Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsAmy’s 2023 TestingOur Most Recent TestingOur Other Testers' Experiences with ThriveworksCanceling Therapy at ThriveworksPros and ConsFinal Thoughts
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Amy’s 2023 Testing
Our Most Recent Testing
Our Other Testers' Experiences with Thriveworks
Canceling Therapy at Thriveworks
Pros and Cons
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.
Over the past three years, Verywell Mind has repeatedly testedThriveworks, a therapy company that offers both online and in-person mental health services in 49 states and DC. In this review, Dr. Amy Marschall, PsyD, explains her experience testing Thriveworks in 2023. Then, we discuss our findings from our most recent test of this company’s online therapy services from 2024.
For the purposes of this article, we tested Thriveworks each time for a month, which may influence the feedback on the platform where users may have tried their service for a longer period of time.
The Best Online Therapy ProgramsWe’ve tried, tested and written unbiased reviews of the best online therapy programs including Talkspace, Betterhelp, and Regain.
In 2023, we asked Amy to test Thriveworks' online therapy services for a month to learn about the quality of care the company could provide. These are her personal insights.
Why I Chose Thriveworks
As apsychologistliving withADHD, I have spent the last two years researching online therapy platforms and evaluating their services, looking for those that have ethical practices, offer accessibility, and prioritize client satisfaction. But I’ve also been particularly interested in companies that provide affirming services toneurodivergentpeople like me. After seeing Thriveworks come up again and again in my research, I’ve been consistently impressed with its therapy services and its high client satisfaction. But for a long time, it didn’t offer services in my state—which honestly didn’t surprise me that much. South Dakota could be considered a “therapy desert” because it’s a place where there are not enough mental health providers to meet demand,which means that even if you find a therapist near you, you might be on a waitlist to see them for a long time.
So when I learned that Thriveworksdidlaunch an online therapy office in South Dakota (and we actually got one before some other therapy desert states, like Vermont), I jumped at the chance to try it out. And I’m pleased to say that over the month I used it, I received quality care from my therapist and appreciated the additional resources provided on the website, though the platform was pricier than others I have tried. Here’s my experience with Thriveworks.
How I Signed Up for Thriveworks
Thriveworks
When I first navigated to the Thriveworks website, I was instructed to input my location and to call a phone number for my region in order to schedule a session with a customer service representative. I admit I was a bit disappointed that I didn’t have the option to schedule an initial appointment online—which other online therapy companies offer.
It seems that people in other states can schedule an appointment at Thriveworks online, so whether or not you will be able to will depend on where you live.
My call with customer service didn’t go smoothly. We had some difficulty scheduling because my state has two time zones, and the therapist assigned to me is not in the same time zone as I am. The customer service person I spoke with had some trouble figuring out the time difference and had to make, cancel, and reschedule my appointment a few times to get it right. However, we eventually got it sorted out.
According to the website, I can choose what Thriveworks provider I want to meet with, but at the time I tried it out, there was only one Thriveworks therapist operating in South Dakota.
The therapist in my state was an LCSW who, according to her profile, specializes in “depression,anxiety,trauma,substance use,mood disorders,major life transitions,postpartum depression, andrelationship issues.”
This was OK, but when I first called, I requested a provider with knowledge of neurodivergence and neurodiversity-affirming care because I wanted a provider who understands that while neurodivergence (like having ADHD) can come with challenges, it is not inherently pathological or wrong. This is an approach I use in my own therapy practice, and I look for it in other therapy services too.
Still, I appreciated that my therapist had evening and weekend availability, as that is what works best for my schedule. I also appreciated that Thriveworks sent me multiple email and text reminders about my appointment time.
How Much Thriveworks Costs
The truth is, Thriveworks rates can be expensive out-of-pocket, though its price varies based on region, and session costs are not listed on the website. However, it accepts many insurance plans, including Humana, Aetna, BlueCross, TriCare, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare, Tufts, and Medicare, which could lower your out-of-pocket prices if your plan is accepted.
Unfortunately, though, I have health insurance through a local hospital, and the plan is primarily in-network with employees of that hospital system. As a result, I did not have the option of using my insurance to help cover the cost of my Thriveworks sessions.
My intake session was $200, and hour-long follow up sessions were $170 each. This is definitely on the higher end ofgeneral therapy costs, which usually range from $60 to $200 per session, and Verywell Mind research has found that nearly half of people in therapywould not be able to continueif their price per session went up. With the national salary average being just over $60,000, Thriveworks’ out-of-pocket prices may not be feasible for many.
In addition, although I did not have to pay a cancellation fee, I was told that there would be a $135 charge if I canceled within 48 hours or did not show up for my appointment.
8 Best Online Therapy Platforms That Take Insurance
How My Therapy Sessions Went
Verywell Mind / Hannah Owens
At my intake, my therapist followed a structured interview format to gather extensive history information. This is typically the purpose of a first appointment: getting a thorough history to inform treatment going forward. She asked about my family, education, employment, substance use, mental health history, current symptoms, and other topics.
My therapist was thorough and gentle, and I found it easy to open up to her.
I found our subsequent sessions helpful, with my therapist bringing up things I had mentioned in previous sessions but also making room for me to bring anything new to the session.
While we were not focused specifically on treating my ADHD symptoms, my therapist checked in on this and seemed knowledgeable about ADHD.
I felt that she remembered things I told her and was invested in my care.
After each appointment, Thriveworks sent me emails and text messages inviting me to review it on Google.
While I have used other platforms that invited me to privately provide feedback regarding my care, this was the first platform that attempted to solicit a public review. The American Psychological Association, American Counselors Association, and National Association of Social Workers ethics codes all prohibit therapists from requesting testimonials and public reviews from current clients. While these requests did not come directly from my therapist, they still made me uncomfortable. Having the platform request a testimonial instead of the actual therapist seems like a difference of semantics, and I did not feel the request was appropriate.
Additional Resources
Thriveworks offers a wealth of free educational resources on its website, including several ebooks that I could download for free:
While I was already familiar with much of the information presented, if I were not a mental health professional, I probably would have learned a lot from the books and blogs. Topics covered includecoping with grief,depression,trust, andculturally competent mental health. Overall, I felt like the educational resources on the website were highly beneficial, as I could learn more about my mental health and appropriate coping skills in between sessions if I wanted to.
In the summer of 2024, we had a tester in New York try Thriveworks' online therapy services for a month. This was her first-hand experience.
Thriveworks advertises that it offers EMDR therapy, so I decided to try the company in order to help me work through that trauma.
Signing Up for Thriveworks
It was not clear that I could not schedule an appointment with the therapist in another state—I didn’t realize that the therapists listed in other states are not licensed to take patients in NY, which I learned the hard way.
However, since I tested Thriveworks in the summer of 2024, the company has since updated its system so that a warning alert pops up letting you know that you are making a cross-state booking and giving you information about that state’s licensure regulations. This should mitigate the confusion and frustration I experienced.
I ended up scheduling a session with one of my very few options. It took me about two weeks to get to my appointment.
I also had to provide my insurance info and my credit card info. A questionnaire was sent to me a few hours before the appointment, but when I tried to click on it, it would not open.
My Therapy Session
The therapist was late for the appointment. When she finally logged in, she immediately gave me a speech saying that she is too busy and doesn’t really have spots for new patients, and explained that I was only able to book a session with her because she had a last-minute cancellation.
Then, she proceeded to tell me that she is only reachable from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays and no other days, and will not be reading texts or emails.
To me, this seemed problematic for a therapist who treats trauma and/orPTSDpatients, because we cannot control when something triggers us and when we will need support.
She also started asking me to immediately sign a financial waiver, saying she will not proceed with the session until that’s done. When I mentioned that the link to the waiver was not working, she resent the doc to me in Spanish, then made me call the help desk to resolve the online signature issues. All in all, that took 20 minutes out of the 45-minute appointment.
She then asked me why I scheduled the appointment.
When I mentioned EMDR, she flat-out refused to use it, saying that I needCBT(cognitive behavioral therapy) first. I proceeded to tell her that I’ve been in CBT for 3.5 years, but she did not budge.
She suggested that my trauma is somehow my fault, and that I need to get to the bottom of why I even got to the traumatic event. This felt too pushy and like she was blaming me for my own trauma.
How I Felt About Thriveworks
Not worth it at all. Horrible. Unprofessional. Luckily, the fee was waived for that horrendous session.
My therapist was incredibly rude from start to finish. I also felt as though the company itself made false claims about the services it offers. Even though EMDR is specifically mentioned on the website as a modality its therapists offer, I could not find a single provider in my area who offered this approach.
We heard from a Thriveworks representative about this particular issue. Because there is only one clinic located in New York, providers there are scarce to begin with. She also explained the limits of finding a therapist who provides EMDR. “On the services bar at the top of our website, we are very clear on the main services offered and common specialties. EMDR is not listed among these but as one of the Explore More options. While there was not a provider available in the tester’s area (New York only having one clinic) EMDR is a service hundreds of our clinicians offer nationwide, something I can validate.”
We also tested Thriveworks’ individual, couples, and children/teen therapy six other times across the country, in Massachusetts, Missouri, Kentucky, Kansas, Florida, and Ohio, and our experiences, for the most part, differed greatly from our 2024 testing results. It was clear to us that Thriveworks provides quality mental health care. We especially appreciated the thorough intake process that our providers took us through—this made us feel as though our therapists were professional and engaged in making sure they had all the necessary information in order to treat us properly. In fact, one of our 50-minute intake sessions actually lasted an hour and fifteen minutes because our provider was invested in getting all the background she’d need in order to collaborate with us the best she could.
Our therapists worked with us on particular issues (such as balancing chores and tasks in our relationships) and led us through focused and guided sessions, offering advice and action items we could set in place immediately.
The providers we worked with were personable and kind, and put us at ease right away.
They made a point of sharing their own family experiences (with children about the same age as ours), which made us feel like they truly understood our family dynamics. We were happy to keep scheduling sessions with our therapists, even when we were paying for their services out-of-pocket—that’s how much we liked them.
We also had great experiences when we sought Thriveworks’ services for our children and teens. Our teenage daughter really liked how conversational her therapist was, compared to previous therapists who had made her feel like they weren’t really listening to her; so she especially appreciated the fact that her provider would often call back to previous conversations they’d had and make recommendations based on issues they’d already discussed. Our daughter quickly found that she and her therapist had things in common (like an interest in sports and travel) and she was able to develop a rapport with her rapidly. In addition, they worked together to help our daughter recognize triggers that set off her stress and anxiety, and the therapist provided useful tips for calming down in those situations, such as breathwork and grounding exercises.
Thriveworks’ couples therapy, however, wasn’t successful for us.
A couple of days later, though, I got an alert that I was put back on my therapist’s schedule even though I had not requested another appointment. My therapist also emailed me to check in, which I appreciated, but I did not like that Thriveworks made another appointment for me that I had not requested.
I had a good experience with my Thriveworks therapist and feel that she provided me with competent, helpful care. At the same time, were I not being reimbursed for my sessions, I would not have been able to afford the cost out-of-pocket. There are some great, free resources on Thriveworks’s website for anyone who wants to learn more about mental health. All things considered, these are my pros and cons.
ProsIf there is a Thriveworks office in your area, you can request in-person sessionsFree ebooks and educational resources on the Thriveworks websiteIn-network with many insurance plansOffers individual, couples, family, and child/adolescent therapyOffers medication managementConsExpensive if you have to pay out-of-pocketSome services/expertise are not available everywhereDepending on your location, there are few providers availableSoliciting client reviews may be unethical
ProsIf there is a Thriveworks office in your area, you can request in-person sessionsFree ebooks and educational resources on the Thriveworks websiteIn-network with many insurance plansOffers individual, couples, family, and child/adolescent therapyOffers medication management
If there is a Thriveworks office in your area, you can request in-person sessions
Free ebooks and educational resources on the Thriveworks website
In-network with many insurance plans
Offers individual, couples, family, and child/adolescent therapy
Offers medication management
ConsExpensive if you have to pay out-of-pocketSome services/expertise are not available everywhereDepending on your location, there are few providers availableSoliciting client reviews may be unethical
Expensive if you have to pay out-of-pocket
Some services/expertise are not available everywhere
Depending on your location, there are few providers available
Soliciting client reviews may be unethical
Although there was not a therapist with neurodiversity-affirming specialization available in my state, my therapist had knowledge of my presenting concerns. It would have been nice to have more therapist options, but since Thriveworks just launched in South Dakota, it is understandable that it does not have a large therapist network yet—and I have hope that the company will continue expanding its network in the coming months or years, because currently, other therapy desert states like Nebraska and Wyoming have only one in-person location and no therapists available online.
I appreciated the free educational resources on the website as well, and the free ebooks are a great source for anyone who wants to better understand their mental health.
Online Therapy User SurveyWe surveyed 100 new and past users of Thriveworks and, like me, they had mostly positive experiences:98% of users rated Thriveworks as good, very good, or excellent overall96% were able to find a therapist who met most or all of their needs98% thought their therapist’s qualifications were excellent, very good, or good96% would recommend Thriveworks to a friend or someone like them95% thought Thriveworks’ services were good, very good, or excellent value for the money
Online Therapy User Survey
We surveyed 100 new and past users of Thriveworks and, like me, they had mostly positive experiences:98% of users rated Thriveworks as good, very good, or excellent overall96% were able to find a therapist who met most or all of their needs98% thought their therapist’s qualifications were excellent, very good, or good96% would recommend Thriveworks to a friend or someone like them95% thought Thriveworks’ services were good, very good, or excellent value for the money
We surveyed 100 new and past users of Thriveworks and, like me, they had mostly positive experiences:
However, Thriveworks is quite expensive if you are not able to use insurance, which can be a barrier, but quality mental health care is often pricey. I also have ethical concerns about Thriveworks soliciting reviews from current clients, but I did not see the same privacy concerns I have seen on other platforms regarding the selling of personal health information to third parties like advertisers.
Overall, my experience with Thriveworks was positive, and I would use it again if needed and if I can fit the expense into my budget.
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2 SourcesVerywell 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.Mental Health America.Access to care data 2022.U.S. Social Security Administration.National average wage index.
2 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.Mental Health America.Access to care data 2022.U.S. Social Security Administration.National average wage index.
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.
Mental Health America.Access to care data 2022.U.S. Social Security Administration.National average wage index.
Mental Health America.Access to care data 2022.
U.S. Social Security Administration.National average wage index.
Hannah Owens, LMSW
andSimone Scully
Simone Scully
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