In recent years, therapy platforms like BetterHelp and Cerebral have risen to prominence, making mental health support more accessible than ever. These companies promise affordable, convenient care, often boasting the ability to connect clients with therapists at the click of a button. But behind the scenes, a troubling story emerges—one of low therapist pay, unsustainable workloads, and a business model that, in some cases, prioritizes profits over people.

The Harsh Reality of Low Therapist Pay

While these low subscriptions rates may be alluring, they are only made possible at the exploitation of your therapists. Despite their advanced degrees and years of rigorous training, therapists working for these platforms often earn insultingly and shockingly low wages. Reports suggest that many associate therapists are paid between $20 and $33 per hour after accounting for platform cuts and administrative time—a rate far below what’s sustainable for a professional with student loans and ongoing licensing fees.

To put it into perspective, therapy is not a profession where working 40 hours per week is feasible. Being “on” for 8 hours a day, five days a week, is mentally and emotionally exhausting. Even 30 sessions a week can push a therapist to their limit. I personally don’t do that many sessions per week, and long-term, I wouldn’t recommend any therapy do that many sessions per week. But let’s break down the math, assuming a therapist works 30 hours a week, and takes only 2 weeks off a year with an industry standard appointment no-show/cancellation rate of between 10-20%:

• At $33/hour for associate therapists:
  $33 x 30 clients/week x 50 weeks/year x 80% attendance rate = $39,600/year (before taxes)
  $33 x 30 clients/week x 50 weeks/year x 90% attendance rate = $44,550/year (before taxes)
• At $43/hour for fully licensed therapists:
  $43 x 30 clients/week x 50 weeks/year x 80% attendance rate = $51,600/year (before taxes)
  $43 x 30 clients/week x 50 weeks/year x 90% attendance rate = $58,050/year (before taxes)
• In the rare case, at $70/hour for fully licensed therapists:
  $70 x 30 clients/week x 50 weeks/year x 80% attendance rate = $84,000/year (before taxes)
  $70 x 30 clients/week x 50 weeks/year x 90% attendance rate = $94,500/year (before taxes)

And that’s in the best-case scenario: often no health insurance, only factoring in two weeks off annually, and no room for emergencies or personal growth. That’s also under the assumption a therapist sees 30 clients a week (which many therapists will tell you they are unwilling to do because of the burnout rate at that amount!) In a city like Manhattan, this income barely scratches the surface of a livable wage, with many therapists having student loan payments for both their undergraduate and graduate degree.

A System That Breaks Aspiring Therapists

The financial strain doesn’t just impact current therapists—it also deters future ones. Many aspiring therapists abandon the field entirely, finding the process of becoming licensed unsustainable. For those who persist, it’s often a matter of privilege—relying on partners, family support, or alternative sources of income just to make ends meet.

I was fortunate. A living stipend I relied on from my military education benefits and a supportive partner allowed me to navigate the early, challenging years of my career. But not everyone has that safety net, and the result is an alarming talent drain in a field that desperately needs dedicated professionals.

Profit Over People

The subscription-based model many platforms use prioritizes quantity over quality, forcing therapists to manage excessive caseloads to make ends meet. This compromises the therapeutic relationship—the foundation of effective mental health care. Worse yet, platforms are often more focused on aggressive marketing and growth than on the well-being of either their clients or their therapists.

The result? Clients feel like they’re receiving cookie-cutter care, and therapists are left burned out and disillusioned.

Our Vision: Building a Better Model

This isn’t just a problem—it’s a crisis. And it’s why I’ve committed to building a private practice grounded in sustainability, equity, and respect for both therapists and clients. Here’s how we’re doing it:

1. Respectable Pay for Therapists

We believe that a successful and sustainable company must be built from the ground up and it starts with our employees. We’re setting a new standard by offering our therapists competitive wages that reflect their skills, training, and value. Our goal is to provide financial stability so therapists can focus on delivering exceptional care without having to burn themselves out seeing an excessive amount of clients (which inevitably affects the quality of care you receive), the constant stress of making ends meet, while also being able to afford their own healthcare needs.

2. Accessible, Affordable Therapy

We believe everyone deserves access to quality mental health care. To make this possible, we’re requiring our therapists to offer a portion of their sessions at significantly reduced rates. Importantly, we ensure therapists are compensated fairly for these sessions, with no profit taken by the practice for these reduced-fee sessions.

3. Sustainable Workloads

Burnout doesn’t help anyone—not therapists, not clients, and not the profession as a whole. We’re designing workloads that prioritize balance and well-being, allowing therapists to give their best to their clients without sacrificing their health. This serves everyone involved.

4. Ethical, Intentional Growth

This practice isn’t about rapid expansion or maximizing revenue. It’s about building something meaningful and sustainable, one step at a time. We’re committed to trial, error, and growth rooted in integrity.

Changing the Narrative

Therapy is deeply human work. It deserves systems that honor the humanity of both the people who give and those who receive care. Platforms that exploit therapists while offering subpar care to clients are fundamentally broken.

We’re here to show that another way is possible—one that values therapists’ expertise and well-being while ensuring therapy remains accessible.

If you believe in a future where mental health care is sustainable, equitable, and effective, we invite you to join us on this journey. Together, we can redefine what therapy looks like—for therapists, for clients, and for the profession as a whole.

Let’s build a mental health care model that works. For everyone.