Wondering how much Brightside Health costs?
Brightside offers a range of plans that include therapy, medications, and combinations thereof. But is Brightside Health more or less expensive in comparison to other online therapy providers?
Let’s take a closer look at what each plan entails, how much they cost, and how Brightside Health measures up against other online therapy alternatives.
Please know at Online Mental Health Reviews:
- Our mission is to help you sort through the bevy of online mental health options so you clarify what’s best for you.
- Our team purchased 1 month of Brightside’s Therapy + Meditation subscription plan, met with providers, and secretly recorded our entire experience (keeping provider details anonymous).
- We’ve extensively researched Brightside and are here to give you both the good, the bad, and everything in between.
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What Types Of Services Are Available At Brightside Health?
Brightside Health is an online mental health care provider that offers a range of services to those suffering from anxiety and depression.
With Brightside, you can access personalized treatment plans that may include medication, therapy, or both. The company’s mission is to provide lasting, life-changing mental health care with licensed psychiatric providers and therapists.
If you are looking for help managing your anxiety or depression, Brightside Health is a great option that provides personalized treatment plans tailored to your needs.
The three main Brightside plans:
- Therapy
- Medication
- Therapy + Medication
Key Points To Know About Brightside
Prices | $95 to $349 |
Take Insurance? | Yes but only a few insurance providers are accepted |
Types of Therapy | Individual therapy based on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy |
Provides Education and Tools | Included With every plan |
Communication Options | Live video, messaging |
Prescriptions Available | Yes |
Unique Features | Track your results |
Therapy Plan
Brightside Therapy Program is an online therapy and medication management program that provides adults (ages 18 and up) with evidence-based treatment for depression or anxiety.
They also offer unlimited messaging, interactive lessons from self-care experts, online tools that help track your progress, and a personalized care plan to keep you accountable for your goals.
Therapy costs $299 per month for unlimited messaging and four monthly video sessions (45 mins) with a licensed therapist who helps guide you through a personalized program using evidence-based approaches.
You can pay $59 per session for more video appointments with your therapist if you want to.
Please know many other reviews online incorrectly state your 1st Brightside therapy session is 45 minutes, and subsequent sessions are 30 minutes. However, as we’ve documented, our 2nd therapy session length is 45 minutes.
How Long Are Brightside Therapy Sessions?
Brightside Therapy Sessions are 45 minutes.
Medication Plan
The monthly cost of the Brightside Medication Plan is $95.
Your plan includes an initial 30-minute evaluation by a remote psychiatric provider, ongoing support and monitoring of your care, and any changes that may be needed.
When considering Brightside Health, it is important to note that they do not treat or prescribe medication for ADHD.
Please note: During our live psychiatric session (recording of conversation video playlist above) our psychiatrist did not recommend any medications. So, just because you pay for the medication plan, does not necessarily mean you’ll get prescribed meditations. However, it did seem possible to get prescribed medications if I really wanted them.
Therapy & Medication Plan
If you need both therapy and medication, then the combined therapy & medication plan is right for you.
This comprehensive package includes all the features from both individual plans along with discounts on bundled services where available.
Both plans can be combined for $349 per month ($45 discount). You receive unlimited messaging, and a weekly video session with a certified therapist who helps you navigate a customized program utilizing evidence-based techniques, in addition to the advantages of the medication plan.
In our opinion – the therapy + medication plan is the best on the marketplace in terms of cost and quality. Talkspace, for example, would cost $425 for both.
How Many Therapy Brightside Therapy Sessions?
The Brightside Therapy plan offers four 45-minute sessions per month. You may purchase additional sessions for $59.
What Online Therapies Does Brightside Offer?
Brightside Online Therapies offer a range of evidence-based treatments for anxiety and depression. However, the main therapeutic approach Brightside uses is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).
Who For | Who Not For |
Brightside may be a suitable choice if you need internet counseling to treat multiple depression or anxiety symptoms.
| Brightside isn't for everyone because it's an online depression and anxiety counseling service, and cannot help under these situations:
|
The Combo Plan – Therapy Plus Medication
If you are considering The Combo Plan – Therapy Plus Medication, it is important to understand the potential benefits and risks associated with this approach.
A combination of drug therapy and psychotherapy is notably superior to either treatment alone for treating depression, according to a 2020 meta-analysis1.
Similarly, combined drug and psychological therapies may be most effective for depression, while medications combined with cognitive therapy may be beneficial for Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)2.
Ultimately, the best approach for you will depend on your individual needs and preferences. It is important to discuss your options with a qualified mental health professional before making any treatment decisions.
Brightside Plans And Pricing
Plan | Medication | Therapy | Medication + Therapy |
Price | $95 / Month | $299 / Month | $345 / Month |
Sessions | 0 | 4 x 30 mins | 4 x 30 mins |
Medications | |||
FDA-approved medicine match with PrecisionRX | |||
Unlimited Messaging | No | Yes | Yes |
Online Learning & Tools |
Can I Get A Brightside Refund?
When it comes to clarity of options and rules regarding, the Brightside FAQ section 3 is an excellent resource. It provides a straightforward answer:
“All therapy subscription payments are non-refundable. Your therapy subscription fee is billed monthly on the same day each month and you can cancel your plan at any time.”
However, when we asked for a refund, we were able to receive a refund.
Brightside Health Discounts
Brightside Health offers discounts on mental health treatments and medications. You can save up to $50 off your first month of treatment, depending on the type of plan you choose.
Brightside Health Coupon Code
Try Brightside Coupon Code FIRSTMONTH for $100 off your first month.
You may also sign-up for a $100 discount via this blog post (here).
How Do I Cancel Brightside Medical?
- Sign in to your Brightside Portal
- Choose “Settings” from the menu bar
- In the pop-down menu, choose “Manage Plan” and then “Cancel My Therapy Plan”.
Canceling your Brightside Medical subscription is easy. You can do so by logging into your account and navigating to the Settings page. From there, you can manage your plan and select the option to cancel.
It is important to note that if you miss a session or cancel with less than 24-hour notice, you will be charged a $20 cancellation fee. We recommend canceling before the next billing cycle to avoid any additional fees.
We were very surprised to see a text message before our appointment, reminding us of our appointment while also threatening to charge us $20 if we were a no-show!
However, we doubt Brightside follows through and fines its members, as that would likely engender far too many negative reviews.
What to say to your therapist when canceling therapy?
You might want to talk to your Brightside Therapist before you cancel. Most likely, they will be very willing to listen to you and change how they treat you to fit your needs and preferences.
If you’ve already talked to your therapist about your concerns and are sure you want to stop seeing them, it’s important to have a “termination” chat first. This is when you tell your therapist that you’re going to stop going to therapy.
Don’t worry, your therapist won’t be upset. So, your therapist can help you make a plan to keep the progress you’ve made in therapy and connect with other resources.
Brightside Health Pause Or Freeze Subscription
Unfortunately, Brightside does not currently offer an option to pause your account.
Does Brightside Health Offer A Free Trial?
No, Brightside Health does not offer a free trial.
How We Evaluate Health Products And Services
The greatest reviews are important when selecting an online counseling service because they can influence your selection.
Because of the eight elements listed below, our reviews of online therapy have become the industry standard:
- Our field of expertise is mental health.
- We purchase, test, and document our journey utilizing each service on video (no other mainstream mental health reviewer does this!).
- Below, readers like you can provide reviews for specific services, which are updated across our website.
- Certified mental health professionals wrote and edited these review articles.
- Positivity and negativity in third-party evaluations (Trustpilot, Reddit, etc).
- Incorporate papers and meta-analyses on mental health and internet therapy.
- We are upfront about our affiliations and prejudices.
- Our crew responds to your questions quickly.
We hope that our reviews will make it simple and quick for you to find the right mental health professional. If we’ve left any stone unturned, leave a comment below and let us earn your trust on the final point above.
Who Are The Competitors To Brightside Health?
Online therapy and medication providers are becoming increasingly popular as a way to access mental health services from the comfort of your own home. With so many options available, it can be difficult to decide which provider is best for you. Here is a list of some of the top online therapy and medication providers of 2023:
- BetterHelp: BetterHelp offers comprehensive online mental health treatment options with licensed therapists available around the clock.
- Talkspace: Talkspace connects users with licensed therapists from their mobile devices or computer. They offer different types of providers to meet all your needs for medications or therapy.
- MDLive: MDLive provides virtual counseling services for both adults and children, offering psychiatry, psychology, and other mental health services.
- LiveHealth Online: LiveHealth Online offers telehealth visits with board-certified physicians and psychiatrists who specialize in mental health care.
- Teladoc Health: Teladoc Health offers virtual counseling sessions with licensed therapists as well as access to psychiatrists for medication management and prescription refills.
- Amwell: Amwell is an online platform that provides access to psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and counselors who specialize in treating anxiety and depression.
- Open Path Collective: Open Path Collective provides affordable online therapy services through their network of licensed therapists who offer sliding scale fees based on income level.
- Cerebral: Cerebral is an online platform that connects users with experienced therapists who specialize in treating anxiety and depression using evidence-based techniques such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).
How Much Does Brightside Health Cost Conclusion:
Brightside Health offers 3 straightforward plans – $95 for medication only, $299 for therapy, and $345 for medication and therapy (save $45 combo).
Brightside offers high-quality services that are not refundable and are accepted by 6 major insurance providers.
They are a great choice for anxiety and depression, but not for other conditions.
Sources
- Cuijpers, P., Noma, H., Karyotaki, E., Vickers, C. H., Cipriani, A., & Furukawa, T. A. (2020, January 10). A network meta‐analysis of the effects of psychotherapies, pharmacotherapies and their combination in the treatment of adult depression. World Psychiatry, 19(1), 92–107. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.20701
- Crits-Christoph, P., Newman, M. G., Rickels, K., Gallop, R., Gibbons, M. B. C., Hamilton, J. L., Ring-Kurtz, S., & Pastva, A. M. (2011, December). Combined medication and cognitive therapy for generalized anxiety disorder. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 25(8), 1087–1094. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2011.07.007
- How much does it cost? (n.d.). Brightside. https://www.brightside.com/faqs/how-much-does-it-cost/
Additional Brightside Health Resouces from Online Mental Health Reviews
- Brightside Health Review – 55 Million Americans Insurance Coverage + Best Overall
- Everything You Need to Know About Brightside Health Customer Service
- Everything You Need to Know About Brightside Health Login
- Brightside Health Medication: What to Expect
- Brightside Health LLC’s Financial Status
- Brightside Health Location – Where Address?
- Brightside Health Insurance: Pros and Cons
- What Reddit Says About Brightside Health
Brightside Health Review - $95 - $349
Overall
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Third-Party Reviews
(4.5)
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Quality
(4.5)
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Insurance
(4.5)
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Design
(4.5)
Summary
If you’re worried or depressed and need symptom-specific medicine, Brightside may be a useful online therapy option. If you have a plan with one of Brightside’s insurance partners, you may save money with Brightside.
Pros
- Accepts insurance
- Ability to use FSA/HSA accounts
- Self-care videos included in all subscriptions
- Data-driven technology helps providers prescribe effective medications
- Available in every state
- Less expensive than Talkspace psychiatry
- Unlimited messaging with a psychiatrist available for all plans
- Various packages tailored to treat depression and anxiety
- Check-in quizzes to help monitor progress
- Free self care lessons offered
- Safe medication policies in place
- App available for iOS devices
- $50 off the Therapy & Medication plan during first month
Cons
- Option to switch therapists is slow
- Offers video therapy only; no audio-only or live chat sessions
- No app available for Android devices
- May lack the more personal touch of in-person care
- Not suitable for everyone
- No way to pick your own therapist or browse bios
- No same day appointments
- Responses from customer service can take over 24 hrs
- Minimalist portal can make it difficult to access certain features of the site
- More affordable with health insurance but only Aetna and Cigna, few others only accepted
- Focuses on anxiety and depression – if you have another condition, look elsewhere
- Customer service takes several days to respond emails
- Only available to individuals over 18