Here are some of the questions we hear most often. If you’re a Brightside member and need assistance, please log into your account and navigate to Help to contact our team.
How It Works
We treat anxiety, depression, and a range of other mental health concerns:
Brightside Psychiatry and Therapy plans are currently available in all 50 United States and Washington D.C.
Brightside provides online mental health care to individuals 13 years and older. Our expert providers can help with anxiety, depression, and many other common concerns. We offer personalized psychiatry, clinically-proven therapy, and teen care.
Please note: Our providers do not prescribe controlled substances. Here is a list of medications we do prescribe.
If any of these describe a condition you’re experiencing, it’s best for you to be seen in person by a primary care provider who can help you find the treatment that’s right for you.
We believe (and evidence shows) that comprehensive care using a multi-pronged approach leads to the best outcomes in the treatment of mental health conditions .
There are three primary treatment angles for mental health conditions: therapy, psychiatry (including medication management), and self-care. We offer each of these treatment modalities as part of our comprehensive care plans.
Brightside offers convenient, affordable, and private therapy via weekly video sessions, and unlimited messaging with a licensed therapist as you complete evidence-based audio lessons and practice exercises that equip you with the skills you need to feel better.
Brightside psychiatric providers will complete a comprehensive diagnostic evaluation, and suggest a personalized treatment plan, which may include psychiatric medication. Subsequently your clinician will monitor your care, adjusting treatment as necessary so you get the best outcomes.
There’s no guarantee that all patients will receive a prescription. Medication will be prescribed if it is determined to be a safe, effective, and appropriate treatment option for you.
Brightside psychiatric providers do not prescribe any controlled substances.
Self-Care
All Brightside members have access to our free Self-Care program. The Brightside Self-Care program can help build skills and resilience, delivering improvements that complement therapy and medication.
Brightside makes it easy to get top-quality mental health care from the privacy of your home.
Here’s how Psychiatry works:
Here’s how Therapy works:
Our expert providers are handpicked for their ability to provide best-in-class mental health care. They have years of experience and active licenses in your state.
All of our therapists have:
-A master’s or doctorate degree in clinical psychology, clinical social work, or counseling from an accredited program
-Experience delivering science-backed (also known as evidence-based) care for anxiety & depression
All of our psychiatric providers are:
-Psychiatrists, physicians, or psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioners (PMHNPs)
-Exceptionally skilled at prescribing effective medication
Every provider in our network goes through a rigorous hiring and vetting process. They also follow the same high clinical standards as in-person providers.
If you are a licensed provider interested in joining the Brightside provider network, please send your CV to: [email protected] and visit our careers page for openings.
Depression and anxiety are diagnosed by comparing the symptoms that someone is experiencing to known attributes of these conditions, using criteria established by the American Psychiatric Association. There are typically no blood tests that need to be checked in order to diagnose these conditions.
Because of this, your provider doesn’t necessarily need to be in-person and physically present to effectively diagnose and treat depression and anxiety. Providers can review your symptoms, health history, and other considerations remotely, then consult with you to verify their diagnosis and discuss treatment options.
Delivering care online can enable your provider to more closely monitor your progress, and communicate that progress more effectively and frequently over time. This is particularly relevant for antidepressant medication, as it’s common for your provider to need to refine your dose and medication based on your individual response.
That said, remote care isn’t a good fit for everyone. For example, people with certain psychiatric diagnoses may benefit from in-person care; as may people with chronic medical conditions such as liver disease, kidney disease, seizures, or certain cardiac arrhythmias.
Yes, of course. If your provider is not the right fit or you are unsatisfied, you can switch your providers from your “Account Settings” by navigating to “Care Team” and clicking “Switch provider/therapist”. If this functionality is not visible to you or need further assistance, you can contact our Member Support Team from your account at any time.
All of our Brightside providers are handpicked for their ability to provide best-in-class mental health care. To ensure the highest quality of care, every provider in our network undergoes a rigorous hiring and vetting process. You can learn more about the process here.
Brightside’s Psychiatry plan costs $95 per month + your pharmacy copay – if you have insurance prescription (Rx) benefits. Your plan includes a comprehensive remote psychiatric provider evaluation and ongoing provider support and monitoring of your care, including any necessary adjustments.
Therapy costs $299 per month for four video sessions and unlimited messaging with a licensed therapist who helps guide you through a personalized program using evidence-based approaches. Additional 45-minute video appointments with your therapist are available for $59 per session.
Our integrated Psychiatry + Therapy program costs $349 per month – a savings of $45. In addition to the benefits of the Psychiatry Plan, you get unlimited messaging and a weekly video session with a licensed therapist who helps guide you through a personalized program using evidence-based approaches.
Mental health conditions are complicated. To make sure you are on the right treatment, and making appropriate progress, we will ask you to complete check-ins periodically to let us know how you’re doing. Your provider will review these check-ins to help them decide whether making an adjustment will help you get better, faster, and stay that way longer.
You can also use this information to track your own progress over time.
Brightside Health and its associated platform is HIPAA compliant and follows all HIPAA requirements including, but not limited to, the Privacy Rule. We encrypt data in transit and at rest. All communication with our software is done using signatures with a cryptographic hash algorithm. As well, all information is encrypted at rest once stored on our servers.
Your safety is so important to us. If you are in emotional distress or thinking about hurting yourself at any point, please make use of these resources:
There is always help available. We also recommend reaching out to a family member or friend to let them know that you need help and support.
If this is not a life-threatening emergency, Brightside Health can help. Our Suicide Prevention Program helps individuals who are experiencing suicidal thoughts and feelings and provides hope for the future. Please note that this should not be used if you are seriously planning to harm yourself now or in the very near future. In those instances, 988 or 911 are appropriate resources, and we can be here to help in the future. At this time, our Suicide Prevention Program is only available for individuals with accepted insurance. Please take the free assessment to check your eligibility.
Depression & Treatments
At Brightside, you’ll always be cared for by an expert psychiatric care team. This may include a psychiatrist, a doctor, and/or a psychiatric nurse practitioner. Your provider is by your side throughout your path to feeling better – from making adjustments to your personal treatment plan until it’s right, to helping decide if and when it’s time to taper off medication.
Instead of a one-size-fits-all approach, your psychiatric provider will use Brightside’s PrecisionRx to determine which medication is best for you. This method analyzes over 100 data points about you to recommend to your provider the medication most likely to work best, and be most tolerable, for you. Brightside offers effective treatment with nonaddictive medications like SSRIs and SNRIs.
Here’s how our Psychiatry plan works:
Note: Brightside does not prescribe medications classified as controlled substances, such as benzodiazepines (e.g., Ativan, Klonopin, Valium, Xanax), stimulants (e.g., Adderall, Concerta, Mydayis, Ritalin, Vyvanse), or “Z-drug” hypnotics (e.g., Ambien, Lunesta, Sonata). Additionally, gabapentin is considered a controlled substance in some states.
If appropriate, your provider may prescribe you one or more medications based on your specific needs. Listed here are many, but not all, of the medications our psychiatric providers commonly prescribe. Brightside offers effective treatment with nonaddictive medications like SSRIs and SNRIs.
If you would like to inquire about a medication you don’t see here, message us at [email protected].
Note: Brightside does not prescribe medications classified as controlled substances, such as benzodiazepines (e.g., Ativan, Klonopin, Valium, Xanax), stimulants (e.g., Adderall, Concerta, Mydayis, Ritalin, Vyvanse), or “Z-drug” hypnotics (e.g., Ambien, Lunesta, Sonata). Additionally, gabapentin is considered a controlled substance in some states.
Antidepressants can have rare but serious side effects. It’s important to understand these risks before taking antidepressants and to contact your psychiatric provider immediately if you experience any of these serious side effects while taking antidepressants.
The FDA has issued a black box warning for SSRIs and similar medications. These medications may increase suicidal thoughts or behavior, particularly in people aged 24 or younger. Watch out for worsening mood, behavior, or suicidal thoughts, especially during the first few months of treatment. Seek help right away if you experience any of these changes. If you are ever in crisis, dial 988 or visit your nearest emergency department. You can also text ‘HOME’ to 741-741 to connect immediately with a free and confidential counselor.
Serotonin Syndrome is a rare but life-threatening condition where there is too much serotonin active in the brain. Symptoms include fast heart rate, sweating, muscle stiffness or spasms, fever, and confusion. Do not take MAOIs, TCAs, St. John’s Wort, amphetamines, sumatriptan, or linezolid with SSRIs. See a Primary Care Provider right away if you experience any of these symptoms while taking your medication.
The risk of gastrointestinal bleeding may be increased when SSRIs are combined with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Common NSAIDs include aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil), naproxen (Aleve), and celecoxib (Celebrex).
Depressive symptoms can occasionally be the first manifestation of the up-and-down cycle between depression and mania in bipolar disorder. If you experience symptoms of mania, such as feeling so good or so hyper that people think you are not acting like your normal self, that you don’t need to sleep very much, or that thoughts race through your head and you can’t slow your mind down, you should talk to your Provider immediately.
SSRIs may be associated with an increased risk of birth defects. If you are pregnant, planning to get pregnant, or breastfeeding, consult your Provider about weighing the risks and benefits of taking antidepressants.
Some antidepressants may impair your ability to perform tasks requiring judgment or motor and cognitive skills. Exercise caution and refrain from dangerous activities, especially when starting your medication.
Hyponatremia (low levels of sodium in the blood) may occur as a result of treatment. Symptoms include mental changes, headache, nausea and vomiting, muscle spasms, and seizures. See a Provider right away if you experience any of these symptoms while taking your medication.
Taking SSRIs can cause mild pupillary dilation, which in susceptible individuals, can lead to an episode of angle closure glaucoma. Patients may wish to be examined to determine whether they are susceptible to angle closure, and have a prophylactic procedure (e.g., iridectomy), if they are susceptible.
Relatively common side effects of antidepressant medication include headache, nausea, insomnia, drowsiness, fatigue, diarrhea, constipation, weight gain, and issues with sexual arousal and performance. Often these side effects are temporary and/or can be effectively managed.
Psychotherapy provides a supportive environment that allows you to talk openly with someone who’s objective, neutral, and nonjudgmental. Through education, introspection, and skill building, you can identify and modify the thought and behavior patterns that are keeping you from feeling your best.
While psychotherapy has been shown to be effective at reducing symptoms of depression, most experts agree that the best results are likely in a multi-faceted approach that includes medication, therapy, and lifestyle change.
If you choose to include therapy as part of your treatment plan, it’s important to find a therapist who uses evidence-based approaches and who you feel comfortable talking with.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a research-backed therapy approach that focuses on improving negative habits in the way we think and act that translate to how we feel. It can be a very successful treatment approach for many people and is available through talk therapy. CBT can be a stand-alone treatment or a complement to another treatment approach, such as antidepressant medication.
Psychiatry: If you have a diagnosis of ADHD, our psychiatric providers can offer non-stimulant medications (like Strattera or Intuniv). However, please note that we do not prescribe any controlled substances (like Adderall or Ritalin).
Therapy: Our therapists can treat your ADHD symptoms with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which has been shown to be an effective treatment for ADHD.
Assessment or diagnosis
Brightside Health does not conduct assessments for ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). If you’re experiencing symptoms of ADHD, we recommend finding a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist in your community who can conduct an evaluation for you.
Accounts & Billing
Session transcriptions turn your appointment conversations into text. These transcriptions help your provider create accurate clinical notes quickly, so they can spend more time focused on you during. After your provider has created clinical notes for your session, any personal details in the transcript are removed.
You can choose to opt out of transcriptions when scheduling your first session or by updating your preferences in your Brightside account at any time. Please reach out to [email protected] if you have any questions or need more help.
Brightside Health providers are not required to complete documentation related to workers’ compensation or disability claim statuses; however, if a member has a question or request for documentation of any kind to be completed, they can work with their provider directly, who will use their clinical judgment to determine if they are able to complete the documentation. Please note that providers have the right to deny this request and do not provide documentation for emotional support animals; long-term disability evaluations; permanent disability evaluations; worker’s compensation; or court-ordered evaluations.
Brightside members are responsible for sharing with their provider during the initial consultation if they need, or will need in the future, workers’ compensation or disability claim documentation completed. If you would like more information about this topic, we encourage you to view Brightside’s Telehealth Consent Policy.
Separately, Brightside Health is always able to provide members with their medical records. Please note this type of request may take several weeks to fulfill and most often requires a separate completed authorization form for release. Once the authorization is complete, we will process the request and either email or fax your medical records wherever they need to go. Members can submit a request for medical records by logging into their Brightside account and navigating to Help to contact our Member Services team.
To request a refund, please log into your Brightside account and navigate to “Help” to contact our Member Services team.
Please note that we do not issue refunds after the time of your initial scheduled consultation with your psychiatric provider has passed, as Brightside providers take time to review your information and begin preparing a treatment plan prior to your initial scheduled video consultation.
All therapy subscription payments are non-refundable. Your therapy subscription fee is billed monthly on the same day each month, and you can cancel your plan at any time. If you purchased and canceled an extra video therapy session and would like a refund, please log into your Brightside account and navigate to “Help” to contact our Member Service Team.
You can find treatment information, including your provider’s medication instructions, on the medication card in your Web Dashboard and in the Account page of the mobile app. If you are concerned that your treatment is off track, you can schedule a follow-up appointment from your homepage dashboard.
If you forgot your password, please go to the login page and select “Forgot your password?” This will email you a link to update your password.
If you’re logged into your account already, you can also reset your password within Settings. If you have any other issues, contact us via Help from within your account or email us at [email protected].
If you’d like to cancel your Medication subscription, login to your Brightside Portal and select “Settings” from the menu bar. From there you will want to select “Manage Plan” and then “Cancel My Medication Plan”.
Care for mental health conditions isn’t a quick fix, but treatment does work if you stick with it.
In the best case, your treatment should last 9-12 months and for many people it may take longer.
86% of Brightside members feel better within 12 weeks and many more achieve benefit over a longer period. It’s not uncommon to take some time to find the right treatment and get the full benefit.
It’s important to complete at least 6 months of maintenance even after you start to feel better. Skipping the maintenance phase more than doubles the likelihood that your depression will come back in the next 6 months.
Your provider recommends that you stick with your treatment until you decide together that you’re ready to be done. If you cancel your plan, your provider will not be able to authorize refills of your medication because they will be unable to track your treatment progress. Before cancelling, we recommend that you message your provider or request a review to plan the right path for you.
If you’d like to cancel your Therapy subscription, login to your Brightside Portal and select “Settings” from the menu bar. From there you will want to select “Manage Plan” and then “Cancel My Therapy Plan”.
Before you cancel, you might consider reaching out to your Brightside Therapist. Chances are they will be very open to hearing you out and adapting their approach to make treatment work for your needs and preferences. If you’ve already voiced your concerns to your therapist and are sure you want to cancel, it’s important to have a ‘termination’ chat before doing so. This is when you let your therapist know that you’ll be cancelling your therapy plan (don’t worry; your therapist won’t be offended.) That way, your therapist can help you form a plan to maintain gains you’ve made for therapy and find ways to connect with other resources.
Appointments & Scheduling
Step 1: When you are ready to join the appointment, log in to the Brightside Portal and click “Join Appointment” on your Psychiatry or Therapy card, depending on which member of your Care Team you are scheduled to meet. If you are using the Brightside mobile app, click the “Join your appointment” task or tap on “Join video call” on the relevant plan card on the “Appointments” tab. These options will appear one hour prior to your appointment and will take you directly to your Brightside psychiatric provider or therapist’s consultation room.
Step 2: Once you are in your provider or therapist’s consultation room, you will want to make sure your video and microphone options are active and working on your device.
We understand things come up. To reschedule your appointment, log into Brightside and use the “Reschedule” button to select a new time. If you are using the mobile app, tap “Reschedule” under “Appointments.”
To respect your provider’s time and support availability for others seeking care, we ask that you reschedule your appointment more than 24 hours in advance. Missed appointments may result in a no-show fee of up to $200 per our Terms of Service.
Failure to attend appointments multiple times may result in a reassignment of your care or discharge from Brightside Health.
To receive medication as part of your care plan, you need to complete a video visit with your psychiatric provider so that he or she can conduct a full evaluation. It’s also possible that your provider will want to talk to you from time to time during your treatment.
Your therapist benefits from seeing your body language and facial expressions when you connect.
Besides appointments, you can message your provider or therapist directly. Our clinical hours are 9am to 6pm in your timezone. If you have an active subscription and are having trouble reaching or scheduling with your provider, please contact Member Services using the Help form in your account or [email protected].
Psychiatry
You can send your provider a direct message at any time. Your psychiatric provider will respond to your message within 72 hours. Messages should be used for quick updates or to provide information about your treatment progress. If you believe a change to your medication or dose is needed, please schedule an appointment via your homepage dashboard—your provider will not be able to make changes to your treatment through messaging alone.
Therapy
You can message your Brightside therapist at any time. Your therapist will message you back within 24 hours on weekdays.
Please note:
Your care is important to us. Brightside’s messaging tool is not intended to nor does it support emergency or urgent clinical situations.
If you are in emotional distress or thinking about hurting yourself, please make use of these resources:
Visit your local hospital
If you are having a medical or mental health emergency, call 911 or go to your local emergency department.
Call or text 988
You can call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline to talk to a counselor anytime.
Help is always available. We also recommend reaching out to a family member or friend to let them know that you are having these thoughts and to ask for help and support.
When scheduling your first appointment, you can browse all of our available providers in your state. Take a look at their profiles and check open times to find the best fit for you. Every Brightside provider undergoes a rigorous hiring and vetting process to ensure the highest quality care.
If you missed your appointment, your provider will send you a new request to book with them over the next 24 hours. If for some reason you do not receive this request, please log into your Brightside account and use the “Help” form to contact our Member Support team.
Brightside psychiatric providers and therapists do their best to make your scheduled appointment time, but sometimes appointments run over or technical issues can occur. We would encourage you to wait 5-10 minutes before closing out the session.
We hope that this never happens, but if it does, please log in to your Brightside account and navigate to “Help” to contact Member Services so that we can get you rescheduled right away.
Insurance
Your cost per appointment will depend on your insurance. We recommend that you talk to your insurance company directly to confirm your exact cost. If you’d like, you can get a personal cost estimate here.
Typically, you will pay a copay for each appointment—just like you would if you visited the doctor or urgent care. There may be other costs depending on whether you have a prescription, a remaining deductible, or coinsurance. Your insurance covers the rest.
When you pay with insurance, Brightside’s anytime messaging, proactive progress tracking, and self-guided video lessons are free.
Yes, you can get a personal cost estimate here. We also recommend that you talk to your insurance company directly to confirm your exact cost for Brightside, especially if the estimate says your information can’t be found. It may simply be that we’re unable to pull details from your insurance company.
No, you do not have to use insurance. Paying for Brightside directly with your card (credit, debit, or HSA/FSA) is always an option. Our self-pay plans are $95/month for psychiatry (medication), $299/month for therapy, and $349/month for both.
Learn more about insurance we accept here.
When you pay with eligible insurance, you’re only responsible for your copays, coinsurance, deductible, associated with your plan—your insurance will cover the rest. The cost of any prescription medication may fall under your pharmacy benefits plan and may require an additional copay.
You’ll also have access to anytime messaging, proactive progress tracking, and self-guided lessons at no additional cost.
When you sign up for Brightside, we’ll provide you with a personal cost estimate. We also recommend that you contact your insurance company directly for exact costs and to confirm that your care at Brightside will be covered.
Typically, your insurance will start paying for your care after you hit your deductible. If your deductible is $1000, you may need to pay $1000 before your insurance starts paying.
Sometimes, your insurance will pay for care earlier—it all depends on the details of your plan. We recommend that you contact your insurance company directly for questions about your deductible.
Yes, we currently accept some Medicare and Medicaid plans. Learn more about insurance we accept here.
After each appointment, Brightside will submit claims for care to your insurance plan. When your insurance has processed the claim, they will send you an explanation of benefits (EOB). This will tell you what care was billed, what amount was covered by insurance, and what amount you owe (if any).
We will then send you an invoice outlining anything you owe and charge the credit card you have on file.
If you have questions about your coverage or exact costs, reach out to your insurance company directly for more information.
For other questions about your coverage, we’re here to help. Contact us to talk to a Member Support representative:
You may see these common insurance terms around. For your exact costs, reach out to your insurance company directly.
Claim
A claim is a request for payment sent to your insurance. This can be made by your provider or you. At Brightside, we handle this for you when you pay with insurance.
For example, after you have an appointment with a Brightside provider, you might see that a “claim is processing” on your insurance account. Once processed, you’ll receive any bills from Brightside for your out-of-pocket cost.
Coinsurance
Coinsurance is the amount you pay to share the cost of care with your insurance company. This happens after your deductible has been paid. For example, your insurance may cover 80% of costs but you pay 20%.
Copay
A copay (or copayment) is a flat charge you pay every time you see your provider. This is charged by your insurance when they are covering your care.
Copay amounts vary from plan to plan. You may have a different copay for seeing a Brightside provider than you will for picking up a prescription at the pharmacy or going to urgent care.
Coverage
“You’re covered.” “Your insurance covers treatment.” “Check your coverage.” You may hear all of these phrases, but what does coverage mean?
Coverage refers to when care is included—meaning your insurance will pay for all or some of the cost. At Brightside, we partner with insurance companies so that our care is covered and more affordable.
Deductible
A deductible is the amount of money you pay towards health care costs each year before your insurance starts paying. This amount is set by your plan.
Explanation of benefits
This is provided by your insurance and explains how a claim was paid. It contains detailed information about what your insurance company paid, and what costs (if any) you are responsible for paying.
It’s a good idea to call your insurance company if you need any help understanding an explanation of benefits.
HSA/FSA
A Health Savings Account (HSA) or Flexible Savings Account (FSA) is a savings account that lets you put pre-tax money aside for eligible medical expenses.
This could include doctor appointments, prescriptions, and therapy sessions. Depending on your account, you may be able to pay for Brightside with your HSA or FSA.
Out-of-pocket cost
This refers to any payment you have to pay yourself. It includes your deductible, copays, coinsurance, and any payments made for care that wasn’t covered.
Out-of-pocket maximum
Your out-of-pocket maximum is set by your insurance company. It is the most amount of money you will pay during a year for coverage. It includes your copays, deductible, coinsurance, and premiums. Beyond this amount, your insurance will pay the rest of the expenses for the year.
Premium
A premium is the amount you or your employer pay each month for your insurance.
Security
Should you have any additional questions or concerns about Brightside’s privacy or security policies, and the organization’s firm commitment to protecting your personal information, please contact:
Roberta Anderson – Security Officer
In the event of a security incident impacting customer data, Brightside Health will notify you in writing about the incident, which shall include the information that may have been compromised, the cause of the breach, and any remedial actions Brightside is taking to mitigate damages and prevent any recurrences. Additionally, Brightside will self-report the breach to the Department of Health & Human Services.
Brightside Health has a formal, documented process for granting and revoking access to company resources (systems, data, etc.) that is supported by technical, administrative, and physical controls.
Brightside Health has a formal, documented process for reviewing and assessing technical vulnerabilities. The process includes evaluating for risk and correcting in a timely manner.
Brightside Health takes your security and privacy very seriously. We endeavor to: (1) Protect your confidentiality; (2) Prevent against unauthorized access of your personal data; and (3) Defend against anticipated threats. As such, we have a myriad of technical, administrative, and physical security controls in place.
Brightside Health prioritizes your privacy. Not only does our technology exceed industry security standards, and is HIPAA compliant, but we also follow best practices when determining appropriate uses and disclosures of your protected health information. Read more about our Privacy Practices here.
Brightside Health will never sell your information to third parties. When you partner with us, you can have confidence that we do not sell your data to other companies.
Brightside Health is HIPAA compliant and follows all HIPAA requirements including, but not limited to: (1) Privacy Rule; (2) Transactions and Code Sets Rule; (3) Security Rule; (4) Unique Identifiers Rule; and (5) Enforcement Rule.
If you’re in emotional distress, text HOME to connect with a counselor immediately.
Call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline for 24/7 emotional support.
If you’re having a medical or mental health emergency, call 911 or go to your local ER.
By practicing daily healthy habits and self-care, you can reduce your symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Daily Lessons
