Online mental health care, covered by Medicaid

We’ll check and confirm your Medicaid plan for you during sign-up.

In general, Medicaid covers mental health care including therapy and psychiatry.

• Cost: Your care may be at no cost to you, or it may have a small copay (usually about $5). You can learn more about the details at medicaid.gov.
• Session limit: Some Medicaid plans have a limit for the number of sessions you can get each year, or require pre-authorization. You can check with your plan for more information.

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 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 that you can learn more about here. They also follow the same high clinical standards as in-person providers.

In therapy, you talk through challenges and learn thinking skills. There are many types of therapy. At Brightside, we use CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) that is backed by science. CBT is proven to help with many mental health concerns. Therapists do not provide treatment with medication. (That is offered in psychiatry.)

As part of our therapy plan, you can:

• Join video appointments with your therapist to talk about how you are feeling.
• Watch video lessons on your own to learn skills.
• Practice what you learn in worksheets.
• Message your therapist with questions or updates.
• Track your progress over time.

You’ll have support every step of the way.

Psychiatry helps treat mental health concerns with medication. At Brightside, we use special technology to help find the right medication for you. This helps personalize treatment to your needs. Psychiatric providers do not teach thinking skills or provide as much support talking through challenges. (That is offered in therapy.)

As part of our psychiatry plan, you can:

• Get medication sent to your pharmacy.
• Join video appointments with your provider to talk about how you are doing.
• Message your provider with questions or updates.
• Track your progress over time.

We’re ready to help you get better.

If you have medication as part of your psychiatry treatment, it will be sent to your pharmacy of choice.

Yes, we provide mental health support for all levels of care. If you ever need to change your provider, or your type of care, we’ll help you with the right match for your needs.

How do online appointments work? Do I need to download an app?
We make it easy for you to join your appointments online.

1. Choose your device: You can use a computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.
2. Connect to the internet: Make sure your device is connected to the internet or Wi-Fi.
3. Join your appointment online: You have two options.
   • Use a web browser and go to: app.brightside.com/patients/sign_in
     Or
   • Download the Brightside Health app from the app store.

Yes, we can help with language services. An interpreter will join your appointments to translate between you and your provider. You can get started and learn more here.

Yes, our language services can help with American Sign Language (ASL). An interpreter will join your appointments to translate between you and your provider. Sessions also include closed captioning.

Yes, we are here to help. Just call 415.360.3348 to talk to a representative Monday-Friday, 8am to 6pm ET.

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:

• Visit: If you are having a medical or mental health emergency, call 911 or go to your local emergency department.
• Call or Text: You can call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and be connected with a counselor 24/7. Your conversations are free and confidential.

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.