Grow Therapy vs. Headway: Which is better for your needs?

Finding the right mental health platform shouldn't feel like another barrier to getting care. When you're ready to start therapy or medication management, you need a service that accepts your insurance, connects you with qualified providers quickly, and makes the entire process straightforward. Both Grow Therapy and Headway promise exactly that, but they take different approaches to delivering it.

In this guide, we'll compare Grow Therapy and Headway across the factors that matter most: cost transparency, provider networks, specialty coverage, and how quickly you can actually be seen. Understanding where each platform excels will help you choose the one that fits your insurance, timeline, and specific mental health needs.

Another option to keep in mind is Rula. The platform works directly with insurance, offers therapy and psychiatry both online and in person, and connects you with a network of over 21,000 licensed providers across the country. For many people using insurance, sessions cost about $15.

Grow Therapy vs. Headway: Differences at a glance

Both Grow Therapy and Headway are mental health platforms that connect you with licensed providers for therapy and medication management through your insurance. While they share this core mission, they differ in network size, cost transparency, and how you find a provider.

Average cost per session:

• Grow Therapy: $21 per session with insurance (average)

• Headway: $0 to $35 per session with insurance (actual cost depends on your plan)

Number of providers:

• Grow Therapy: 23,000+ providers

• Headway: 60,000+ licensed providers

Modes of communication:

• Grow Therapy: Virtual and in-person sessions, plus secure messaging with your provider

• Headway: Browser-based video and in-person sessions, plus messaging portal for provider contact

Services offered:

• Grow Therapy: Talk therapy (individual, couples, family, child/adolescent) and medication support

• Headway: Talk therapy (individual, couples, family, child/adolescent) and medication management

Insurance acceptance:

• Grow Therapy: In-network with 80+ plans, including most major insurances, Medicare, and Medicaid

• Headway: Accepts major insurance plans like Aetna, Cigna, and United Healthcare, plus select Medicare and Medicaid plans

States covered:

• Grow Therapy: All 50 U.S. states and Washington, D.C.

• Headway: All 50 U.S. states and Washington, D.C.

Number of specialties offered:

• Grow Therapy: 90+ specialties

• Headway: 25+ specialties

Inclusivity and patient focus:

• Grow Therapy: Care available in 35+ languages, including American Sign Language (ASL), with filters for LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and other identity-focused providers

• Headway: Care available in 57+ languages, with cultural competency initiatives and specialty category for LGBTQIA+ care

Virtual-only or virtual + in-person availability:

• Grow Therapy: Both virtual and in-person sessions available

• Headway: Both virtual and in-person sessions available

Grow Therapy at a glance

Grow Therapy is a mental health platform founded in 2020 that connects people with licensed therapists and prescribers under the motto "Therapy, made easier, covered by insurance." The platform offers both talk therapy and medication support in one place, with a network of 23,000+ providers across all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Grow Therapy focuses on providing fast access to care, with patients typically seen in two days or less and flexible scheduling that includes nights and weekends.

The platform gives you control over your care journey from day one. With an average session cost of $21 for those with insurance, Grow Therapy also provides an out-of-pocket range of $75 to $200 for self-pay patients, with sliding scale options available for those who need financial assistance. The matching process is self-directed — you can filter providers by over 90 specialties, identity, availability, and treatment approach, then book an appointment online in about 10 minutes.

Headway at a glance

Founded in 2019, Headway is an online mental health platform with a mission to build a new, more accessible mental healthcare system by creating a large network of therapists who accept insurance. With 60,000+ licensed providers across all 50 states and D.C., Headway aims to be "the easiest way to get quality in-network mental health care." The platform emphasizes transparent, insurance-based access, with average wait times of 4.9 days for talk therapy and 3.8 days for medication management.

Headway is an insurance-first platform, meaning you must have an active, accepted insurance plan to sign up and book an appointment. The advertised cost is as low as $0 to $35 per session, though your final cost depends on your specific plan and location. After entering your insurance details, you can filter providers by specialty and other preferences to book directly from their profiles. Headway offers both browser-based telehealth sessions and in-person appointments, along with a messaging portal for communicating with your provider between sessions.

Rula at a glance

If you’re exploring alternatives, Rula is another option worth considering. Rula is a mental health platform that connects patients with a nationwide network of more than 21,000 licensed therapists and psychiatric providers across all 50 states and Washington, D.C. It works directly with insurance to make therapy and psychiatry more accessible and easier to manage.

“Finding mental healthcare through insurance can be overwhelming, but Rula helped me find a provider who understood my needs and accepted my insurance,” shares a Rula patient.

Rula offers individual therapy for children ages five and older, along with couples therapy, family therapy, and psychiatric care with medication management for patients 13 and up. Most insured patients pay around $15 per session, and many can schedule their first appointment within just a few days. The sign-up process is transparent: Rula verifies your insurance benefits upfront, provides an estimated cost before booking, and lets you filter in-network providers by specialty, availability, language, gender, ethnicity, and other preferences, making it easier to find care that feels like the right fit.

Clinical outcomes and how they compare

Clinical outcomes show how well treatment works by measuring real changes in your mental health symptoms and overall well-being. Both Grow Therapy and Headway track and report on their effectiveness to demonstrate their commitment to helping people feel better.

Grow Therapy clinical outcomes:

• Client satisfaction: 85 Net Promoter Score (NPS), which measures how likely patients are to recommend the service

• Symptom reduction: Approximately 50% of patients with moderate to severe symptoms experience clinically significant improvement

Headway clinical outcomes:

• Symptom reduction: Patients show a 32% average reduction in PHQ-9 scores (a common depression assessment) in the first 30 days

• Patient improvement: 71% of patients show measurable improvement within 30 days of starting care

• Treatment engagement: 86% of patients attend at least three sessions, indicating strong early engagement in care

It’s also worth noting that Rula reports strong, consistent outcomes: 93% of patients say they feel better about their symptoms, 94% feel comfortable with their provider, and 98% find a provider who meets their preferences—results that exceed national benchmarks by more than 10% on average.

Cost and insurance coverage

Both Grow Therapy and Headway work with insurance plans to make mental healthcare more affordable and accessible. Grow Therapy is in-network with 80+ plans, including broad Medicare and Medicaid coverage, while Headway accepts most major commercial plans and select Medicare and Medicaid plans but explicitly states it does not work with out-of-network benefits.

Insurance plans accepted

Grow Therapy is in-network with 80+ plans and accepts both Medicare and Medicaid. Major carriers include Aetna and its affiliates, Anthem, Blue Cross Blue Shield networks, Cigna, Humana, Kaiser Permanente in select states, Optum, UnitedHealthcare, and various state-specific Medicaid and Medicare Advantage plans.

Headway works with major commercial insurance carriers and select government plans. Accepted carriers include Aetna, Blue Cross and Blue Shield in select states, Cigna, Oscar, Oxford, United Healthcare and its affiliate Optum, plus select Medicare and Medicaid plans with limited coverage that varies by state.

You may also want to consider Rula if using insurance is a priority. The platform works with over 100 insurance plans nationwide, and most insured patients pay about $15 per session with carriers such as Kaiser Permanente, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and UnitedHealthcare. Rula verifies benefits in advance and shows your expected cost before you book.

Out-of-pocket costs (with insurance)

For Grow Therapy, the average out-of-pocket cost for a session is $21 for patients using their insurance. The platform emphasizes cost transparency, with no subscription fees or hidden charges, and can show you estimated costs before you book.

Headway advertises a session cost range of $0 to $35 for insured patients. The platform verifies your insurance benefits to calculate your expected out-of-pocket cost, which appears in your account and confirmation emails. Your actual cost depends on your specific insurance plan, including your deductible and copay, as well as your location and session length.

HSA/FSA eligibility

Both Grow Therapy and Headway allow you to use funds from a health savings account (HSA) or flexible spending account (FSA) to pay for care. You can typically add your HSA or FSA card as a payment method on either platform. Headway also notes that you can download invoices to submit for reimbursement from your plan administrator.

Self-pay pricing

Grow Therapy offers clear options for patients paying without insurance, with self-pay costs ranging from $75 to $200 per session. The platform also provides sliding scale options to help make care more affordable for those paying out-of-pocket.

Headway has limited options for self-pay because it's an insurance-first platform. New patients must have an active, accepted insurance plan to sign up. Private pay may be an option for existing patients only if their specific provider offers it, and it's not available for anyone with a Medicare or Medicaid policy.

Mental health services offered

The range of services and treatment approaches a platform offers determines whether it can address your specific mental health needs. Both Grow Therapy and Headway provide access to talk therapy and medication management, but they differ in the breadth of available specialties and treatment options.

Treatment approaches offered by Grow Therapy

Grow Therapy providers offer a wide variety of session types and specialize in over 90 different areas to address diverse mental health needs.

Common treatment modalities include:

• Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)

• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)

• Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)

• Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)

• Faith-based therapy

• Internal family systems (IFS)

• Mindfulness-based therapy

• Psychodynamic therapy

• Sex therapy

• Somatic therapy

• Trauma-informed care

Specialty areas include:

• Mood and anxiety disorders: Anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, mood disorders

• Trauma and stress-related conditions: Trauma and PTSD, grief, anger management

• Behavioral and developmental concerns: ADHD, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), addiction, eating disorders, substance misuse

• Life transitions and adjustment: Life transitions, coping skills, career counseling

• Relationship and family issues: Couples counseling, family conflict, family therapy, parenting

• Identity and demographic-specific care: LGBTQ, women's issues, men's issues, postpartum, older adults, military/veterans, racism

• Severe mental health conditions: Suicidal ideation, personality disorders, serious mental illness

Treatment approaches offered by Headway

Headway is a network of independent providers who offer various evidence-based approaches across 20+ specialty areas.

Headway's common treatment types include:

• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)

• Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT)

• Strength-based therapy

• Trauma-focused CBT

• Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)

• Emotion-focused therapy (EFT)

• Attachment-based family therapy

• Cognitive behavioral family therapy

• Gottman Method

• Integrative behavioral couple therapy (IBCT)

• Multidimensional family therapy

• Psychodynamic therapy

• Narrative therapy

• Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT)

• Motivational interviewing

Specialty areas include:

• Addiction

• Anxiety and depression

• Bipolar disorder

• Couples

• Family

• Grief and loss

• LGBTQIA+

• Maternal mental health

• OCD

• PTSD and trauma

Treatment approaches offered by Rula

Rula’s nationwide network spans 180+ clinical specialties, giving you access to a broad set of evidence-based therapies tailored to your needs, identity, and treatment goals.

Common approaches used by Rula providers include:

• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)

• Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT)

• Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)

• Trauma-focused therapy, including EMDR and prolonged exposure

• Internal family systems (IFS) and attachment-based approaches

• Couples and family therapies, such as the Gottman Method and emotionally focused therapy (EFT)

• Mindfulness-based and somatic therapies

With this range of modalities, Rula clinicians support care for concerns like anxiety, depression, trauma and PTSD, ADHD, relationship and family challenges, parenting support, and more.

In addition to therapy, Rula offers medication management delivered by licensed psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners (PMHNPs) for people ages 13 and older, enabling coordinated therapy and psychiatric care within the same platform.

Inclusivity and specialized care

Finding a provider who understands your background and identity is essential for building trust and making progress in therapy. Cultural competence and specialized expertise can significantly impact treatment outcomes, making it important to consider how each platform addresses diversity and inclusion.

Grow Therapy inclusivity and specialization overview

Grow Therapy centers inclusivity and access, connecting you with licensed therapists and prescribers across many specialties.

Key inclusivity features include:

• Specialty filters: The provider search includes specific filters for LGBTQ, racism, women's issues, and other identity-focused needs

• Age-specific services: Child or adolescent therapy and older adult specialty options

• Family support: Parents can enroll minors and activate their client portal

• Language accessibility: Over 35 languages including ASL

Headway inclusivity and specialization overview

Headway’s network includes licensed therapists and prescribers across a range of specialties, offers multilingual care, and invests in cultural competency efforts.

Key inclusivity features include:

• Cultural competency training: Pilot program with the organization Violet to enhance cultural competence among providers

• Diversity initiatives: Diverse network, including Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) providers

• Language accessibility: Care is available in 57+ languages

• LGBTQIA+ specialty: Dedicated category in directory navigation and filtering

Platform availability and access

How quickly you can be seen and how easily you can schedule appointments directly impacts your mental health journey. Access factors like wait times, geographic coverage, and the matching process all determine whether a platform will work for your lifestyle and needs.

With Rula, access is fast and straightforward: verify your insurance in minutes, browse a nationwide network spanning 180+ clinical specialties, see your estimated costs upfront, and often schedule your first appointment as soon as tomorrow.

How access works with Grow Therapy

Grow Therapy emphasizes fast access, broad specialty choice, and flexible scheduling, making it a strong fit for people who want to find a provider quickly and stay engaged between sessions. Here’s what accessing care through Grow Therapy looks like:

States served: Grow Therapy is available in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.

Matching process: Use a self-serve search to enter your needs, preferences, and insurance, then filter by specialty, identity, and availability. You can typically book an appointment online in about 10 minutes.

Session formats: Choose between virtual telehealth and in-person visits. Secure messaging lets you stay in touch with your provider between sessions.

Scheduling: Book online and be seen in two days or less, with no waitlists. Appointments are available evenings and weekends, and you can switch providers if you need a better fit.

App/portal experience: Track goals and appointment history in the client portal and message your provider through HIPAA-compliant, secure messaging. For emergencies, Grow Therapy directs users to call 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or go to the nearest emergency room.

How access works with Headway

Headway offers a self-directed experience focused on connecting you with an in-network provider. It’s insurance-first, so you’ll verify your coverage up front and see your expected cost before you book. Here’s what accessing care with Headway looks like:

Coverage: Headway is available in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.

Matching: Enter your insurance details, search the directory, filter by specialty, location, and availability, then book directly from provider profiles. Headway’s team can help if you want assistance finding a fit.

Session formats: Choose between HIPAA-compliant, browser-based video sessions and in-person appointments at provider offices.

Scheduling: Booking is based on provider availability. You can self-schedule with an available clinician, and the average time from booking to first appointment is 4.9 days for therapy and 3.8 days for medication management.

Platform access: Use Headway’s browser-based portal to manage appointments, message your provider between sessions, and view expected out-of-pocket costs before you book. Support can also help you switch providers. For emergencies, call 911 or reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

What each platform does best

By looking at where each platform is strongest, you can make a thoughtful decision grounded in what matters most for your care. Whether you prioritize cost transparency, network size, or specific insurance acceptance, understanding each platform's unique advantages helps you choose the right fit.

Grow Therapy excels when you need:

• Fastest access to care: With an average wait time of two days or less and no waitlists, it's ideal for those who want to start therapy quickly

• Broadest specialty coverage: Its 90+ specialties offer extensive options for finding a provider with expertise in your specific condition or needs

• Comprehensive Medicare and Medicaid acceptance: Works with a wide range of Medicare and Medicaid plans across the country

• Flexible payment options: Clear self-pay pricing ($75 to $200 per session) and sliding scale options for those without insurance

• Care in American Sign Language: One of the few platforms that explicitly offers care in ASL, in addition to 35+ other languages

• Client control and flexibility: Self-serve matching in 10 minutes with ability to filter by specialty, identity, availability, and care approach

Headway excels when you need:

• Largest provider network: With 60,000+ providers, you have the most options for finding a clinician who is a good match

• Upfront cost estimates: Benefit verification displays expected out-of-pocket costs in accounts and emails before booking

• Cultural competency initiatives: Actively working to upskill providers in cultural competence and tracks network diversity

• Browser-based telehealth convenience: Video sessions work directly in your web browser without requiring software downloads

• Quick access to medication management: Average wait time for a first medication management appointment is just 3.8 days

• Between-session messaging support: Messages portal for ongoing communication with providers

Summary: Is Grow Therapy or Headway right for you?

The biggest differences between Grow Therapy and Headway come down to network size versus specialty depth, cost structure, and access speed. Headway offers a larger network of providers (60,000+ vs. 23,000+), while Grow Therapy provides a wider range of specialties (90+ vs. 25+). Grow Therapy has a clear average cost with insurance ($21) and flexible self-pay options, whereas Headway requires insurance to sign up and calculates your specific cost based on your plan.

Grow Therapy may be a good fit if you value faster access to care, need a provider with a very specific specialty, or require flexible payment options like sliding scale or comprehensive Medicare/Medicaid coverage. Headway is likely a better fit if you want a larger pool of providers to choose from and appreciate seeing an upfront cost estimate based on your specific insurance plan. Both platforms offer quality, insurance-covered mental healthcare with licensed providers across all 50 states, so your choice ultimately depends on which features align best with your insurance, budget, timeline, and care preferences.

You might also consider Rula as a third option. Rula combines broad insurance acceptance with integrated therapy and psychiatry, offering secure virtual visits and in-person care through provider-operated offices. With upfront cost estimates and typical copays around $15 per session when using insurance, Rula can be a strong choice for affordable, coordinated care with more flexibility in provider selection and appointment formats.

FAQ

If I don't have insurance or my plan isn't accepted, can I still book care on Grow Therapy and Headway?

Both platforms primarily focus on insurance-based care, though Grow Therapy allows providers to see private pay clients as long as those clients don't have insurance the provider accepts through Grow. Headway providers can also continue seeing clients privately once credentialed, provided the client doesn't hold insurance the provider accepts via Headway.

What messaging options do Grow Therapy and Headway offer for contacting your provider between sessions?

Both platforms offer secure messaging portals where clients can communicate directly with their providers. On Grow Therapy, clients can message providers through the client portal, while Headway clients can access messages on the site or through their account menu.

Do Grow Therapy and Headway offer out-of-pocket options?

Grow Therapy supports self-pay, with typical rates ranging from $75 to $200 per session and sliding-scale pricing available in many cases. Headway is insurance-first: new clients must have an active, accepted insurance plan to book through the platform. Private pay may be possible only for existing clients if their individual provider offers it, and it isn’t available for anyone with a Medicare or Medicaid policy.

Why choose Rula for quality of care?

Rula reports strong outcomes, including 93% of patients feeling better about their symptoms after receiving care and 98% finding a provider that meets their unique preferences. It also combines 21,000+ providers and 180+ specialties to offer broad, insurance-based care, including Medicare and Medicaid coverage. Patients using insurance typically only pay about $15 per session and receive a personalized estimate upfront.

Find care with Rula

Choosing between mental health platforms is an important decision—one that can shape how quickly you start making progress and how supported you feel along the way. With Rula, you don't have to choose between network size and specialty depth, or between fast access and comprehensive care. You can verify your insurance in minutes, browse providers who match your specific needs and preferences, see your estimated costs upfront, and often schedule your first appointment as soon as tomorrow.

When you're ready to move forward, Rula is here to guide you to care that works—for your insurance, your timeline, and your life.