If you’re looking for a therapist, both Alma and Grow Therapy can help connect you to qualified clinicians — but there are some notable differences between the two platforms. Overall, Grow Therapy may be ideal for you if you’d like to book a first session as soon as possible, while Alma is probably the best choice if you’re looking for a therapist who fits your needs.
Waffling between the two? Below is a quick feature comparison, followed by a deep dive into how the platforms compare.
Size of provider network
When it comes to helping people find the perfect therapist, platforms like Alma and Grow Therapy require a large network to be useful. The more providers in the system, the greater the chances you’ll be able to find one who ticks all the boxes when it comes to your needs and preferences.
Size of provider network: How do Alma & Grow Therapy compare?
Alma’s network currently includes more than 21k+ providers across 50 states, whereas Grow Therapy includes 12k+. Both platforms are growing quickly, which means these numbers are likely to continue rising.
When searching for therapists in different states across insurance plans, Alma consistently turns up more providers. For example, a randomly selected search for a therapist in Arizona who accepts Aetna insurance and specializes in treating anxiety turns up 117 therapists on Grow Therapy and 745 in Alma.
Search filters
How do you find the right therapist for you from a pool of hundreds? It’s all about the number of filters. Just like when you’re searching for shoes on Zappos, the more filters a platform offers, the more likely you’ll find what you’re looking for.
Search filters: How do Alma & Grow Therapy compare?
Both Alma and Grow Therapy allow you to start your search from their homepages, but to access the best search experience — i.e. the most filters — on either platform, select “Find a Therapist” from the top nav bar.
Grow Therapy starts with a MadLibs style sentence where you feel in 3 “blanks” to indicate your location, insurance, and the type of issue you’re looking to address. You’re then shown a list of providers who fit that criteria.
From there you can filter between virtual, in-person, and hybrid; talk therapy and medication management; and treatment methods (aka therapeutic approach). If you select “more filters,” you can narrow down by gender, ages treated, identities (ranging from religious to gender), languages and availability (i.e. days of the week and AM vs. PM).
Alma offers two different ways to search their directory. You can either browse or select “help me find care” for a more guided search experience (see below).
Browsing Alma’s directory results in a search that’s similar to Grow Therapy with some notable exceptions.
- On Alma, provider identity is more prominent and includes a much more inclusive list of choices — for example, sexuality is listed in addition to gender.
- Alma’s list of therapeutic approaches includes a helpful description to inform or remind you of what makes that approach unique
- You can also filter by a therapist’s degree type on Alma, which is useful if education and training are important to you.
For the most comprehensive therapist search, get started with Alma.
Guided search
A guided search experience uses a questionnaire-style format to help direct you toward a shorter list of therapists who are likely to fit your specific needs. This can feel like a more human experience and can introduce you to modalities of therapy that you might not be aware of.
Guided search: How do Alma & Grow Therapy compare?
At this time, Grow Therapy does not offer a guided search. Alma’s guided search first prompts you to select up to three areas that you’d like to focus on during therapy. The list of menu items here is comprehensive and ranges from specific mental health conditions to relationships, learning and development, and physical health and well-being.
Next, you can select the therapeutic approach you’d like your provider to take, or select “I’m not sure yet.” “Popular options” include cognitive and behavioral therapies and insight-oriented therapies, with brief descriptions of each. A list of more approaches includes trauma-focused therapies and mindfulness-based therapies.
Additional questions cover preferences related to your therapist’s identity, including gender identity, faith, and race. The end-result is a shortlist of providers who are likely to be a solid match for you.
Provider profiles
Now comes the most rewarding or disappointing part of the process — when you see a list of profiles for therapists who fit your criteria. Profiles are where things get personal. Finally, there’s a face and extensive bio, so you can start to imagine whether or not you could work with this person.
Provider profiles: How do Alma & Grow Therapy compare?
Both Alma and Grow Therapy’s therapist profile pages include a Q&A, with some questions standard across profiles. Responses are written by the therapists, which gives you a sense of their voice and personality, and what they want to emphasize about their practice.
Both Alma and Grow Therapy include:
- Specialties / expertise
- Treatment method / therapeutic approach
- Accepted insurance
- Ages served
- Virtual and/or in-person availability
Because Alma’s search process includes more filters, the information you see about the therapist is more tailored – for example you see a confirmation that they take your insurance vs. a list of accepted insurances.
On the therapist’s profile page, Alma also includes their cash-pay rates, a tool to check your estimated costs if you’re using insurance, and whether or not the therapist uses a sliding scale for people who can’t afford the full price of cash-pay sessions.
Grow Therapy profiles include a larger photo, which is nice, and terms that the therapist has selected to describe themselves like “warm” and “open-minded.” Overall, the profiles on both platforms are informative and inviting. Alma comes out ahead in terms of personalization.
Consultations
A consultation — usually provided free of charge — is an opportunity to meet with a therapist and be sure you “click” before scheduling a paid visit. Even though it takes more effort, it can help to have consultations with a few providers so you can compare your options and choose what’s best for you.
Consultations: How do Alma & Grow Therapy compare?
Within a therapist’s profile on Alma, there is a button to “request a consultation” as the next step. The form to request a consultation asks for basic information and a few sentences about what brings you to therapy. It also states when a response from the therapist can be expected, typically within 2-3 days. Consultations are almost always free through Alma.
Unlike Alma, Grow Therapy does not offer consultations. Instead you’re prompted to book a first session. In order to book, Grow Therapy requires insurance/payment information, email address, and mailing address.
Whether you’re on a budget or just want to be sure you like a therapist before committing to a first session, a consultation makes a lot of sense. Alma clearly comes out ahead in this category.
Pricing
No one wants to pay for therapy out of pocket if they don’t have to. On average, an in-person, cash-pay session ranges from $100 to $250, while online cash-pay sessions are $85 to $135.
For those with insurance, co-pays can be as low as $5. Some therapists offer to bill on a sliding scale so that people who might not otherwise afford therapy can get quality care.
Pricing: How do Alma & Grow Therapy compare?
Both Alma and Grow Therapy make it easy to find in-network providers and then offer a tool where you can enter your member ID number and see your estimated costs per session. Of course, what you’ll actually pay will depend on your co-insurance, whether you have a deductible, and if you’ve met that deductible (when in doubt, call your insurance to check).
Provider profiles on Alma and Grow Therapy also list cash-pay rates, so if you’re paying out-of-pocket, you’ll know what to expect.
One point of difference is that Alma’s therapist profiles also indicate if a provider offers a sliding scale for people who can’t afford their cash rate.
Alma vs. Grow Therapy for finding a therapist: The bottom line
Overall, Alma’s therapist search is more detailed, and the guided search makes it easy to narrow down your list of providers from thousands to a handful, depending on your location.
Alma’s search filters are more detailed, and also include helpful descriptions of different therapeutic approaches. Alma also has a much larger network of therapy providers, giving you more options to explore and choose from, and the free consultations help ensure a good fit.
Grow Therapy wins out when it comes to fast booking, though it has fewer providers to choose from. One of the platform’s best features is that you can see exactly when a provider has upcoming openings in their schedule.
Both platforms are a huge improvement over searching through insurance or using Psychology Today. Ready to find a therapist who fits your needs? Get started with Alma.
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