Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSigning UpSchedulingMy Intake SessionSwitching ProvidersNew ProviderOur Other Tester’s Experience with TalkiatryFinal Thoughts
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Signing Up
Scheduling
My Intake Session
Switching Providers
New Provider
Our Other Tester’s Experience with Talkiatry
Final Thoughts
Our Online Therapy MethodologyCurious about the extensive work we did to research and evaluate online therapy companies? Take a look at ouronline therapy methodology.
Our Online Therapy Methodology
Curious about the extensive work we did to research and evaluate online therapy companies? Take a look at ouronline therapy methodology.
I’ve been seeing a talk therapist for over a year, and while this has been helping me, I realized that I might need a little bitmorehelp after my mother died a few months ago. I was struggling to sleep, I was more anxious than I’d been before and I found myself easily annoyed or irritated over even small, insignificant things. And on top of it all, I was worried that the sadness I was feeling was not just grief, but depression.
So I started looking for a psychiatrist. I didn’t want to spend a whole lot out-of-pocket, so I looked for a provider that accepted my insurance benefits. After a lot of trial and error looking online only to find that the provider I was interested in didnotaccept insurance, I turned toTalkiatry, an online psychiatry practice that accepts insurance. I’ve been a patient for almost two months now and—at least so far—I’m sticking with it, even though my experience hasn’t been all smooth sailing.
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Signing Up for Talkiatry
Signing up for treatment at Talkiatry is pretty straightforward: I clicked the purple “Get Started” button on the homepage and was immediately taken to a page that outlined, in simple bullets, who was and was not a good candidate for the service. A blue callout also directed me to 911 or 988 if I or someone I knew was in crisis.
Talkiatry
From there, I was told that I’d need to provide some more information about myself. The callout to 911 and 988 were there again—which I appreciated. Then I provided my email address, agreed to the linked privacy policy and terms of service, and was sent (via email) a link to a mental health intake assessment, which consisted of a series of questions.
First, I was asked if I was seeking care for myself (or my child under 18), to provide my legal name, gender identity (note: only male or female were options), address, and where I’d heard about Talkiatry.
Next, I was asked to tell Talkiatry why I was seeking care. My options were:ADHD,anxiety,bipolar disorder,depression,OCD,PTSD, and “I’m not sure.” Clicking that last option prompted a text box to appear to share more details.
A Note About the IntakeIf you step away from your sign-up intake questionnaire before you finish it (which I did because my toddler son needed my help with something), you will get email reminders and phone calls asking you to resume the sign-up process. I found this to bereallyfrustrating.I didn’t come back to resume my sign-up for about a week, and in that time, I received daily emails and multiple calls (with voicemails) from different numbers. I blocked a few of the numbers, assuming they were spam, but that didn’t slow down the repeated calls. This grew old quick and made me reconsider whether I wanted to sign up for a company that wasthat persistentwith the calls and emails.In addition, even if you do click on one of those links to resume your sign-up, you’ll have to start the whole sign-up process all over again.
A Note About the Intake
If you step away from your sign-up intake questionnaire before you finish it (which I did because my toddler son needed my help with something), you will get email reminders and phone calls asking you to resume the sign-up process. I found this to bereallyfrustrating.I didn’t come back to resume my sign-up for about a week, and in that time, I received daily emails and multiple calls (with voicemails) from different numbers. I blocked a few of the numbers, assuming they were spam, but that didn’t slow down the repeated calls. This grew old quick and made me reconsider whether I wanted to sign up for a company that wasthat persistentwith the calls and emails.In addition, even if you do click on one of those links to resume your sign-up, you’ll have to start the whole sign-up process all over again.
If you step away from your sign-up intake questionnaire before you finish it (which I did because my toddler son needed my help with something), you will get email reminders and phone calls asking you to resume the sign-up process. I found this to bereallyfrustrating.
I didn’t come back to resume my sign-up for about a week, and in that time, I received daily emails and multiple calls (with voicemails) from different numbers. I blocked a few of the numbers, assuming they were spam, but that didn’t slow down the repeated calls. This grew old quick and made me reconsider whether I wanted to sign up for a company that wasthat persistentwith the calls and emails.
In addition, even if you do click on one of those links to resume your sign-up, you’ll have to start the whole sign-up process all over again.
As the next step in the questionnaire, I was asked if I was struggling with any other issues, includingeating disorders,personality disorders,schizophrenia,self-harm, orsubstance use disorder—all conditions, I know from reading theFAQs, the company says it doesnottreat.
I was then asked if I would like someone who specializes in LGBTQIA+ care, if I’m pregnant or planning to be, or if I needed an approval letter for gender confirmation or bariatric surgery.
Therapist SpecializationsThe first time I began the intake, I clicked yes to the question “I would like to see someone who specializes in LGBTQ+ care.” The second time, I decided to leave those resources to those who needed them most since, although I am bisexual, I’ve also been married seven years to a cisgender man and none of the issues I was seeking treatment for were related to my sexual orientation. I came to regret this decision after meeting my first psychiatrist, but more on that below.This was also the only question regarding my provider preferences. For example, I was never asked if I preferred a provider of a certain gender identity (and I did) or needed specific appointment availability (like evening or weekend appointments).
Therapist Specializations
The first time I began the intake, I clicked yes to the question “I would like to see someone who specializes in LGBTQ+ care.” The second time, I decided to leave those resources to those who needed them most since, although I am bisexual, I’ve also been married seven years to a cisgender man and none of the issues I was seeking treatment for were related to my sexual orientation. I came to regret this decision after meeting my first psychiatrist, but more on that below.This was also the only question regarding my provider preferences. For example, I was never asked if I preferred a provider of a certain gender identity (and I did) or needed specific appointment availability (like evening or weekend appointments).
The first time I began the intake, I clicked yes to the question “I would like to see someone who specializes in LGBTQ+ care.” The second time, I decided to leave those resources to those who needed them most since, although I am bisexual, I’ve also been married seven years to a cisgender man and none of the issues I was seeking treatment for were related to my sexual orientation. I came to regret this decision after meeting my first psychiatrist, but more on that below.
This was also the only question regarding my provider preferences. For example, I was never asked if I preferred a provider of a certain gender identity (and I did) or needed specific appointment availability (like evening or weekend appointments).
Next was a series of more detailed questions about my mental health that the company told me would be aimed to best match me to a psychiatrist that would meet my needs. I was asked whether I’d ever stayed overnight at a hospital or clinic due to my mental health, whether I thought I was at risk of killing myself, what my relationship to alcohol was like, and whether I use drugs.
After those questions, I was prompted to enter my insurance plan name to verify my insurance was accepted—which I found to be a bit late in the sign-up process. Talkiatryonlyworks with patients that have insurance and it does not allow you to self-pay, so it struck me as odd that I’d had to provide so muchinformation about myself before being sure that the company would be able to help me.
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Once it verified that my plan was accepted, I was prompted to choose a psychiatrist from three options that it “recommended” for me—and schedule my first session.
I’ll be honest, I wasn’t that excited about working with any of my psychiatrist matches—and this is where the lack of questions at intake about my provider preferences stood out.
I could click on each provider’s photo and name to find out more about them (and see their appointment schedules). The amount of information each provider shared about themselves varied quite a bit: One had a pretty long bio (which went off on a tangent with a metaphorical story about a turtle), but the others were pretty bare-bones bios with their education, how long they’d been practicing, etc. Two were also male providers, which wasn’t my first choice, but I didn’t feel like the female provider had the specialization I was looking for.
Patient ReferralsTwo mentioned they sometimes referred their patients to talk therapists at Talkiatry as part of their treatment plan, which I appreciated. (The company’s FAQs also mention this and says that while Talkiatry is psychiatry-focused, it does have some therapists on staff and you may get referrals to them if your provider thinks you’d benefit.)
Patient Referrals
Two mentioned they sometimes referred their patients to talk therapists at Talkiatry as part of their treatment plan, which I appreciated. (The company’s FAQs also mention this and says that while Talkiatry is psychiatry-focused, it does have some therapists on staff and you may get referrals to them if your provider thinks you’d benefit.)
I decided to Google all my suggested providers, since I was given so little information about them. Two lived in Florida but were board-certified in both Florida and New York so they could treat me, though admittedly, I found it strange that Talkiatry didn’t make this information available to me from the provider bios. The other also worked in a New York hospital in addition to working at Talkiatry.
Calling TalkiatryI did have the option of calling Talkiatry if I wanted more “options” for a provider, but I didn’t love the idea of calling a phone line so, still undecided, I stepped away from my sign-up to think about it. When I came back to select a provider, it told me my options had expired and I had to complete the intakeagain.
Calling Talkiatry
I did have the option of calling Talkiatry if I wanted more “options” for a provider, but I didn’t love the idea of calling a phone line so, still undecided, I stepped away from my sign-up to think about it. When I came back to select a provider, it told me my options had expired and I had to complete the intakeagain.
So I begrudgingly filled it all out a third time, only to be shown a brand-new group of providers. Once again, two of the providers were male, and only one was female. This time, though, my Googling revealed that only one was living out of state and two were New York-based. I was still unsure if any of my “matches” were really right for me, but I decided to pick a male provider because his bio was more thorough than the other two and he had an appointment nine days out (whereas I’d have to wait at least two weeks or more with the others).
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Scheduling My Session at Talkiatry
Before my appointment, I received an email confirming the date and time and I was asked to complete some additional paperwork so that Talkiatry could bill me for the session afterwards. I was also asked to send a scanned copy of my insurance card and my ID.
I was then invited to download the Healow app (an app that Talkiatry uses to give you access to your scheduling form and patient portal) before my session if I wanted to do the session from my phone. I downloaded the app but ultimately chose to attend the session from my desktop.
Appointment ReminderI received a text message and an email the day of the appointment reminding me of the time and telling me to sign in 15 minutes early to my session to complete a short questionnaire.
Appointment Reminder
I received a text message and an email the day of the appointment reminding me of the time and telling me to sign in 15 minutes early to my session to complete a short questionnaire.
Then I also received two phone calls about two hours before my appointment from the Talkiatry customer service line. Because I didn’t recognize the number at first—and I was in a work meeting at the time—I didn’t answer the calls. They left a voicemail, though, but because my meeting went long, I didn’t have the time to check it untilaftermy first session—which I regretted because it might have saved me from a very uncomfortable first intake session.
Issue with Intake FormIt turned out that Talkiatry was calling because it had realized I’d completed the intake more than once and that on my first form, I’d indicated I wanted a provider that specialized in LGBTQ+ care. However, Talkiatry said in its message that LGBTQ+ was not something my provider “worked with,” so it told me that my psychiatrist had asked the company to reach out to see if I would be more comfortable with someone else.When I heard the voicemail, I was left feeling very uncomfortable, especially since the company and my provider had over a week to reach out. Calling on the day meant that I could—and did—miss the call, resulting in me walking into a session with a psychiatrist who would very likely not be a good fit—and he wasn’t.
Issue with Intake Form
It turned out that Talkiatry was calling because it had realized I’d completed the intake more than once and that on my first form, I’d indicated I wanted a provider that specialized in LGBTQ+ care. However, Talkiatry said in its message that LGBTQ+ was not something my provider “worked with,” so it told me that my psychiatrist had asked the company to reach out to see if I would be more comfortable with someone else.When I heard the voicemail, I was left feeling very uncomfortable, especially since the company and my provider had over a week to reach out. Calling on the day meant that I could—and did—miss the call, resulting in me walking into a session with a psychiatrist who would very likely not be a good fit—and he wasn’t.
It turned out that Talkiatry was calling because it had realized I’d completed the intake more than once and that on my first form, I’d indicated I wanted a provider that specialized in LGBTQ+ care. However, Talkiatry said in its message that LGBTQ+ was not something my provider “worked with,” so it told me that my psychiatrist had asked the company to reach out to see if I would be more comfortable with someone else.
When I heard the voicemail, I was left feeling very uncomfortable, especially since the company and my provider had over a week to reach out. Calling on the day meant that I could—and did—miss the call, resulting in me walking into a session with a psychiatrist who would very likely not be a good fit—and he wasn’t.
When I signed in for my session (15 minutes early, as instructed in the emails), the platform reminded me that this wasn’t a service for people in crisis, then asked me to confirm my insurance information and asked me to complete a short questionnaire about my mental health history, any medications I was on, who my primary care doctor was, and my current mood. Then I was able to join the waiting room to begin my session.
My psychiatrist was 12 minutes late joining our session so I did alotof waiting (especially since that form only took 5 minutes to fill out so I had been pretty early) and from the moment he joined our session, I knew I’d made a mistake in choosing to work with him: He was standoffish and cold, and rather than ask me questions in a conversational way, he approached me in a very clinical way.
He instructed me to answer his questions in a very specific way, which made me feel very uncomfortable right from the start.
Online QuizI felt like I was taking an online quiz, not having a conversation with a real person.
Online Quiz
I felt like I was taking an online quiz, not having a conversation with a real person.
It was also clear he hadn’t spent a great deal of time reading my intake paperwork, because he seemed surprised when I mentioned my mother had died recently. I had included this in all my intake forms, so his surprise irked me (especially after the session when I realized that hehadnoticed I’d previously said I wanted a psychiatrist that specialized in LGBTQ+ care).
He also spent a great deal of time focused on why I hadn’t provided the contact information for my primary care provider (PCP) and insisted that I Google my PCP’s practice’s physical address for his file during the session.
Making Up TimeThe only real positive about this appointment was that my psychiatristdidmake up the time he was late and even went over an additional 15 minutes so we could finish the intake and discuss medication options.
Making Up Time
The only real positive about this appointment was that my psychiatristdidmake up the time he was late and even went over an additional 15 minutes so we could finish the intake and discuss medication options.
This meant that my intake was an hour and 15 minutes—more than double the length of intakes at other companies we evaluated—which is important. Longer intakes give your psychiatrist the time to truly evaluate and diagnose you before developing their treatment plan. However, I couldn’t help but feel like the reason we went so long was that I found it very difficult to open up to him about why I was there and what I was going through—not because he was being more thorough.
He also said he would order blood work done as well (through my PCP) as part of my treatment so that he could adjust his treatment plan if necessary since I have a chronic medical condition. I appreciated this extra step to ensure he was being careful with my treatment.
However, while we did discuss my medical history, psychiatric history, and my family’s psychiatric history, his insistence on making me quantify my symptoms left me overthinking my responses back to him and reluctant to be transparent.
MedicationsI also didn’t feel heard when I discussed previous side effects I’d experienced on medications I’d taken while I was in grad school—and he ended up prescribing me an antidepressant I specifically mentioned I had some concerns about.
Medications
I also didn’t feel heard when I discussed previous side effects I’d experienced on medications I’d taken while I was in grad school—and he ended up prescribing me an antidepressant I specifically mentioned I had some concerns about.
He did ask me whether I was seeing a talk therapist and I told him I was, but he didn’t ask me any additional questions (and didn’t insist on adding her name or contact information to his file, as he had with my PCP.)
By the time our session was over (which ended with him calling in a prescription and scheduling our next session for two weeks out), I felt drained and unsure if I wanted to continue at Talkiatry.
After my session (and the uncomfortable voicemail), I dug around my patient portal to see if I could figure out how I could switch providers.
Calling Customer ServiceI learned that I had to call customer service to switch, which bugged me—at other online companies I’d tried in the past, switching could be done entirely online, with no awkward phone call involved.
Calling Customer Service
I learned that I had to call customer service to switch, which bugged me—at other online companies I’d tried in the past, switching could be done entirely online, with no awkward phone call involved.
I decided to wait—I had to get back to work—but the fact that I was dreading attending my second session eventually made me decide to call in to get a switch.
The customer service representative was very friendly: She reassured me that I shouldn’t feel bad about requesting a switch before asking me what I’d want in a provider. It was clear she’d pulled my file up because she asked me about the whole back-and-forth over whether I needed a provider that specialized in LGBTQ+ issues. I told her I wasn’t there to talk about any issues, but obviously, I didn’t want a provider that was uncomfortable treating someone like me, then told her I’d also be more comfortable with a female-identifying provider.
I was put on a short hold then—maybe five minutes—and then she came back to let me know she’d canceled the follow-up with my old provider and put in the request for a switch.
Re-Matching Takes TimeI’d get an email when they re-matched me, but the customer service rep warned me that it might take up to 10 days business days—which seemed unnecessarily long.
Re-Matching Takes Time
I’d get an email when they re-matched me, but the customer service rep warned me that it might take up to 10 days business days—which seemed unnecessarily long.
I asked her if there was nothing they could do to speed it up: After all, I could probably sign up as a new customer and get matches faster than 10 business days, but she apologized and said that it was out of her hands.
I left the call frustrated, but the good news is I did get an email letting me know I’d been matched within a few days—not 10 business days—so that was reassuring. However, the email provided me with very little information about my new provider, aside from her name, so I had to Google her to get any information about her, and it let me know that I’d have to call customer serviceagainto schedule the appointment because I couldn’t schedule online.
So I begrudgingly called customer service again (Ireallyhate talking on the phone). Customer service was all business this time and they told me that the soonest I could get an appointment was over two weeks away, which was disappointing, but I accepted the time anyway.
My Appointment With My New Provider
Before my new intake with my new provider, I was once again invited to join the session 15 minutes early to fill out the questionnaire about my symptoms, but I didn’t feel like I needed to, especially as my new provider was seven minutes late joining.
Our SessionWe talked for an hour, and while I could tell she was following the same format as the previous psychiatrist I’d seen because of the questions she asked, the conversation felt more natural this time because I wasn’t consistently being interrupted to quantify how many days a week I experienced those symptoms.
Our Session
We talked for an hour, and while I could tell she was following the same format as the previous psychiatrist I’d seen because of the questions she asked, the conversation felt more natural this time because I wasn’t consistently being interrupted to quantify how many days a week I experienced those symptoms.
She also spent more time asking me about things that went beyond just my immediate symptoms: We spoke about my mother, my childhood, and my relationships with my father, siblings, and husband, as well as about my experience of becoming a mother and the emergency c-section I’d had and my postpartum experience. We also talked about my talk therapy and she asked me if I found those sessions helpful. I said I did, and she moved on from there but did mention that she was glad I was in therapy as she liked to include a combination of therapy and talk therapy in her treatment plans.
Time ManagementI also appreciated that as we approached the hour mark of our session, she paused and told me she still had some more questions to go over with me and didn’t want to rush them just to get to medication, so she wanted to know if I would be available for another follow-up session tomorrow or this week so we could finish my intake.
Time Management
I also appreciated that as we approached the hour mark of our session, she paused and told me she still had some more questions to go over with me and didn’t want to rush them just to get to medication, so she wanted to know if I would be available for another follow-up session tomorrow or this week so we could finish my intake.
I agreed and we scheduled an early morning 30-minute appointment in two days. At this follow-up (and yes, in case you were wondering, she was once again in a Talkiatry-branded shirt), our conversation felt a little less conversational, but I still didn’t feel rushed.
We picked up our conversation where we’d left off, then spent the last 15 minutes or so of the session discussing medication and my concerns about or symptoms from previous medications I’d taken in the past. I left with the same prescription as my other provider had given me, but at least felt a little better about taking it than I had that time because she’d done a better job discussing all the side effects I could have and ended the sessions reassuring me that if I found any side effects intolerable, I could message her and we’d figure something out.
I appreciated that my psychiatrist once again spent way longer (in this case triple the intake times at other companies we evaluated) getting to know me and my reasons for seeking psychiatric help before coming up with a treatment plan.
It did make me feel more confident moving forwards, especially since she did a whole new intake assessment rather than relying on the notes the first Talkiatry provider I saw left in my file.
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Messaging My New Provider
However, after beginning the medication, I did experience some side effects pretty quickly. So I took her up on her offer and messaged her. Unfortunately, it was the weekend so I had to wait until Monday afternoon to get a response.
Her message was kind and empathetic, but she was encouraging me to give it more time, which I didn’t love. She did offer to schedule an earlier follow-up, though, which I appreciated.
Check-Ins
About a week after my appointment, I got a questionnaire from Talkiatry via email, which invited me to answer some questions about my symptoms since our appointment. It asked me about my anxiety levels, my depression levels, whether I was experiencing any new symptoms, or whether I felt anysuicidal thoughts.
The questionnaire was quick to fill out, taking maybe five minutes, and when I was done it told me my provider would reach out after reviewing it if she had any concerns about my answers. It also reminded me that I could message her anytime and that this questionnaire (or the patient portal messenger) was not a replacement for crisis help should I need immediate help.
Billing
Because Talkiatry bills your insurance, you will not pay for your session right away. If you have a copay, you will provide your payment information for that amount at the time of your session, but if you’re like me and just get charged a coinsurance amount, you won’t get billed until after Talkiatry has billed your insurance provider. After that, the company will figure out how much you owe and send you a bill.
Be aware, though, that I received this bill through the mail; not online. Since I don’t receive many bills in the mail anymore, I almost missed my first bill, but that’s admittedly more of a “me” problem.
We tested Talkiatry one other time, also from New York, and were overwhelmingly impressed with the services we received. What stood out to us the most was the length of our sessions—at 60 minutes, our intake session was literally twice as long as most other online psychiatry services we tried. We felt we had plenty of time to fully discuss what we wanted to gain from our Talkiatry appointments, explain our mental health history, and go over our current medications. These things are imperative in a psychiatry service.
Our psychiatrist was immediately welcoming and established a very conversational environment—in fact, our psychiatry sessions felt more like talk therapy sessions, which is unusual.
We also appreciated the thoroughness of the assessments we had to fill out before our first appointment. These assessments covered our history with mental health treatments, any medications we were already on, whether we had any preferred psychiatrist specialties and cultural sensitivities, and whether we had ever had any past severe psychiatric episodes. It was clear that Talkiatry was screening for specific conditions—particularly, to determine whether or not we were currently experiencing a mental health crisis, which would have meant that Talkiatry was not an appropriate service for us. This gave us faith in Talkiatry as an ethical, professional psychiatry company.
Pros and Cons
After some bumps at the beginning of my process, I’m still relatively happy with the care I’ve received at Talkiatry and I’d recommend it to others looking for an online provider that accepts their insurance. Here are my pros and cons.
ProsAll psychiatrists are board-certified to practice in your stateYou will use your health insurance benefits and pay less out of pocketIntake sessions are an hour and follow-ups are 30 minutesIntake sessions are comprehensiveNo limits on which medications it can prescribeCompany is very clear about what it does and does not treatConsYou’ll receive emails and relentless calls if you start to sign up and stopIntake questionnaire doesn’t ask if you have any provider identity or specialization preferencesNot all providers are LGBTQ+ friendlySwitching providers requires you to call customer service twice to first request the switch, then scheduleIt could take up to 2 weeks to get an intake appointment after sign-up
ProsAll psychiatrists are board-certified to practice in your stateYou will use your health insurance benefits and pay less out of pocketIntake sessions are an hour and follow-ups are 30 minutesIntake sessions are comprehensiveNo limits on which medications it can prescribeCompany is very clear about what it does and does not treat
All psychiatrists are board-certified to practice in your state
You will use your health insurance benefits and pay less out of pocket
Intake sessions are an hour and follow-ups are 30 minutes
Intake sessions are comprehensive
No limits on which medications it can prescribe
Company is very clear about what it does and does not treat
ConsYou’ll receive emails and relentless calls if you start to sign up and stopIntake questionnaire doesn’t ask if you have any provider identity or specialization preferencesNot all providers are LGBTQ+ friendlySwitching providers requires you to call customer service twice to first request the switch, then scheduleIt could take up to 2 weeks to get an intake appointment after sign-up
You’ll receive emails and relentless calls if you start to sign up and stop
Intake questionnaire doesn’t ask if you have any provider identity or specialization preferences
Not all providers are LGBTQ+ friendly
Switching providers requires you to call customer service twice to first request the switch, then schedule
It could take up to 2 weeks to get an intake appointment after sign-up
Admittedly, I have only been seeing my current psychiatrist at Talkiatry for a month (and have been a patient at the company for just under two), but I’d be lying if I didn’t say I still am on the fence about my experience.
The bumpy start signing up with Talkiatry left a lot to be desired: The fact that the company doesn’t ask if you have any preferences regarding the identity or specializations of your provider (except one that specializes in LGBTQ+ “care”) left me with the impression that the company places less emphasis on matching you with a provider you can develop a rapport with, which felt like a miss.
However, my experience at Talkiatry got better and I do like the new provider I am now seeing. Admittedly, you see your psychiatrist less often than you do a therapist, so the rapport between you may not need to be as strong as it should be with the therapist you see once or multiple times a week. Still, studies have shown that if patients are uncomfortable with their doctors (and psychiatrists are doctors), it can impact how well you recover and how well you follow your doctor’s treatment plan, such as taking medication.
I also find the exchange I had over the question of whether I wanted a provider that specialized in LGBTQ+ care a bit concerning.
The question itself is a bit vague—and perhaps I overthought my answer to it, but since I was there to discuss my anxiety and depression, not something specific to my sexual orientation, I wanted to be sensitive to the fact that there are not enough mental health resources for the LGBTQ+ community to meet demand.However, the call I received made me worry that my provider wasn’t LGBTQ+ friendly at all, and left me uncomfortable with keeping him as my provider.
Switching providers is also not easy or quick: you have to call customer service, there is a waiting period for the new match to go through, and you won’t get an appointment right away even after this match goes through. This is not user-friendly (and is significantly more inconvenient than the switching process at several other online mental health companies we evaluated).
The good news is that my second provider is approachable and took the time to do a thorough intake with me, which included scheduling a second appointment before finalizing her treatment plan. She’s also been responsive through the patient portal messaging center.
Both intake and follow-up sessions are also double the length of sessions at all the online mental health services we evaluated that offered psychiatry or medication management. My second provider restarted this intake (rather than rely on just my first provider’s notes) to make sure she could take the time to truly evaluate and diagnose me before developing her treatment plan. She wasn’t afraid to disagree with the psychiatric advice I’d been given in the past and she took the time to answer my questions or explain different reasons I could have experienced certain symptoms or side effects from medication.
I also can’t understate how much I appreciated knowing that if I went to Talkiatry, I would find a provider that would accept my insurance so I could pay less out-of-pocket.
This was important to me because I don’t know if I could have afforded to get psychiatric care if that weren’t the case—it isn’t easy to find a psychiatrist that accepts health insurance because psychiatrists nationwide are much less likely to accept health insurance than other specialized board-certified physicians.(In fact, this is why some people go to their primary care provider, at times, for mental health help and prescriptions.)
Talkiatry User Survey ResultsMy experience is a little more negative than the 100 users we surveyed that are or were patients at Talkiatry. Our users across the board had very positive experiences:98% rated their experience as excellent, very good, or good overall97% rated their prescriber’s qualifications as good, very good, or excellent95% would recommend Talkiatry to someone like themIn addition, when we asked them what they liked about the company, two-thirds said it was that their psychiatrist was available to them when they needed them (which I also found to be the case) and 64% said it was that their provider was responsive to their questions and medication needs. Another 62% said they also felt that their psychiatrist cared about their mental well-being.
Talkiatry User Survey Results
My experience is a little more negative than the 100 users we surveyed that are or were patients at Talkiatry. Our users across the board had very positive experiences:98% rated their experience as excellent, very good, or good overall97% rated their prescriber’s qualifications as good, very good, or excellent95% would recommend Talkiatry to someone like themIn addition, when we asked them what they liked about the company, two-thirds said it was that their psychiatrist was available to them when they needed them (which I also found to be the case) and 64% said it was that their provider was responsive to their questions and medication needs. Another 62% said they also felt that their psychiatrist cared about their mental well-being.
My experience is a little more negative than the 100 users we surveyed that are or were patients at Talkiatry. Our users across the board had very positive experiences:
In addition, when we asked them what they liked about the company, two-thirds said it was that their psychiatrist was available to them when they needed them (which I also found to be the case) and 64% said it was that their provider was responsive to their questions and medication needs. Another 62% said they also felt that their psychiatrist cared about their mental well-being.
In the end, I have decided to stay at Talkiatry for my treatment, at least for now, because I do think my provider cares about my well-being. I’d also recommend the company to someone who is struggling to find a provider that will accept insurance, especially if they are sure they want and/or believe they need medication.
However, I wouldn’t recommend going to Talkiatry as your first stop if you’re worried about your mental health. I already see a talk therapist twice a week and without that, Talkiatry would not be enough. Even though your psychiatrist can refer you to a therapist in the Talkiatry network, there will likely be a waiting list to get those therapy sessions started, which means medication would still be the main (or first) focus of the treatment you’d receive here and therapy would be considered the add-on.
The Best Online Therapy for Anxiety, Tried and Tested
4 Sources
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Butt MF.Approaches to building rapport with patients.Clin Med (Lond). 2021;21(6):e662-e663.
Bonvicini KA.LGBT healthcare disparities: What progress have we made?.Patient Educ Couns. 2017;100(12):2357-2361. doi:10.1016/j.pec.2017.06.003
Abed Faghri NM, Boisvert CM, Faghri S.Understanding the expanding role of primary care physicians (Pcps) to primary psychiatric care physicians (Ppcps): enhancing the assessment and treatment of psychiatric conditions.Ment Health FamMed. 2010;7(1):17-25.
Hannah Owens, LMSW
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