Grow Therapy is an online mental health directory that allows you to choose your provider. They offer online and in-person therapy and psychiatry services for kids, teens, adults, and couples. Grow Therapy costs range from $75 – $250+ depending on your chosen provider; most providers are in-network with major insurance plans.
Pros & Cons of Grow Therapy
Key Takeaways – Grow Therapy
- Grow Therapy can quickly connect you with a provider of your choice in as little as two days.
- All cash-pay costs are clearly labeled on each provider’s profile page. The clearly labeled costs make it easier to budget for out-of-pocket costs with no surprises.
- If you opt into it, you will receive text messages about your next appointment, the cancellation policy, and a link to your patient portal.
- While Grow Therapy is available in 46 US states, some states may not have as many providers as others. This is important to note, as states with fewer providers may not have as many available appointments.
Final Verdict on Grow Therapy
Grow Therapy was a truly wonderful user experience. The website, provider directory, and patient portal were straightforward to navigate, and it took less than 10 minutes to get started. While customer service was accessible, I encountered no issues that needed assistance. I highly recommend Grow Therapy for online therapy and psychiatry services, especially if you live in a state where they have providers.
Grow Therapy at a Glance
| Cost of Online Therapy | Depends on Provider |
| Cost of Online Psychiatry | Depends on Provider |
| Insurance accepted | Yes |
| Geographic Coverage | 46 US States* *No Service in: North Dakota, South Dakota, Idaho, or Nebraska |
| Age Limitations | Depends on Provider, some can see kids & teens |
| Self-Selected or Matched with Therapist | Self-Select |
| Can You Change Therapists? | Yes |
| Speed to First Appointment | Within One Week |
| Frequency of Appointments | Depends on your treatment plan |
| Messaging with Therapist Between Appointments | Yes, email |
Top Rated Online Therapy Services for 2023
BetterHelp – Best Overall
“BetterHelp is an online therapy platform that quickly connects you with a licensed counselor or therapist and earned 4 out of 5 stars.” Visit BetterHelp
Online-Therapy.com – Great Alternative
In addition to therapy, all Online-Therapy subscriptions include a self-guided CBT course. Visit Online-Therapy.com
Based on Best Online Therapy Services For 2023 Choosing Therapy partners with leading mental health companies and is compensated for marketing by BetterHelp and Online-Therapy
How to Sign Up for Grow Therapy
To sign up for an account, navigate to the Grow Therapy website. From there, you’ll be able to select a provider and begin the process of getting set up with your first appointment.
What Is Grow Therapy?
Grow Therapy is an online mental health directory that provides online and in-person services. Grow Therapy is available in 46 US states and offers a range of services for kids and teens, adults, couples, and medication management. Generally, you can anticipate out-of-pocket costs from $75 – $250, depending on the provider. However, most providers on Grow Therapy do accept insurance which would make your costs significantly lower.
Signing up for Grow Therapy is a quick and easy process, with everything taking potentially less than 10 minutes. By far, the longest part of signing up with Grow Therapy is selecting your own therapist. We highly recommend that you read as many provider profiles as possible to make a well-informed decision.
Grow Therapy offers online or in-person services, so first you must decide which is the best fit for you. Either way, you will select your state and choose if you will be using insurance or paying cash. In the provider directory, you can filter for gender, ages treated, identities, and availability. These filters help narrow down your selections so you can find a provider you like even quicker.
Each provider in the list will clearly list their cash rates, licenses, years in practice, and their next available session. If you click “View Profile”, you will be able to read a detailed profile that includes insurances accepted, treatment methods utilized, and their specialties. Once you find a provider you think will work well for your personal goals and schedule, you simply click “Book Appointment.” You will receive an email with a link to your new patient portal and you’ll complete a depression assessment, an anxiety assessment, and a brief intake form.
All online therapy and medication management appointments happen through Zoom or Doxy. These links will be sent to you through your email and in a text message the day before and the day of your appointments. Your initial appointment, both therapy and medication management, are like “Getting to Know You” appointments. Therapy sessions are 60 minutes long and medication management appointments are 30 minutes long.
During your initial appointments, you will discuss your symptoms, what your goals are, and what medications you are currently taking. If you attend a medication management appointment and your provider feels you need a new medication or you need a refill, they will send your prescription to your local pharmacy for quick pick-up. Grow Therapy providers can prescribe non-controlled medication for anxiety and medication for depression.
Who Is Grow Therapy Right For?
Grow Therapy would be a great fit for someone wanting to choose their own provider, those who want to attend therapy and medication management appointments on one platform, and for those who wish to use insurance.
You Want To Choose Your Own Providers
Grow Therapy allows you to self-select your own providers, which can give you a sense of control during what may be a stressful moment in your life. All of the profiles on Grow Therapy give you a clear sense of what each provider treats, how they treat you, their costs, and if they accept insurance. Many Grow Therapy providers also offer in-person or online mental health services making it convenient for your schedule.
Therapy & Medication Management on One Platform
While some platforms only offer online therapy, Grow Therapy can provide medication management as well as therapy. While these are two separate costs, you are not locked into a subscription for services you don’t need or don’t want. Additionally, some providers offer sliding scale fees for cash-pay clients which may help you save money.
You Want to Use Your Insurance
Almost all of Grow Therapy’s providers accept various insurance plans and which plans are accepted will be clearly listed in the provider’s profile. This means your out-of-pocket costs could be significantly lower than the cash-pay rate listed on the provider’s profile. You will be able to view an estimate of your costs after you select a provider and enter your insurance information into the payment page.
Who Might Want an Alternative to Grow Therapy?
While Grow Therapy is great for some, those under the age of six, outside of the service area, and those needing specialized in-person care will need to seek out an alternative.
Those Six Years and Younger
Some of Grow Therapy’s providers can treat kids and teens, but those younger than six may need to find a more specialized platform. As our Brightline Mental Health review mentioned, children as young as 18 months may be eligible for therapy and coaching services. This is great for families of younger children who need more specialized care and want to receive care at home.
You’re Outside the Service Area
Grow Therapy is available in almost all states but does not currently have providers in North Dakota, South Dakota, Idaho, or Nebraska. Additionally, some states, like Alaska do not have as wide of a provider pool which means you may not be able to connect with your provider as quickly as you wish. For a list of platforms that serve all US states, we highly recommend checking out our Best Online Therapy Services article.
Seeking Specialized In-Person Care
Grow Therapy is a more general therapy services provider and is unable to support individuals with high-acuity mental health issues, or those who need specialized in-person care.
Grow Therapy Patient Reviews
Grow Therapy does not have an Apple app or a Google Play app, so most user reviews I could find were from Trustpilot. Trustpilot contributors gave Grow Therapy a 3.9-star rating overall, but most of these user reviews were from providers themselves. The few client reviews I read were evenly divided between thinking the provider they had was awesome and the provider they had was not great.
We will continue to monitor this page, as well as others, to update this section when more client based reviews become available.
How Much Does Grow Therapy Cost?
Grow Therapy costs depend on which provider you choose and your location. Generally, out-of-pocket costs for therapy range from $75-$150+, and medication management range from $80-$250+. All providers clearly list their cash-pay amounts on their profiles for your convenience.
Does Grow Therapy Accept Insurance?
Yes, almost all of Grow Therapy’s providers accept insurance for mental health services. Top insurance plans accepted by Grow Therapy providers are Aetna, Anthem, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, United Healthcare, and many more.
Out-of-Network Benefits
Your provider can create a statement of service, commonly called a superbill, for you to submit to your insurance provider to create an out-of-network claim.
How Do You Get Started with Grow Therapy?
Getting started with Grow Therapy is easy and can take as little as ten minutes. You will simply go to the Grow Therapy website, click “Find a Therapist”, enter your state, select insurance or cash, and then choose your provider. After you find a provider you want to see, you will enter payment information and be sent patient forms through email.
Follow these instructions to schedule an appointment:
- Go to the Grow Therapy website and click “Find a Therapist.”
- Select “Virtual care” or “In-person care”, your state, and insurance or cash pay.
- Adjust the filters for therapy or medication management, specialty, gender, ages, identities, and availability.
- Browse the list and read each profile carefully.
- Select “Book Session” when you find a provider you think would be a good fit for yourself.
- Choose a date and time that works for your schedule.
- Enter your payment information.
- Wait for the email with your new patient portal information and patient forms.
- Click the link sent to your email on the day and time of your session.
Grow Therapy Services: Detailed Review
Grow Therapy provides online or in-person therapy or medication management. Costs, ages treated, and treatment types will depend on the provider you choose and your location.
What Is Therapy Like with Grow Therapy?
Therapy with Grow Therapy was truly a great experience. The website was easy to navigate and I didn’t need to reach out to customer service once. Anything I needed to find was clearly labeled and there were plenty of therapists available in my state. Something I truly appreciated about Grow Therapy was there was only one patient portal and I could input all of my information easily.
Using the filters in the directory made my search for a therapist really quick. I was able to read several profiles and quickly determined who was going to be a good fit for my goals and my schedule. I also really loved that the cash pay rates were clearly listed on the therapist’s profiles.
After I booked my session, I was emailed a link to fill out two assessments and a brief intake form. The assessments were standard depression and anxiety assessments and took under five minutes to complete. The intake form asked questions about my goals, any medications I was taking, and anything else I wanted to share with my therapist.
The day before and the day of my therapy session I was sent an email and a text message with a link to the Doxy meeting room. I was able to enter this meeting room without any issues whatsoever. However, when I got into the meeting room, my therapist confessed she preferred using Zoom as she was able to share her screen. I was happy to disconnect from the Doxy meeting and go to the Zoom link she emailed me.
I was very happy with my choice of therapist, and even though we had just met, she immediately put me at ease. I also loved that she shared her screen with me and we were able to discuss a feelings wheel together. The feelings wheel helped me better explain the complex emotions I had around certain topics. The day after my session, my therapist emailed me various resources we discussed during our session. I was very impressed with my entire experience.
What Is Medication Management Like With a Grow Therapy Psychiatrist?
Medication management with Grow Therapy works similarly to their therapy process. I was asked to fill out the depression and anxiety assessments and an intake form. However, since I had previously filled these out just the day before, the website offered to automatically fill in my answers from the previous forms. This definitely saved time and is something I have not seen with other platforms.
There did not seem to be as many medication management providers available as there were therapists. However, I was still able to find a provider that matched my personal criteria and get an appointment within a couple of days of signing up.
The appointment I booked was for 30 minutes, but my provider actually spent almost 45 minutes talking with me. She was very detail-oriented and asked me a lot of clarifying questions about the medications I was currently taking. Something that impressed me was she asked me about all of my medications, not just the ones I was taking for my mental health symptoms.
We discussed the possibility of changing one of my medications and when I asked how I would get this potential medication, she said it would be sent to my local pharmacy. Ultimately, we decided as a team that I would remain on my current regiment and she would reassess me in three weeks. I liked that she was thoughtful and precise in her knowledge of medications, and listened to how I felt. I left the medication appointment once again feeling very impressed with Grow Therapy.
Grow Therapy Vs. Headway
Grow Therapy and Headway are fairly similar in that they are both provider directories. However, Grow Therapy is available in more states than Headway and the profiles with Grow Therapy clearly list cash pay costs. Headway seems more intended for those who wish to use insurance and there are no clear costs listed.
Neither Grow Therapy or Headway have any extra features built into the client side of their patient portals. However, most therapists will send you resources via email if you discussed them during your live session.
Grow Therapy Vs. BetterHelp
Grow Therapy and BetterHelp are very different from one another. While Grow Therapy is an online therapist and medication management directory, BetterHelp only offers online therapy services. Furthermore, BetterHelp is a subscription-based online therapy service where you are changed monthly for therapy. Grow Therapy providers charge you per session and each provider sets their own fees.
Another big difference between Grow Therapy and BetterHelp is insurance. Almost all of Grow Therapy’s providers accept insurance, whereas BetterHelp does not accept insurance at all. If you select a provider that does not accept your insurance, your Grow Therapy provider can create a superbill for you. This is not something that BetterHelp’s therapists can do at this time.
BetterHelp has extra features built into its website and app like a journal and group webinars which Grow Therapy does not provide. However, it does seem like most therapists with Grow Therapy will send emails with additional resources as needed.
How Grow Therapy Has Evolved
Manoj Kanagaraj and Jake Cooper are the co-founders of Grow Therapy.1 They founded the company in October 2020 and as of 2021 Grow Therapy has raised over $16 million.2 Grow Therapy went from offering therapy and medication management services in five states to over 45 states. They continue to expand services, are actively adding more providers to the platform, and work with almost every major insurance provider.
Frequently Asked Questions About Grow Therapy
What Credentials Do Grow Therapy Providers Hold?
All Grow Therapy providers are fully licensed in the states they practice in. Each provider that joins Grow Therapy goes through a vetting process by a live person and must submit proof of their licensure.
How Do I Choose a Provider?
You will choose your therapist or medication management from the Grow Therapy directory. Each provider will have a detailed profile that you can read which will include their cash pay rates, insurance accept, and specialties.
Can I Switch to a New Provider?
Yes, you can switch providers at any time. It is always recommended you let your current provider know you will be switching. To switch providers, all you need to do is select a new one from the directory.
Who Is Eligible for Medication?
Medication can be prescribed to those 6 years and older. For kids and teens seeking medication management, it is vitally important for parents to be involved with the process. Providers may choose to not medication those under a certain age and instead suggest therapy as a first option.
What Medications Are Available?
Grow Therapy providers can prescribe non-controlled medications.
Where is Medication Management Available?
Grow Therapy medication management is available in most states. You can easily filter for medication management in the directory to see if it is available in your state.
How Do I Get My Medications?
Any medications your provider deems necessary will be sent to your local pharmacy. You will be able to pick it up when it is convenient for you and you will pay your co-pay for medications or an out-of-pocket cost.
Can I use my FSA or HSA Funds?
Yes, most providers with Grow Therapy will accept HSA funds services.
How Can I Cancel My Account with Grow Therapy?
There does not appear to be a way to cancel or close your account with Grow Therapy. However, you can notify your provider that you will no longer be using their services and simply not attend any more sessions.
Does Grow Therapy Offer Refunds?
Refunds are offered on a case-by-case basis and you must reach out to your provider.
Is Grow Therapy Legit?
Yes, Grow Therapy is a legitimate mental health platform and is HIPAA-compliant.
