While much of the online therapy field focuses exclusively on talk therapy services, the intriguing New York based startup Talkiatry has been conceptualized as a hybrid between traditional psychiatry and the burgeoning online therapy sector.
By fusing the two together, Talkiatry aspires to deliver the high clinical standards and access to medication that conventional psychiatry offers while bringing some of the benefits that the e-counseling sector is known for.
Our in depth Talkiatry review will tell you all about how it works, and who it can help. By the time you finish reading, you will know whether Talktiary is right for your mental health needs.
As of now, Talkiatry is only available in specific states. As of now, the service is available for residents of NY, TX, MA, CT, PA, NJ, CO, OH, FL, VA, GA, TN, NC, IL, MD, DC, SC, ME, CA, NH, AZ, MO, WI, IN, MN, OR, NV and MS. We’ll keep updating this review and let you know as soon as more states become available.
if Talkiatry services aren’t accessible for you yet, we recommend reading our Talkspace review or Brightside review. Even though their psychiatric care is more limited, the level of talk therapy is much higher, and Talkspace in particular is much more affordable.
Out of all the online psychiatric and therapy providers we have come across, Talkiatry is arguably one of the most professional and qualified of them all. They are fully HIPAA certified and have highly qualified psychiatrists and therapists.
Some users may have concerns about accepting treatment for mental disorders, and being prescribed medication, online without ever physically seeing a doctor. However, the State of New York has approved the concept and after all, during 2020 and 2021 most doctors appointments were conducted remotely because of COVID-19 so this is the world we now live in
| Year Founded | 2020 |
|---|---|
| U.S Based Company | US Based Company – Yes, and sees patients in 30 states (and growing) |
| Number of Licensed Therapists | 400+ psychiatrists and 56 licensed therapists |
| Accepts Insurance? | Yes |
| Hipaa compliant | Yes |
| Therapy Modes | Video Call |
| Available Treatments | Psychiatric treatment, medication management and talk therapy |
| Average Price | Varies based on your insurance and treatment plan |
| Sign Up Time | 10 Minutes |
| Response Time | One Week or Less |
| Mobile App | They Use Healow – No App Of Their Own |
| Website | www.talkiatry.com |
| Customer Reviews | 73% positive |
| Our Editorial Rating | 3 Stars |
| Current Promotion | None |
To begin using Talkiatry you have to complete the signup process via their online portal. Users enter their insurance details before completing a short questionnaire which is then used to offer them a preliminary diagnosis and match them up with potential psychiatrists. If and once you like your potential match, you then complete your sign up and then schedule your first appointment.
With Talkiatry, you will conduct your meeting with your psychiatrist or therapist remotely via the Healow app. After your session, you may be issued a prescription and then booked for your next appointment. If you’d like to pursue additional talk therapy, your psychiatrist may also match you with one of Talkiatry’s therapists at that time. Whilst the main purpose of Talkiatry is to help patients with medication management, you are not obliged to accept the it, and should not feel pressured to take anything you do not feel comfortable with
In addition to offering psychiatry, Talkiatry also offers talk therapy to patients who they think may benefit from it. Note that talk therapies such as CBT may not be conducted by your psychiatrist but rather by a psychologist or qualified counselor. A lot of patients find the dualistic approach of medication + talking therapies to be optimal for their well being.
Talkiatry do not publish any specific details about the costs of their services. Therefore we cannot say how much an initial consultation is, how much each subsequent appointment is or how much a prescription costs.
What we can advise is that Talkiatry is recognized by most major insurers (with the notable exception of Medicaid) and operates on a pay-per-meeting basis. If you want to use Medicaid or Medicare, check our list of the best therapy sites with insurance instead.
It is also worth noting that Talkiatry do not offer any kind of free trial like some providers do and therefore you need to pay up front to even get any indication of whether they may be right for you.
When we tried the service, the prices we got were not competitive at all. Even with insurance, there are simply much better, cost-effective solutions out there. Furthermore, we find the very idea of not giving even an estimate of the costs in advance unprofessional by Talkiatry and not inline with industry standards.
Talkiatry’s response: “Because we see patients who are using their insurance it is not possible to give an accurate estimate about the cost of your visit. Your insurance company would be able to do that.”
Because of this, for prescription management we instead recommend considering Brightside who have proven to be more professional, as well as open and transparent in relation to costs. There, you only pay $90 a month and it’s also covered by insurance.
For Talk therapy, coupled with psychiatric consultation and managing medical prescriptions, our top recommendation would be Talkspace. Being one of the largest virtual therapy platforms in the U.S, Talkspace is safe, reliable and also the best therapy site with insurance. With insurance, you can expect to pay between $25 and $37.5 per week while using Talkspace.
Talkiatry currently boasts a very impressive, full roster of qualified psychiatrists. You get the chance to choose your therapist from a shortlist and initial sessions are usually arranged within 7 days.
The Talkiatry business model focuses primarily on psychiatric evaluation, diagnosis and treatment. This includes medication & prescription management for a whole array of mental health conditions, including:
Talkiatry focuses on psychiatry and medication. However, many patients may also benefit from additional talking therapies and your psychiatrists may suggest one as part of your treatment plan. Here are some of the following talking therapies that Talkiatry offers;
Even though Talkiatry was originally established as a way to help patients get cost effective and efficient access to mediation, that does not mean that every referral will result in a prescription. It all comes down to the Doctor’s estimation as to the needs of the individual patient.
However, you should remember that psychiatrists’ ability to prescribe controlled substances is based on the individual states’ regulatory requirements.
Overall, we have found this part of the service to be Talkiatry’s strongest point. They currently have over 400 fully qualified psychiatrists and 56 therapists, and the quality of treatment is very high. In fact, it is quite possibly the best virtual psychiatric care in the market today.
With their large volume of highly qualified psychiatrists and therapists and ability to prescribe whatever medication they feel a patient needs, Talkiatry are in a rather unique position amongst online therapy and telemedicine companies.
However, the lack of transparency and clarity regarding how much their service costs is a huge downside. Some of the main benefits of online therapy are cost effectiveness and transparency and unfortunately Talkiatry is failing on these fronts.
Aside from that, Talkiatry’s services are only available in the following 30 states: NY, TX, MA, CT, PA, NJ, CO, OH, FL, VA, GA, TN, NC, IL, MD, DC, SC, ME, CA, NH, AZ, MO, WI, IN, MN, OR, NV and MS.
In consideration of all of the above, we would recommend that anybody who is seeking psychiatric treatment and prescription management along with their therapy should consider using Talkspace or Brightside instead.
If you plan to focus entirely on talk therapy, then BetterHelp is our most recommended option. Read our detailed BetterHelp review, or see the full list of therapy sites we review and how they all compare to one another.
| Overall Rating | |
| Price | |
| Treatment Options | |
| App and Software | |
| Customer Service | |
| Safety and Privacy |
