Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSign UpMatching ProcessTherapy SessionsPros & ConsFinal Thoughts
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Sign Up
Matching Process
Therapy Sessions
Pros & 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.
Two Chairs specializes in matching clients with therapists who are truly a great fit for them, doing so with an extensive matching appointment where the client meets with a licensed clinician and talks about their hopes and dreams for this work. Finding the right therapist can be a process that is daunting to many and I loved that a service was working to make the experience easier.
The telehealth company offers online therapy to residents of California, Florida, and Washington states and even has some in-person options. Its website is warm and inviting and clearly states its mission of connecting clients with aligned therapists. It even says that 98% of clients find the right therapist on their first try. Despite my high hopes, I ran into some unexpected issues, leaving me with mixed feelings about the company altogether. Here’s what happened during my experience with Two Chairs.
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How I Signed Up
Getting started with Two Chairs was easy—signing up took less than 10 minutes. All I had to do was head to its website and click a button near the top right of the screen that said, “Book an appointment.” This appointment is a therapist-matching appointment, a 45-minute session with a licensed therapist who is specifically trained to match clients with therapists based on communication style preferences, therapy modalities, and clinical specialties. I filled out my contact information and was invited to select an appointment time for the therapist-matching appointment.
Two Chairs
There wasn’t a time available that worked for my schedule until the beginning of the following week. While I was eager to get started quickly, I didn’t think much of it and moved forward with booking the best appointment for my schedule. Then, I was invited to share what brings me to therapy and any clinician preferences I had—including if I wanted to see a therapist with a certain age, gender, race/ethnicity, or religious/spiritual orientation. I was also asked if I wanted to see a therapist virtually or in person, which is when I learned that the company also offers in-person sessions. After that, I was asked if I had been diagnosed with or showed symptoms ofbipolar disorder,psychosisorschizophrenia,eating disorders,drug or alcohol use, orPTSD. I was also asked if I engaged inself-harm.
Intake QuestionnaireThese questions ticked off all the boxes for what I’d like to see an online platform cover ethically. Some of these conditions aren’t appropriate for virtual treatment due to the severity of their symptoms, so it was great to see Two Chairs was doing its due diligence.
Intake Questionnaire
These questions ticked off all the boxes for what I’d like to see an online platform cover ethically. Some of these conditions aren’t appropriate for virtual treatment due to the severity of their symptoms, so it was great to see Two Chairs was doing its due diligence.
Afterward, I was asked to fill out my availability for ongoing therapy sessions. This was essentially part of the intake paperwork, which is a series of questionnaires rather than a dedicated patient portal I can revisit, and was my final step before paying. It prompted me to fill out at least 15 available time slots, noting that less than 15 could lead to it taking longer to find a match. This was a bit tricky—I definitely did not have 15 different appointment slot times available throughout the week. Regardless, I filled in what I could and moved along.
After filling in my availability, I entered my insurance information (I was paying out-of-pocket), emergency contact, and payment information. Once all those steps were complete, it was time to wait for my matching appointment.
First, let me be clear—I wholeheartedly believe therapists should be paid well and, unfortunately, insurance companies don’t make that easy. I rarely balk at therapist’s fees because I understand all the hidden costs and labor that go into becoming a licensed clinician.
The High Cost of Therapy at Two ChairsThe initial 45-minute matching appointment cost $260 and each follow-up appointment was $215. Compared to the national average of$65 to $250 per session, these fees were a bit steep.Furthermore, Two Chairs is only in-network with Aetna and Kaiser Permanente insurances, based on location. While I’ve reviewed other companies in the past, likeOctave, that also have high session fees, it was the $260 matching appointment that threw me off.
The High Cost of Therapy at Two Chairs
The initial 45-minute matching appointment cost $260 and each follow-up appointment was $215. Compared to the national average of$65 to $250 per session, these fees were a bit steep.Furthermore, Two Chairs is only in-network with Aetna and Kaiser Permanente insurances, based on location. While I’ve reviewed other companies in the past, likeOctave, that also have high session fees, it was the $260 matching appointment that threw me off.
The initial 45-minute matching appointment cost $260 and each follow-up appointment was $215. Compared to the national average of$65 to $250 per session, these fees were a bit steep.
Furthermore, Two Chairs is only in-network with Aetna and Kaiser Permanente insurances, based on location. While I’ve reviewed other companies in the past, likeOctave, that also have high session fees, it was the $260 matching appointment that threw me off.
I’ve worked at group practices that offer complimentary 15-minute consultations to match a therapist with a client. As an independent therapist, I, too, hold free 15-minute consultations with clients. Sure, I don’t get paid for that time, but I factor that into building my hourly fee. I know some clinicians who charge for slightly longer consultations (think 20 to 25 minutes), but even then, I’ve never heard of a consultation costing more than $100. However, I reminded myself that 45 minutes is significantly longer and it is important that all clinicians are compensated for their time.
The Therapist Matching Process
According to Two Chairs, there are over 200 therapists on the platform. Of these, 25% speak multiple languages; 45% are Black, indigenous, and people of color; and there are over 32 therapy modalities practiced amongst all of them.
Wellness Check-InThe morning of my appointment, I was emailed a “wellness check-in.” It was a questionnaire that combined the PHQ-9, a depression screener, and the GAD-7, which is an anxiety screener. It also asked general questions about my overall life satisfaction.
Wellness Check-In
The morning of my appointment, I was emailed a “wellness check-in.” It was a questionnaire that combined the PHQ-9, a depression screener, and the GAD-7, which is an anxiety screener. It also asked general questions about my overall life satisfaction.
The clinician I met with was warm, kind, and professional. She first confirmed my name, address, and emergency contact, explaining that she needed this information to confirm my identity and make sure I was in the state of California due to state licensing restrictions. I appreciated this legal and ethical awareness.
She provided some general information about what to expect from the appointment, breaking down the matching process. She also let me know the contact I could reach out to in case I ever needed to make scheduling changes and the contact I could use for billing issues. Matching emails, which is the email letting me know which therapist I would be matched with and what appointment times were available, go out on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It is typically at least a two-week wait until you’re matched. I immediately expressed some urgency to get started, explaining that a two-week wait would make it almost a month of being with the service before even getting started seeing someone.
She assured me she’d try her best to match me sooner—which she made good on, matching me within one week.
After the general nuts and bolts of the session were taken care of, we got to business. She asked me what brought me to therapy, the type of work I did, and general questions about my interests, support systems, and pain points. I felt instantly comfortable with her, noting that we were able to build a rapport quickly. Since she knew I was a therapist, she asked more technical questions about the specific therapy modalities I preferred and the styles of communication that worked best for me.
She also asked me if I wanted a therapist who would guide the session and be more solution-focused or someone who would simply listen and occasionally share reflections. She also asked me to consider how much time I wanted to spend focusing on my past, present, and future in therapy. I loved these questions and felt optimistic that I would end up with a good fit.
While all went well in the appointment, it was only 25 minutes long. I knew I had answered all of the intake questions she had for me, but I was a bit shocked that a $260 appointment that was supposed to be 45 minutes long was nearly half that amount of time.
Paying $260 for a 25-minute session felt outrageous. Even though I had answered her questions, she could have gathered more of my history or even supported me with coping tools or resources in the remaining 20 minutes—after all, she was a licensed clinician and I was a client.
How My Therapy Sessions Worked
One week after my matching appointment, I received an email that I’d been matched with a provider and could meet with her in one week. Again, I noted that getting started took a fair amount of time, but I was thankful my matching therapist worked to get me teamed up with someone quickly.
While my matching appointment was done via Google Meet video, my first official therapy session was via Zoom. It was set for 45 minutes. My therapist was on time and kindly greeted me at the start of our session. She again asked me to confirm my name, location, and emergency contact and then went over the limits to confidentiality and general practice policies, including cancellation policies and attendance policies. I am required to give two business days' notice for any cancellations and should I cancel more than four sessions in six months, my therapist can no longer hold our appointment time. So far so good—I appreciated her setting the boundaries for the sessions from the jump.
After that, she asked me what I did for work. This clued me in that some level of information was not exchanged between my matching clinician and her.
I understand therapists can get busy and details may be overlooked, but the fact that the details of my $260, 25-minute matching appointment didn’t make their way to my clinician was frustrating.
I had forgotten to fill out my wellness check-in prior to the start of the session, which is required for every session with the company, so my therapist gave me a few minutes to do so. It wasn’t very long, so it just took a moment to get it taken care of. Before going over my answers, she explained that this practice is to measure my progress over the months, noting that it was a combination of the PHQ-9, GAD-7, and questions Two Chairs specifically developed to assess life satisfaction and the therapeutic alliance.
If I, a seasoned therapist, felt pathologized, I can imagine that this approach could turn off a newcomer to therapy completely.
After that, she asked me general questions about my upbringing and history, which I comfortably shared with her. We talked about my support system, lifestyle, and current stressors. From there, she went into asking me to identify specific goals for therapy. I was fine doing so, but overall, the flow of the session was feeling a bit too clinical.
Pros and Cons
Two Chairs is not my favorite therapy platform I’ve tested so far, but it might be a good fit for others. The following pros and cons may help you decide whether it could be right for you.
ProsRacial diversity across providersOptions for sessions in languages other than EnglishEasy process to switch therapistsAccepts Kaiser Permanante insurancePositive company mission to connect clients with aligned therapistsConsCan take a while to get startedSessions are expensiveMatching appointment was too shortDidn’t get matched with the right therapist for meDoesn’t accept many insurance plansOverly focused on the symptoms rather than the person
ProsRacial diversity across providersOptions for sessions in languages other than EnglishEasy process to switch therapistsAccepts Kaiser Permanante insurancePositive company mission to connect clients with aligned therapists
Racial diversity across providers
Options for sessions in languages other than English
Easy process to switch therapists
Accepts Kaiser Permanante insurance
Positive company mission to connect clients with aligned therapists
ConsCan take a while to get startedSessions are expensiveMatching appointment was too shortDidn’t get matched with the right therapist for meDoesn’t accept many insurance plansOverly focused on the symptoms rather than the person
Can take a while to get started
Sessions are expensive
Matching appointment was too short
Didn’t get matched with the right therapist for me
Doesn’t accept many insurance plans
Overly focused on the symptoms rather than the person
Two Chairs has an admirable mission with questionable execution. I like the idea of a licensed clinician expertly matching therapists with clients, but my therapist was not the best match for me, despite me answering plenty of questions about preferred communication style, therapeutic orientation, and the type of things I’d like to work on in therapy. While I know it can take a while to find the right therapeutic match, I feel that Two Chairs missed the mark. The session felt way too focused on symptoms, rather than who I am as a person, it was very expensive, and I couldn’t seem to build much of a rapport with my clinician.
Since Two Chairs focuses on matching clients and therapists, I had high hopes to really hit it off with my provider, but unfortunately, it just wasn’t a match.
This isn’t a commentary on the therapist’s clinical skills, either. It really seemed that her approach (clinically focused on symptom reduction, emphasis on solutions, and directive communication) wasn’t aligned with what I stated my preferences were in my initial matching appointment. I’m left wondering if something wasn’t right with my matching appointment or if the company’s process for matching therapists with clients isn’t as successful as it states.
I also know there is a chance my experience was just a one-off fluke. Things happen, so I was eager to review our user data to see what others thought about Two Chairs.
User Survey ResultsTurns out I wasn’t the only one who struggled with the price tag. Of the 100 Two Chairs users we surveyed, just 75% found the service very affordable or affordable. Sixty-four percent would very likely recommend it to a friend, and 98% said Two Chairs beat out other therapy services they’ve used in the past.
User Survey Results
Turns out I wasn’t the only one who struggled with the price tag. Of the 100 Two Chairs users we surveyed, just 75% found the service very affordable or affordable. Sixty-four percent would very likely recommend it to a friend, and 98% said Two Chairs beat out other therapy services they’ve used in the past.
All that considered, plenty of people had a much better experience than I did. Take that for what you will and make your decisions accordingly.
I am somewhat hesitant to recommend Two Chairs. I think there is excellent potential there, I love the diversity of providers, and enjoyed my time with the first therapist even though it was a short session. But, I struggle to justify the hefty out-of-pocket price tag. If you can access Two Chairs through your insurance company, I’d say it is worth a try. Just be prepared for a long wait, and don’t be afraid to be very direct and detailed when stating what you’re looking for in your matching appointment.
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