These days mental health is widely recognized as being equally as important as general health; indeed, as our understanding increases we see that the two are actually very closely entwined. However, good and effective treatment is still not always easily available or readily affordable. As such, more and more people are turning to online therapy to access affordable mental health and Breakthrough was one such online therapy provider.
Breakthrough was actually purchased by the tele-medicine giant MDLive in 2021 and has now been fully absorbed by the parent company. As such, the Breakthrough platform no longer exists in any form. The website now re-direct to the MDLive home page and existing customers were transferred onto the MD platform.
This breakthrough review is technically a review of MDLive’s therapy services. Over the course of this detailed review we will also look to compare the new platform with how the old one used to be, and determine what are the the best alternatives for people who are looking for a similar service to what Breakthrough used to offer.
Yes. Both the predecessor company Breakthrough and MDLive are compleeley legit. All of the therapists are fully qualified and licensed in state and, according to the MDLive website, the service providers have on average 15 or more years of experience.
They also have one of the industry’s highest provider ratings and are fully HIPPA compliant.
MDLive is not just an online therapy provider but is rather a tele-health company who provide online Doctors appointments and remotely prescribe medication for a whole range of health conditions. As such they are very tightly regulated.
| Year Founded | 2009 |
|---|---|
| U.S Based Company | Yes |
| Number of Licensed Therapists | 50 |
| Accepts Insurance? | Yes |
| Hipaa compliant | Yes |
| Therapy Modes | Video and Telephone Live Sessions |
| Available Treatments | Psychiatric Treatment, Medication Prescription And Talk Therapy |
| Average Price | $108 Per Meeting |
| Sign Up Time | 5 Minutes |
| Response Time | Usually a Few Days |
| Mobile App | Yes |
| Website | www.mdlive.com |
| Customer Reviews | 82% Positive |
| Our Editorial Rating | 3.5 Stars |
| Current Promotion | None |
New users of MDLive must firstly complete the signup process (name and contact details) via the website or app before completing a short questionnaire that is used to assess your mental health needs and match you with a shortlist of possible therapists. Once this has been done, users can browse the profiles of suitable therapists. Users can massage therapists for some additional information before committing to work with them and book an appointment.
Once a suitable therapist has been identified, an appointment is booked for a fist session. All sessions are conducted via video call (or telephone call) and sessions can be booked on an adhoc basis so there is never an established schedule.
The format of a therapy session will largely depend on the condition being treated and the individual therapist’s style. Some of the therapists on the platform are counselors whereas others are fully qualified psychotherapists. Common techniques used in MDLives’ therapy sessions are psychoanalysis, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and other coping and de-escalation strategies.
Patients undergoing psychiatry via MDLive may also be issued with a prescription or a medication plan.
This is by far the biggest change Breakthrough underwent once it has been purchased by MDLive. If you prefer a more rigid schedule, with a monthly subscription plan – then read check all of our online therapy reviews or this Betterhelp review.
The price per session is $108 for a therapist and $284 for a psychiatrist. As most users typically want one session per week, this can work out more expensive than other online therapy sites although previously, Breakthrough therapy sessions could cost as much s $400. This also means that there is no text chat support function available and patients will have to wait until their weekly session to talk to somebody.
However MDLive does accept most insurance which is quite unusual in online therapy; as such, many users may not actually have to pay that much themselves. That said, if you prioritize a therapy provider who accepts insurance, then Amwell is a much better choice overall.
This is another area where Breakthrough’s offer suffered a lot by the acquisition. It used to be one of best priced therapy providers and now it has shifted into a pay per meet scheme instead. If getting the best value for money is your top priority, check our comparison of the best affordable therapy sites or read our Rethink My Therapy review.
MDLive claim to treat all manner of conditions but in regards to mental health, they can treat the following;
Basically, MDLive are able to help with most common mental health issues and conditions. This is quite impressive when considering the relatively small number of therapists available. Again, this is an area where a big decrease in quality was observed. If you want a therapy-dedicated provider that can also offer psychiatric treatments, we recommend reading our Amwell review or Brightside review first.
Brightside is a relatively new and small online therapy provider who are able to offer e-counseling, therapy sessions and prescribe medication. For these reasons we feel they are a worthy competitor to Breakthrough/MDLive.
One important difference to note is that Brightside does not allow users to choose their own therapist. Rather they are matched algorithmically. However, patients can change their therapist if they find they are not getting along with them.
In terms of cost, Brightside represents better value for money as their mid-range subscription package costs ($299 per month) and offers a 30-minute live session each week with a therapist. If MDLive users wish to attend weekly sessions then the monthly cost will be $468 per month.
However, Amwell are widely recognised as the best online psychiatry provider (though Brightside may soon rival them) – so this can be another very good alternative if you are not impressed with Breakthrough’s new services.
Hopefully, our detailed and thorough breakthrough therapy review helped you to decide whether they or rather their successor is the right online therapy service for you. Another thing you might want to do is read our detailed MDLive review.
Whilst Breakthrough does not exist anymore, the important and valuable work they were doing has been taken on by their successor company MDLive. MDLive is a highly professional organization that utilizes an excellent platform and delivers excellent customer service.
However, while MDLive’s psychiatry is widely lauded as being amongst the best in the online therapy market, their other therapy options do work out quite expensive for patients who want weekly sessions. Furthermore, therapy obtained via MDLive does not come with the extras that other providers offer such as text chat support between sessions.
Overall, we feel the change has been for the worse. Yes, Breakthrough does have a better mobile app and customer support, but prices and quality of treatments have deteriorated significantly. For that reason, we can no longer rank it among the best online therapy sites, and recommend trying out other companies, such as Betterhelp or Talkspace, instead.
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