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Verywell Mind / Kip
Founded in 2013, Kip Therapy offers culturally sensitive, LGBTQIA+ inclusive therapy for adults, children, couples, and families residing in New York State. It accepts a number of major insurers, takes care of out-of-network insurance claims, and offers sliding-scale self-pay rates. Services are available online and in person at Columbus Circle in New York City.Pros & ConsProsYou choose your therapistTherapist matching assistance availableConsultations allowed prior to choosingAccepts most major insuranceHandles insurance claimsTherapy for couples, families, and individuals over 13Sliding-scale pricing availableCulturally sensitive and diverse selection of therapistsSupport groups available in fall 2023Easy to cancelConsOnly serves New York stateMost consultations are not freeSome therapists are hard to get ahold ofSessions must be weekly (no option to meet biweekly)No discounted memberships or subscriptionsNo psychiatry or medication management available0Verywell Mind / Kip
Founded in 2013, Kip Therapy offers culturally sensitive, LGBTQIA+ inclusive therapy for adults, children, couples, and families residing in New York State. It accepts a number of major insurers, takes care of out-of-network insurance claims, and offers sliding-scale self-pay rates. Services are available online and in person at Columbus Circle in New York City.
Pros & Cons
ProsYou choose your therapistTherapist matching assistance availableConsultations allowed prior to choosingAccepts most major insuranceHandles insurance claimsTherapy for couples, families, and individuals over 13Sliding-scale pricing availableCulturally sensitive and diverse selection of therapistsSupport groups available in fall 2023Easy to cancelConsOnly serves New York stateMost consultations are not freeSome therapists are hard to get ahold ofSessions must be weekly (no option to meet biweekly)No discounted memberships or subscriptionsNo psychiatry or medication management available
ProsYou choose your therapistTherapist matching assistance availableConsultations allowed prior to choosingAccepts most major insuranceHandles insurance claimsTherapy for couples, families, and individuals over 13Sliding-scale pricing availableCulturally sensitive and diverse selection of therapistsSupport groups available in fall 2023Easy to cancel
You choose your therapist
Therapist matching assistance available
Consultations allowed prior to choosing
Accepts most major insurance
Handles insurance claims
Therapy for couples, families, and individuals over 13
Sliding-scale pricing available
Culturally sensitive and diverse selection of therapists
Support groups available in fall 2023
Easy to cancel
ConsOnly serves New York stateMost consultations are not freeSome therapists are hard to get ahold ofSessions must be weekly (no option to meet biweekly)No discounted memberships or subscriptionsNo psychiatry or medication management available
Only serves New York state
Most consultations are not free
Some therapists are hard to get ahold of
Sessions must be weekly (no option to meet biweekly)
No discounted memberships or subscriptions
No psychiatry or medication management available
0Verywell Mind / Kip
In This ArticleExpandServices OfferedPlans & PricingThe WebsiteSign UpHow Sessions WorkSwitching TherapistsUser SatisfactionPrivacy PoliciesThe CompetitionFinal VerdictHow We Tested and ReviewedSpecs
In This ArticleExpand
Expand
Services Offered
Plans & Pricing
The Website
Sign Up
How Sessions Work
Switching Therapists
User Satisfaction
Privacy Policies
The Competition
Final Verdict
How We Tested and Reviewed
Specs
Our Online Therapy MethodologyCurious about the extensive work we did to research and evaluate online therapy companies? Take a look at ouronline therapy methodology.
Curious about the extensive work we did to research and evaluate online therapy companies? Take a look at ouronline therapy methodology.
Nothing about living in New York is cheap, and the cost of pretty much everything is rising, from rent and electricity to food and even (or maybe especially) therapy. Finding an affordable therapist in New York is pretty much impossible, and often involves a lot of trial and error. Theaverage price of a therapy session in the U.S. is between $60 and $200, while in New York, that number is consistently closer to $200. These high prices and limited availability make therapy inaccessible to many lower-income New Yorkers–especially for people of color, and those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer,intersex, and/orgender expansive.
Aiming to address these issues, Kip Therapy’s diverse set of therapists offerculturally sensitive, LGBTQIA+ inclusive therapy to New York State residents, from individual adults and families to adolescents and groups. As of mid-2023, Kip has transitioned from being largely self-pay to being almost entirely insurance-based. To assess Kip Therapy, we surveyed 100 current users of the company and we tested Kip’s services ourselves to evaluate two therapists at different price points. We looked at how easy it is to schedule and cancel appointments, use the website, and communicate with customer service—although testing was completed before Kip began accepting insurance. We also enlisted the help of subject matter expertsAmy Marschall, PsyD;Nic Hardy, PhD, LCSW; andHannah Owens, LMSW, to understand our findings. Here’s everything you need to know about Kip Therapy.
What Is Kip Therapy?
In 2023, Kip began accepting most major insurance.
Kip prides itself on offering a diverse selection of therapists to choose from, all with a strong foundation intrauma-informed therapy. According to representatives from the company, therapists who choose to work with Kip also need to have “a commitment to (and, preferably, experience in) working withmarginalized communities, with a commitment to social justice.”
There arethree tiers of therapistsat Kip—associate (tier 1), resident (tier 2), and senior (tier 3)—and all providers are either clinically licensed or in the process of obtaining licensure in fields such as social work, psychology, or counseling. Each therapist has a bio that shares a little about their background and the kinds of issues they treat. All Kip providers (about 30 of them, as of fall 2023) are fully vetted; there are no “life coaches” or other vague credentials here.
What Services Does Kip Offer?
Kip Therapy offers weekly 45-minute therapy sessions for individual adults and teens, couples, and families. It also offers therapist-led support groups.
Kip does not offer psychiatry or medication management services.
Who Is Kip For?
Kip serves individual adults, adolescents over the age of 13, couples, families, and groups residing in New York, although the practice intends to become available in additional states. Kip therapists can help with a wide range of concerns, including:
Over the course of our research and testing, we’ve seen a number of transgender and/or nonbinary providers available at any given time, and the majority of providers are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or queer, with only a handful of therapists identifying as straight. So it seems Kip is especially well positioned over many competitors to provide services to theLGBTQIA+ community. However, all New Yorkers are welcome to try a consultation call to see if Kip might be a good fit.
How Much Does Kip Therapy Cost?
Kip has transitioned to a primarily insurance-based model, though. In September 2023, Kull informed us via email that an estimated 80% to 90% of clients have seen their out-of-pocket costs fall to just a copay.
Still, even before the percentage of clients using insurance increased so greatly, 99% of survey respondents told us they found Kip to be either a good, very good, or excellent value for what they’d paid. We imagine that this level of satisfaction has only increased further now that Kip accepts insurance. For those who don’t have insurance, Kull said, the providers offer sliding-scale rates as low as $80 per session.
Does Kip Therapy Accept Insurance?
When we conducted our surveys, research, and testing, Kip was self-pay only—though 43% of our survey respondents still reported being able to get some form of out-of-network reimbursement.
However, in mid-2023, Kip began accepting insurance. As of November 2023, Kip therapists are in-network with:
The practice also works with out-of-network insurance. The team will submit claims to your insurer on your behalf, for you to be reimbursed (minus your copay) later. We love the sound of one less obstacle along the road to getting affordable therapy.
Does Kip Therapy Offer Discounts?
Kip does not offer any free trials or discounts, but if you choose a tier 1 therapist, some consultations are free.
You can also schedule consultations with therapists on other tiers for $25.
Kip does offer financial assistance to people with an annual income of under $35,000. People experiencing financial hardship can reach out to the team via email or fill outthis formto apply for low-fee online sessions with a (less-experienced) Kip therapist.
Navigating the Kip Therapy Website
Kip’s homepage greets you with eye-catching illustrations and primary-colored shapes that move dynamically as you scroll. The homepage advertises the practice’s ability to provide “therapy for every identity.” Clicking on “begin your growth” takes you to a page that explainsthe practice’s focusand what it can treat, with large stock images of diverse individuals and couples who are implied to represent Kip’s target clientele.
The footer of the page lists Kip’s address, contact email, and links to its profiles onInstagram,Facebook, andLinkedIn. These pages, which don’t have huge followings, are updated relatively infrequently.
Eighty-nine percent of the users we surveyed told us the site was either easy or very to use, with only 1% calling it difficult to navigate.
Does Kip Therapy Have an App?
At this time, Kip Therapy does not have an app.
Signing Up for Therapy at Kip
You can view and filter therapist bios to see if any providers sound like a good fit, or you can get a Kip specialist’s help with the process. Either way, you’ll just call or email the team to get started. If you havephone anxiety, you can also use thecontact formto share your insurance policy details and get ahold of the team via email. (Be sure to keep an eye on your spam folder in case your email provider accidentally flags the response as such.)
However, you should note that Kip requires clients to attend sessions weekly—providers cannot schedule biweekly (or less frequent) sessions.
Matching With a Therapist
To help you choose someone who fits your needs, each therapist’s profile features their pronouns, experience, and availability, as well as a description of their approach to mental health care, giving you a personal glimpse into their styles. Unfortunately, though, the bio templates seem to be lacking some important information that therapy seekers need to know—namely, state licensing information, language(s) spoken, and times of day and days of the week that the therapist is typically available to clients. It would also be helpful to be able to sort and filter the therapists using these additional categories.
One of the things that is different about Kip is that it prioritizes education, so the practice provides training, education, and supervision for emerging psychotherapists, such as graduate student interns, post-graduate fellows, and therapists seeking to get the clinical experience they need to qualify for full-time licensure. As a result, some of its therapists are not yet fully licensed, but they are under supervision, and they charge less per session. The company provides these therapists with foundational training, as well as training in “specialized” topics, such as gender and sexuality.
Once you’ve spoken with the team and scheduled an intake appointment with a therapist who seems like a good fit—and you’ve provided your payment information—the team will reach out with documents for you to sign to become a Kip client. You’ll also have to confirm that you live in New York state, as the company doesn’t work with patients outside of the state. Ninety-four percent of users surveyed were satisfied with the therapist they were matched with, and 100% felt their therapist’s qualifications were either good, very good, or excellent.
How Do Therapy Sessions Work at Kip?
Before committing to weekly sessions with a Kip therapist, you’ll meet with them for a consultation session—usually virtually, via a HIPAA-compliant Zoom video call. This is a nice personal touch and also replaces the need to fill out a questionnaire on your own, as you would with most online therapy services. If you’re planning to meet with an associate therapist, this consultation is generally free; however, it’s $25 to have an initial meeting with a resident or senior therapist. If you prefer, you can also opt for a provider who offers in-person services at the practice’s West 58th Street location, just a four-minute walk from Columbus Circle in New York City.
In our first consultation, the therapist gave a detailed rundown of the company’s cancellation and privacy policies. Both of the providers we saw asked thorough questions about what we were currently dealing with and what we hoped to get out of therapy; they also both walked us through their own backgrounds, their approaches to therapeutic work, and how they had assisted past clients.
Individual Sessions
If you and the therapist who did your consultation session agree the two of you are a good fit, you can schedule sessions with them. Providers are available to anyone 13 or older. Kip only offers weekly sessions (bi-weekly or less frequent sessions are not currently available). We ended up trying both a resident and a senior therapist, both online, to see how the experience might differ.
We were generally impressed with the resident therapist and the senior therapist we saw. With 45 minutes in each session, we had plenty of time to discuss our thoughts and concerns. Both therapists were non-judgemental,active listenerswho deftly handled issues likefamily trauma, anxiety, and depression.
While both were knowledgeable and easy to talk to, the senior (Tier 3) provider was quicker to recognize patterns and connections in our past and present issues. This therapist was also more focused on problem-solving, rather than simply talking about our feelings. This came at a trade-off, however: Contacting and rescheduling with the senior therapist was more challenging than with the resident therapist. But once a session started, this senior therapist was attentive and provided impeccable service.
Family Therapy
A number of Kip therapists can use their experience working with people of various ages to providefamily therapyto groups of two or more.
Couples Therapy
Kip providers can work with two or more partners who are having relationship issues. In addition to being sensitive to the particular concerns ofmarginalized sexualitiesand genders, providers are inclusive of all sorts of relationship structures, whether you’re monogamous or polyamorous (or non-monogamous).
Group Therapy
Group therapy at Kip is dedicated to specific topics and marginalized communities. As of January 2024, the Kip site does not feature any details about its support groups. However, Kull let us know in an August 2023 email that two therapist-led groups—atransgenderandgender-nonconforming(TGNC) group and a queer men’s group—were scheduled to start up in fall 2023.
Most users found switching therapists to be pretty simple, although Kip advises new clients to stick with their initial therapist for three to six sessions before requesting to see someone new. It’s a bit unclear if or how you can go about meeting with a new therapist immediately after the initial consultation.
Eighty-five percent of Kip users told us they’d found it either easy or very easy to find a therapist they liked, which is a lower score than some of the other companies we evaluated. (For instance, 71% ofGrowing Selfusers found it easy or very easy to find a good fit on that platform.) Still, most Kip clients we surveyed were ultimately happy with the care they received, even if it required switching therapists once (as 18% had) or more. (Twenty-four percent had switched two or three times, and another 5% switched four or more times.)
Still, 53% of users told us they had been matched with a good provider from the start and hadn’t had to switch therapists at all.
In our testing, we found the switching process to be easy overall, but slow—and our survey found similar results. Just under a third of Kip users told us it took a few weeks to get a new therapist, another third said it took just a few days, and 19% said it took a week. But 17% were assigned a new provider within a day, so your wait time may vary widely.
Canceling and Rescheduling Sessions at Kip
You can book different time and day slots each week if you need to and your therapist has availability. That flexibility is helpful, but Kip has a strict attendance policy.
If you want to reschedule an appointment, you’ll need to do so with at least 12 hours’ notice. Each appointment can only be rescheduled once, and the rescheduled date must be within one week of the original booking—and if you missthatappointment, you’ll be charged $200 (to also cover the original missed session).
To cancel or reschedule, you’ll need to reach out to the team; there’s no self-service option. We recommend calling, rather than hoping your email will be reviewed in time.
Stopping Therapy at Kip
You are free to stop scheduling future sessions at any time without additional charges, after a conversation with your therapist. When we discontinued therapy, the provider asked why we were canceling, but did not pressure us to continue therapy with them as an individual or with Kip as a platform.
Quality of Care and User Satisfaction
Kip strives to ensure that everyone on staff is well qualified and has manageable case loads so that they can give consistent, personalized care to each client. Representatives of the practice informed us that this is accomplished through a vetting process that involves professional references, an interview, and license or certification verification. Each newly hired therapist also has to complete an internal training program. As an education-focused practice, Kip also has weekly staff meetings where therapists discuss their techniques, giving them an opportunity to learn from and offer feedback to one another.
The full text of the Notice of Website Privacy Policy is featured at the bottom of theFAQ page, as an expandable dropdown drawer that is easy to miss, in our opinion.
Nothing in your file will be used for marketing purposes, although the Kip Privacy Policy does note that its site, like many competitors’, uses cookies and other tracking technology. Kip also states that, with user consent, it “may disclose aggregated information … and information that does not identify any individuals, without restriction.” We wish the policy went into more detail as to what that means and how the company ensures that the data truly can’t be associated with identifiable individuals.
Kip Therapy vs. Its Competitors
Kip Therapy has a few key competitors in the mental health space, the biggest beingBetterHelpandTalkspace. One major difference with Kip is that it only serves New York residents, while Betterhelp and Talkspace serve all of the U.S.
Founded in 2012, Talkspace offers easy access to thousands of licensed therapists (and psychiatrists) via messaging and live video sessions. To keep things affordable, it has several different subscription plans with tiered pricing, starting at $65 a week for a weekly live video session plus unlimited messaging to your provider. Kip’s associate therapists are available for the same starting per-session rate, but Kip does not offer subscriptions or messaging. If you prefertext-based therapy—or if it’s an access need because you ared/Deafor can’t communicate with verbal speech—Talkspace is the better choice in this regard. Both platforms accept insurance, though Talkspace also provides psychiatry and medication management services in addition to therapy, which Kip does not.
BetterHelp was founded in 2013, the same year as Kip, and has grown to a network of over 30,000 independent therapists. Considering what a membership includes—live video, audio, or chat-based therapy, plus unlimited messaging with licensed therapists—BetterHelp is more affordable than many of its competitors (including Talkspace), although it does not accept insurance. Kip has far fewer therapists on staff, but all of them have been vetted and come with a variety of experience levels, with education and experience being the company’s highest priorities. Kip’s staff is also much more diverse, and the company focuses more on inclusivity and cultural sensitivity, particularly for the LGBTQIA+ community.
Our survey results for Kip were slightly inconsistent, however. While the majority of users said they were happy with the services they’d received—and 97% would recommend the practice to someone like them—85% said they were either likely or very likely to still be seeing a Kip therapist in a year. In comparison, 96% of BetterHelp users said they were either likely or very likely to recommend the company to someone else; 97% of Talkspace users said the same about that platform. Interestingly, nearly the same number of users of both Talkspace (80%) and BetterHelp (81%) felt that they were likely or very likely to still be using the respective services in a year’s time.
Talkspace vs. BetterHelp
If you live in New York and you’re looking for a diverse, culturally sensitive therapy practice for you—or you and your partner(s) or family—Kip might be a good choice, especially if your insurance is accepted. It has a diverse stable of qualified therapists, but lacks some of the flexibility that makes online therapy platforms so attractive to many users. Becoming a Kip patient requires committing to weekly live sessions, which may not work for everyone’s budgets and/or schedules. Kip doesn’t give clients the ability to reach their therapists easily outside scheduled appointments. It can also be hard to get in touch with customer support to cancel or reschedule sessions, which clients may find frustrating, especially since Kip has a pretty strict cancellation policy.
How We Tested and Reviewed Online Therapy Services
We evaluated a total of 80 onlinetherapist directories andtherapy companies, including Kip Therapy.
Firsthand Experience
As part of our research, we signed up for talk therapy at all 55 online therapy companies we reviewed. We tested each company’s therapy services, and if the company offered other services (such as couples therapy and kid or teen therapy), we tested those too. Our testers are located all across the United States and abroad, meaning we have extensive information about each company’s services in a variety of areas.
User and Brand Surveys
In addition, we surveyed more than 10,000 therapy users: 100 at each of the 55 online therapy companies and 100 at each of the 25 therapist directories. We collected over 100 different data points in which we asked users to evaluate each company’s services, from their therapist’s qualifications to whether they found a therapist who met all their needs to how they’d rate the company overall. We also sent questionnaires to each company we considered, asking for their perspectives on the services they provide, and we interviewed former patients and therapists at the companies where possible.
Research
Expert Recommendations
Once we completed this testing and these surveys, we evaluated our findings with the help of three licensed therapists—Amy Marschall, PsyD;Nic Hardy, PhD, LCSW; andHannah Owens, LMSW—to make our recommendations. These therapists provided extensive insight into the ethics and efficacy of online therapy as well as information about relevant therapeutic modalities and approaches.
3 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.Wilson BD, Bouton LJ, Badgett ML, Macklin ML.LGBT poverty in the United States: trends at the onset of COVID-19. The Williams Institute.Williams ND, Fish JN.The availability of LGBT‐specific mental health and substance abuse treatment in the United States.Health Serv Res.2020;55(6):932-943. doi:10.1111/1475-6773.13559American Psychological Association.2017: APA member profiles.
3 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.Wilson BD, Bouton LJ, Badgett ML, Macklin ML.LGBT poverty in the United States: trends at the onset of COVID-19. The Williams Institute.Williams ND, Fish JN.The availability of LGBT‐specific mental health and substance abuse treatment in the United States.Health Serv Res.2020;55(6):932-943. doi:10.1111/1475-6773.13559American Psychological Association.2017: APA member profiles.
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.
Wilson BD, Bouton LJ, Badgett ML, Macklin ML.LGBT poverty in the United States: trends at the onset of COVID-19. The Williams Institute.Williams ND, Fish JN.The availability of LGBT‐specific mental health and substance abuse treatment in the United States.Health Serv Res.2020;55(6):932-943. doi:10.1111/1475-6773.13559American Psychological Association.2017: APA member profiles.
Wilson BD, Bouton LJ, Badgett ML, Macklin ML.LGBT poverty in the United States: trends at the onset of COVID-19. The Williams Institute.
Williams ND, Fish JN.The availability of LGBT‐specific mental health and substance abuse treatment in the United States.Health Serv Res.2020;55(6):932-943. doi:10.1111/1475-6773.13559
American Psychological Association.2017: APA member profiles.
Simone Scully,
April McCormick,
andHannah Owens, LMSW
Hannah Owens, LMSW
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