health symptoms. In addition, if someone struggles to find a provider fairly quickly, they may lose momentum and no longer prioritize the search.”
Grow Therapy doesn’t offer extra features like group sessions or learning resources that support your provider’s care on the platform. If you’re looking for more features to support your mental health journey, we suggest online therapy platforms such as Brightside Health that offer tools and resources along with its monthly subscription.
As of March 2024, Grow Therapy doesn’t have any therapy providers available in Idaho or South Dakota. If you’re from either of these states and are looking for online therapy appointments, read our review of the top online therapy platforms that operate in all 50 states.
Although the platform provides therapy in 48 states, our Reviews Team found that Grow Therapy doesn’t have psychiatry providers available in all of those 48 states.
When researching the platform, our Reviews Team also noticed that the number of therapy providers varied by state. As of March 2024, we found less than 10 online therapy providers in eight of the 48 states where Grow Therapy operates. This could mean users in certain states, like New Hampshire or Montana, may have limited choice in therapists. If you’re looking for a wider selection of therapists, we recommend platforms with more providers, such as BetterHelp or Zocdoc.
If you’re unsure what kind of therapist you want to work with, you may prefer platforms that match you with a provider, such as BetterHelp or Talkspace.
Grow Therapy offers online and in-person appointments for individuals (adults, children, and adolescents) and couples.
Its provider search tool allows you to filter for providers in your state by gender identity, racial identity, faith, availability, specialty, and whether they provide talk therapy or medication management. The “Specialties” filter helps you find a therapist that specializes in a certain concern, including:
We liked that the platform had many filters to help you choose your provider. Madeleine Phelan, a licensed master social worker (LMSW) at Madison Square Therapy in New York City, said finding the right therapist at the right time can mean better outcomes for the therapist-client relationship. “Finding the right therapist is not unlike dating—it can take time to find the right match, and even someone that was once a match may not be forever. It is not uncommon to change therapists to find a better fit or to outgrow a clinician after working together for some time,” she explained.
Grow Therapy also offers appointments with psychiatry providersⓘ Psychiatry include medical doctors (MDs, DOs) who completed a residency in psychiatry and are certified by a psychiatric board and nurse practitioners (NPs) that have specialized training in psychiatric care (PMHNP). . If you’re looking for an online psychiatry appointment, you can select “medication management” to see a list of providers in your state.
If you’re looking for online psychiatry appointments but Grow Therapy doesn’t have a provider in your state, you can learn about other platforms we recommend in our review of the best online psychiatry platforms.
Psychiatry providers can assess, diagnose, and treat mental health conditions. Grow Therapy’s psychiatry providers may be able to provide a mental health diagnosis, but online psychiatry may not be the most appropriate way of assessing some mental health situations.
In a mental health emergency or crisis, when a person is a danger to themselves or others, emergency services are the most appropriate point of care regardless of diagnosis. For severe or complex mental health concerns such as severe depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, or psychosis, we recommend seeking an in-person appointment with a psychiatry provider to receive more comprehensive care that online psychiatry may not be available to provide.
Trying to find help during a crisis can be exhausting. In an emergency or crisis situation, it isn’t safe to wait for a therapy appointment. If there is an emergency, including plans to harm yourself or others, call 911. If you are having suicidal thoughts or experiencing a crisis, you should seek in-person care immediately. You can also call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
You may be experiencing a mental health crisis if you are [2] Wisconsin Department of Health Services. Crisis services: Identifying a crisis. Jan. 2, 2024. Found on the internet at https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/crisis/signs.htm :
The cost of online therapy or psychiatry sessions on Grow Therapy varies by provider and insurance coverage. If the provider is in-network with your insurance plan, you can expect to pay your copay according to your behavioral health benefits. If you’re paying out-of-pocket, each provider posts their price per session on their profile.
Out-of-pocket costs are called “cash” costs on Grow Therapy. We found that the per-session out-of-pocket costs varied by provider. Online therapy sessions start at $75 per session in some states and up to $230 per session for a provider in Michigan. Online psychiatry sessions tended to cost more, starting at $100 per session for a provider in Arizona, for example.
Grow Therapy takes insurance, including Medicare and Medicaid plans, in some states. Compared to other online therapy platforms we’ve researched, Grow Therapy is one of the few platforms that have providers in-network with Medicare and Medicaid plans.
In researching the platform, we also like that Grow Therapy states which insurance plans they accept, making it easier for users to know whether they can use their behavioral health benefits. You can find a list of insurance plans that the platform accepts at the bottom of the home page, and the provider search tool displays all the insurance plans accepted in a certain state.
As of March 2024, Grow Therapy accepts these Medicaid and Medicare plans in the following states:
Grow Therapy doesn’t offer financial aid for their services. Users can use their insurance benefits or pay for sessions out-of-pocket.
| Monthly cost | Varies by provider and insurance coverage | $240–$360 | $276–$436 | Varies by provider |
| Therapy options | Online video or in-person | Online video, audio, or text | Online video, audio, or text | Online video |
| Insurance accepted? | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Financial aid? | No | Yes | No | No |
| Prescriptions available? | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
You can reach Grow Therapy customer service by:
Grow Therapy doesn’t have a support phone number or email. Only chat is available for existing users with an account. You can read their FAQs from the Grow Therapy Client Help Center.
You can use your insurance benefits or pay for your session by credit, debit, or HSA card.
Based on our independent research and consultations with mental health experts, our Reviews Team determined the following factors to be important when looking for online therapy:
We also consulted with independent mental health professionals for their insights into the benefits and drawbacks of online therapy to aid our reviews.
Grow Therapy can be an option for people to find online mental health appointments with therapy and psychiatry providers. Our Reviews Team found that selecting a provider and booking an appointment on the platform was straightforward.
We appreciated that provider profiles contained a lot of information about the provider’s approach to care, availability, and pricing information, but the options for providers may be limited in some states. Still, Grow Therapy could be a valuable platform for those with in-network insurance plans to receive mental health care online.
Grow Therapy is an online mental health platform that offers virtual and in-person appointments with its providers in 48 states. There’s no monthly membership fee, and Grow Therapy providers are in-network with some insurance plans.
Grow Therapy offers therapists and psychiatry providers on its platform. Once users sign up for an account, they can browse therapist profiles using the search tool and book an online therapy appointment.
The cost of sessions on Grow Therapy varies by provider and your insurance coverage. If you’re paying out-of-pocket, you can expect to pay $75–$230 per session, depending on the provider’s rates. If you’re using your insurance benefits, your coverage or copay may determine your per-session costs on the platform.
Grow Therapy states in their privacy policy that they can use or disclose health information as defined by HIPPA for treatment, payment, or health care operations. Read their policy carefully to understand what may be shared and why. Grow Therapy also promises to contact users immediately should there ever be a data breach of their site.
