Cerebral Review 2024: Pros & Cons, Cost, & Who It’s Right For

What Is Cerebral Mental Health?

Cerebral is a subscription-based online mental health platform that offers individual therapy, couples therapy, and psychiatry to individuals 18 years and older throughout the United States. All therapy sessions are 45 minutes long and initial psychiatry appointments are 30 minutes long. You can choose to attend your appointments either via video or phone call. With Cerebral, you will be able to choose from several subscription plans as well as select your own provider after you sign up. Depending on which plan you select, costs range from $95 – $365 monthly.

Cerebral’s subscription plans are:

• Medication: $95 monthly – includes a 30-minute initial consultation, a 15-minute intake follow-up, and up to two provider check-ins per month. The cost of medication is billed separately. Unlimited messaging with provider is included.
• Therapy: $295 monthly -includes an initial evaluation session, then weekly 45-minute sessions with a licensed therapist, and unlimited messaging.
• Medication + Therapy Plan: $365 monthly – includes everything offered in the medication and therapy plans.
• Couples Therapy: $325 monthly – includes everything offered in the therapy plan for two clients rather than one.

With Cerebral, medication management is provided by licensed psychiatric providers. The first appointment is an evaluation that takes about 30 minutes and you will attend the appointment from the Cerebral app or through the website. Follow-up appointments are approximately 15 minutes long and may be scheduled monthly or less frequently depending on the treatment plan that you develop with your provider.

Cerebral prescribes medications for a range of mental health conditions, including medication for depression (including postpartum and menopausal depression), medication for anxiety, insomnia, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Depending on location, Cerebral also provides treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), bipolar disorder, alcohol use disorder. Cerebral will only prescribe non-controlled medication for ADHD and does not offer prescriptions for stimulant medications.

Much like its competitor Brightside Health, Cerebral offers a stand-alone therapy plan or a medication + therapy plan. Cerebral’s therapy subscriptions include weekly 45-minute video or phone sessions with a therapist of your choosing each month. To learn more about how subscriptions work with Brightside, you can read our detailed review of Brightside.

Cerebral offers self-care tools in their app under a tab called “Learn.” You will have some assigned work to complete, but you can also explore what else there is in the “Discover” section. Here you will find learning modules on topics like “What Is Anxiety?”, “What is CBT?”, and “Goal Setting”. There are also grounding techniques, a journaling tab, and two cognitive behavioral therapy worksheets to complete. You can even listen to a meditation, a visualization exercise, or a progressive muscle relaxation exercise. Cerebral’s wide range of offerings earned it 5 out of 5 stars in the “Extra Features & Resources” category of our scoring criteria.

Who Is Cerebral Right For?

Cerebral would be a great fit for those seeking medication and therapy in one subscription, those seeking online couples therapy.

People Seeking Medication & Therapy

Cerebral would be a great option for those who would like to bundle therapy and medication management into one convenient subscription option. The Medication + Therapy subscription will allow you to receive an evaluation, a diagnosis, a prescription, and weekly therapy sessions with licensed providers. You will be able to meet via video or phone call when it fits your schedule and have medications shipped directly to you.

Anyone Seeking Online Couples Therapy

Cerebral also offers couples therapy wherein you and a partner can meet with a therapist once weekly for 45-minute sessions. Compared to other online couples therapy options, Cerebral’s prices are pretty affordable at $325 monthly.

Who Might Want an Alternative to Cerebral?

While Cerebral offers treatment for a wide range of mental health disorders and addictions, it will not be the best fit for everyone. People experiencing an active crisis, and anyone under the age of 18 will need to seek an alternative.

Anyone Experiencing an Active Crisis

Cerebral is not able to provide 24-hour crisis intervention services. If you are experiencing thoughts of hurting yourself or others, you should contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or 988, or present to your local emergency room. The Lifeline is open 24/7 and free of charge. If you have any questions about your medication, you can reach out to your care counselor or therapist on Cerebral, but you may not get an immediate response.

Under 18-Years-Old

Cerebral only offers therapy and medication management to individuals over the age of 18. Children and teens that need these types of services will need to seek in-person care or through an online platform like Brightline Mental Health. Brightline has therapists and psychiatrists that can treat children and teens aged 6 – 18.

To learn more about how much care costs, you can read our comprehensive review of Brightline Mental Health. If you’d like your child to see a therapist in person, you can consult an online therapist directory and filter for your needs.

How Much Does Cerebral Cost?

Cerebral costs $95 – $365 monthly depending on which subscription plan you choose. If Cerebral is in-network with your insurance company, the plans will cost ~$30 monthly in addition to any co-pays for your visits and medication. Medication subscriptions include the cost of shipping fees but do not include the cost of medications, which start at $8.

Cerebral’s subscription plans are:

• Medication: $95 monthly – includes a 30-minute initial consultation, a 15-minute intake follow-up, and up to two provider check-ins per month. The cost of medication is billed separately. Unlimited messaging with your provider is included.
• Therapy: $295 monthly -includes an initial evaluation session, then weekly 45-minute sessions with a licensed therapist, and unlimited messaging.
• Medication + Therapy Plan: $365 monthly – includes everything offered in the medication and therapy plans.
• Couples Therapy: $325 monthly – includes everything offered in the therapy plan for two clients rather than one.

Cerebral Discounts

Cerebral offers discounts for bundling therapy and medication plans together and also offers options for purchasing multiple months of service at a time for a discounted rate. Cerebral also offers a 15% discount for veterans, active military personnel, and their families.

How to Get Started With Cerebral

Getting started with Cerebral is fairly quick and easy, taking less than 10 minutes to complete the onboarding process. You can choose to download the app from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store or begin the process through the Cerebral website.

1. Complete the preliminary assessment questions.
2. Read all of the subscription types and select on that best suits your needs.
3. If enrolling in a medication plan, answer additional symptom questions, verify your identity with a government ID, and then choose a prescriber and a date and time to meet them.
4. If enrolling in therapy only, select a provider and schedule an appointment that works for your schedule.
5. On the day of your scheduled appointment, log in to your Cerebral account and click on the link to your patient home screen.
6. Schedule any medication follow-up appointments as directed by your prescriber or schedule your next therapy session for the following week.

Cerebral Subscription Plans: Detailed Reviews

Cerebral Medication: Detailed Review

The Medication Plan is the most affordable plan offered through Cerebral and costs $95 monthly. If you have health insurance that is accepted by Cerebral, the cost for this plan is reduced to ~$30 per month plus copays. This plan allows you to receive an initial evaluation, a diagnosis, and a prescription (if needed) by a medical prescriber, which will be mailed to you monthly. You will have access to in-app scheduling, progress monitoring, messaging with the care team, and self-care tools, like a journal and learning modules.

Cerebral offers medication services for a range of mental health conditions, including ADHD, alcohol dependence, anxiety, bipolar, depression, and insomnia. All of Cerebral’s medication management plans allow you to select your own provider and they are psychiatrists, physician assistants, or psychiatric nurse practitioners. Once you select and meet with your provider, they will provide you with ongoing care. Other online psychiatry and medication management platforms, like Talkspace and Brightside, automatically match you with a provider, making Cerebral a great option if you want to have more say in your care.

During your initial evaluation, which takes approximately 30 minutes, your provider will be able to provide you with a diagnosis and discuss if medication would be beneficial. If you are prescribed medication, Cerebral will ship your medication to your door. Follow-up appointments are approximately 15 minutes and typically scheduled monthly but may be more or less frequent if your provider feels that it is necessary. If you have any questions or concerns between appointments, you can message your care team through the app or website and they will reach out to your provider.

Caitlin Bell, Mental Health Technology Editor for Choosing Therapy, signed up for the Medication plan. She was able to make an appointment over the weekend, which was perfect for her weekday schedule. At the time of her appointment, she simply logged into the Cerebral app and clicked the link shown on the home screen. The link took her to a virtual waiting room where she entered her name and waited for the prescriber to join. Her prescriber was running behind schedule but messaged Caitlin to let her know.

After the prescriber took her complete medical history, Caitlin discussed her current anxiety symptoms and they decided together that a medication called Hydroxyzine would be beneficial to her. Caitlin was surprised that she did not have to wait for her medication to arrive in the mail and was able to pick up her prescription the same day from a local pharmacy. She said that overall her experience was genuinely amazing and it was the first time she felt a prescriber had actually listened to her and didn’t just treat her according to the assessment scores.

Cerebral Medication + Therapy Plan: Detailed Review

Cerebral’s Therapy + Medication plan costs $365 monthly for people without insurance and ~$30 a month plus the cost of copays for anyone in-network. This plan includes ongoing visits with a prescriber, weekly therapy sessions with a licensed therapist, unlimited messaging, and medication delivery. This plan combines all the benefits of the medication-only plan and the therapy-only plan. In comparison, Brightside Health has the same plan type and costs $349 monthly, meaning Cerebral is slightly more expensive.

Cerebral’s therapy plans include weekly 45-minute phone or video sessions each month with a licensed therapist of your choice. You will also have in-app messaging with your care team, progress tracking, and self-care tools, like journaling and learning modules. During the sign-up process, you are asked about your preference for therapists and you will be given several therapists to choose from. You will be able to view each provider’s availability and schedule an appointment directly through the website or app. Some providers even offer next-day and weekend appointments.

The sign-up process was relatively easy and took around ten minutes; Cerebral’s therapist recommendations were fairly good, and finding someone who fits your needs and schedule is easy.

Cerebral Therapy Plan: Detailed Review

Cerebral offers a stand-alone therapy plan that costs $295 monthly for people without insurance and $30 monthly plus the cost of copays for anyone using in-network insurance. Much like the Medication + Therapy plan, you will get four 45-minute video or phone sessions per month with a therapist of your choice. It also includes unlimited messaging with your therapist between live sessions and activities, like the learning lessons and journal.

Cerebral Vs Competitors

Cerebral shares several similarities with other online mental health platforms. When it comes to comparing these platforms, Cerebral seems to offer the largest range of services. Comparing costs between platforms is difficult, though, since they differ in whether they offer monthly memberships or charge a fee per appointment. Using health insurance will also alter the costs, so you should verify your benefits with a platform before signing up if you have any questions.

Cerebral vs Talkspace

Talkspace is arguably one of the biggest online therapy and psychiatry platforms available to consumers in the United States. And while Cerebral is also available in every state in the US, Talkspace has been around much longer and is viewed as a very reliable brand. With Talkspace, you will choose your provider from your top three matches, and therapy and psychiatry exist as separate plans. There is not a bundled option of the two offerings, like with Cerebral, which means Talkspace is potentially much more expensive out-of-pocket than Cerebral.

Cerebral and Talkspace also have different ways of billing for psychiatric care. Out-of-pocket costs for an initial evaluation with Talkspace are $299 and follow-up appointments cost $175. Cerebral, on the other hand, charges a monthly subscription fee with shipping for medication included. Both Talkspace and Cerebral accept insurance, which could lower the out-of-pocket costs and may make them quite comparable in price. However, if you are only seeking medication management, Cerebral’s Medication Plan is only $95 monthly making it a really great option.

To learn more about subscriptions and who else Talkspace would be a good fit for, you can read our comprehensive Talkspace review.

Cerebral vs Brightside Health

Like Cerebral, Brightside Health is an online mental health platform offering therapy and medication, though Cerebral can treat a wider range of mental health symptoms. Brightside Health exclusively treats those with anxiety and depression through medication management and therapy. Brightside will automatically match you with a provider based on your preferences, unlike Cerebral which allows you to choose a provider.

The costs for the medication-only plans with Brightside Health and Cerebral are the same at $95 monthly. With both platforms accepting insurance, providing self-care tools, and skill-building content in their apps, determining which platform is right for you may ultimately come down to what your diagnosis is.

To learn more about the CBT and medication programs offered, you can read our in-depth review of Brightside.

History & News About Cerebral

Cerebral was founded in January 2020 with the mission of increasing access to affordable, high-quality mental health care. In May 2022, the company’s CEO stepped down after an investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice into possible violations of prescribing controlled medications.³ Dr. David Mou is the new CEO and was previously Cerebral’s chief medical officer.

According to Dr. Mou, Cerebral is continuing to grow and deliver its mission of increasing access to quality care. At the present time, Cerebral is available in all 50 states, but services like MAT and alcohol treatment are not available in all states. The company has plans to continue to expand its services throughout the country, as well as its insurance network so that more people can access services. They also plan to expand their services to children and teens in the future.

In September of 2022, Cerebral came under scrutiny once again for failing to check and verify IDs. ⁴ It was discovered that during the COVID-19 pandemic, Cerebral was desperately trying to keep up with the large influx of patients and failed to do their due diligence. This came to a head when a 17-year-old who was being treated for depression with an anti-depressant with a warning label for adolescents took their own life. Cerebral never reached out to the young man’s parents to notify them he was being treated without consent. The company stated the young man misrepresented his age and while they regret he received care without consent, the treatment was appropriate.

Previously, Cerebral’s initial psychiatry appointments were roughly 45 minutes long but are now only 30 minutes long. They also no longer offer nutritional counseling, care counseling, or coaching services to any new clients or patients and are going to discontinue their medication-assisted treatment plan. Cerebral now specifically states throughout its website that controlled medications are not prescribed at all.

In April 2024, the United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released a statement that Cerebral would be required to pay a $7 million fine regarding its mishandling of customer data and alleged deceptive behavior. Additionally, the FTC will enact restrictions on what Cerebral is able to do with sensitive patient data and the company must provide users with a clear and easy way to cancel services.⁵

In a statement that Choosing Therapy received, a Cerebral representative said this:

“We are pleased to report that Cerebral has reached a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission to close its investigation into the company. As part of the resolution, Cerebral has agreed to implement enhanced consumer protection, privacy, and compliance measures to further protect the personal information of our clients, increase transparency into our data practices, and implement enhanced data security protocols and tools to allow our clients control over their privacy settings. See our statement here for more information.”

Note that the investigation into Cerebral by the US Department of Justice is still ongoing.

Final Verdict on Cerebral

Overall, Cerebral is a fairly good online therapy and psychiatry platform for people experiencing a range of mental health conditions. There are several subscriptions to choose from, they accept many major health insurance plans, and you can choose your own provider. During our independent review, Cerebral did earn 4 stars overall on our online psychiatry scoring criteria due to these facts among many others.

Unfortunately, Cerebral has been in the news several times for questionable practices, they only offer services to individuals over the age of 18, and their OUD, nutrition, and care counseling plans were all discontinued. Because of this, in our most recent revision to our Cerebral review, the platform’s overall score lowered slightly to 3.5 out of 5 stars. Despite this, Cerebral is still worth looking into, especially for a low-cost, out-of-pocket option for medication management.