Array Behavioral Care Online Therapy Review

In the United States, one in five adults and one in six children ages 6 to 17 experience a mental health disorder each year. The number of Americans that are seeking treatment for these mental health concerns has also been on the rise, going up by nearly 5% since 2019. Today, 23.2% of adults in the U.S. are receiving mental health care, but many are going without treatment due to lack of access and remaining stigmas around therapy.

Considering the need, and the lack of in-person therapy resources, more and more Americans have turned to online therapy companies like Array Behavioral Care, which offers therapy on demand or through scheduled appointments. To determine how the company stacks up to its online competition, we surveyed 105 users who used the platform for therapy and psychiatry and compared it to 54 other online therapy companies. I also tried the company myself before writing this review: It is how I received my ADHD diagnosis in July 2021. 

What Is Array Behavioral Care?

Array Behavioral Care is a mental health company founded in 1999 under the name InSight Telepsychiatry by psychiatrist Jim Varrell, MD. Its telepsychiatry team began to offer its services nationally in hospitals in rural and urban settings. Then, in 2011, InSight Telepsychiatry merged with ReGroup Telehealth, and in 2021, the team launched Array Behavioral Care.  

With over 20 years of experience, the Array Behavioral Care founders envisioned a world where people never lack access to behavioral health services. Its national practice of continuum care and telepsychiatry for patients in hospitals, clinics in underserved areas, and individuals at home is both unique and commendable. The company employs clinicians and provides initial assessment, medication management, treatment team meetings, supervision, and therapy. 

Array Behavioral Care is also a service provider to employers offering behavioral health benefits to their employees, to tribal communities, and to individuals using insurance or self-pay. 

What Services Does Array Behavioral Care Offer?

Array Behavioral Care offers three models of service. 

AtHome Care connects licensed professional therapists and psychiatry providers to individuals seeking behavioral, psychiatric, and mental health care from home. Individuals may receive psychiatric assessment, talk therapy, and medication management. 

Psychiatric evaluations take more than an hour and may even require multiple sessions. Follow-up visits are between 15 and 30 minutes, depending on the clinician's schedule. Talk therapy sessions last about an hour.  

With its OnDemand service, Array partners with hospitals, psychiatric crisis centers, correctional facilities, inpatient units, and other healthcare facilities to provide as-needed, usually one-off psychiatric assessments, care, and consultations. Clinicians focus on determining the appropriate care and a plan of action for patients in a psychiatric crisis. Individuals who use Array’s OnDemand services may continue through AtHome Care as part of a care plan.

The Scheduled Care model assigns a consistent clinician or small team of clinicians to serve a regular caseload of patients during scheduled hours. Services include telepsychiatry, consultations, and in-home care for individuals, as well as care provided via community centers, nursing homes, in-patient facilities, reservation health centers, residential facilities, and correctional facilities. 

Who Is Array Behavioral Care For?

Array Behavioral Care provides individuals seeking psychiatric care, medication management, and talk therapy with its AtHome model. Both individual and couples therapy are available. The clinical team includes psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, therapists, counselors, and psychologists and serves children, teens, and adults. 

I checked availability in each state and found that 13 states do not have appointments within 60 days, three do not have any providers, and eight only have one provider available. Although no specific modalities are listed on the clinicians' bios, there is a list of the specialties the provider focuses on. According to our user survey data, respondents received acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), ADHD coaching, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT). 

Although Array Behavioral Care does have a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion commitment, I did not find it apparent on the clinicians' bios if they provide sessions in other languages besides English or Spanish or within specific racial and ethnic demographics. There were very few Spanish-speaking clinicians available across all the states. I spoke with patient navigation services and was told that many insurance plans provide translators for appointments with Array’s clinicians.

Eighty-seven conditions or specialties are listed, including depression, panic disorders, sex therapy, effective communication, racial identity, and co-existing medical conditions.

When I was diagnosed with ADHD through an Array psychiatrist in 2021, I was prescribed Adderall. According to its Terms of Use, Array no longer prescribes ADHD medication to adults. It also states that the AtHome service is not for individuals experiencing active suicidal thoughts, hallucinations, or thoughts of harm to self or others, for those seeking medication for anxiety, or for individuals who have had more than one psychiatric inpatient hospitalization or intensive outpatient treatment in the last six months.

How Much Does Array Behavioral Care Cost?

For individuals seeking to pay out of pocket for their behavioral health needs, Array’s prices are comparable to the average cost of in-person sessions minus the cost of transportation. According to the FAQ section on the Array website, the cost of sessions on Array varies based on your insurance, the type of provider you see, and what service you are looking for. As a mother of two young children, accessing my appointments via video from home was financially efficient since I did not have to add childcare costs.  

Individuals with commercial health plans or self-pay are required to upload a credit card number on the patient portal to pay for copays, late cancellations, and self-pay sessions. Array Behavioral Care accepts various forms of health insurance, including Medicare through Humana. There may be copay charges depending on the insurance. 

The self-pay prices found on Array’s website are as follows:

• Adult psychiatric evaluation: $210 for at least a 60-minute session (exact duration was not provided on the website nor through a phone call I made to the care navigation team)
• Follow-up (adult medication management): $115 for 15 minutes, $225 for 30 minutes
• Child/adolescent psychiatric evaluation: $275 for at least 60 minutes
• Follow-up (child/adolescent medication management): $150 for 15 minutes, $350 for 30 minutes
• Initial psychiatric evaluation with a nurse practitioner: $175 for at least 60 minutes
• Follow-up (nurse practitioner medication management): $85 for 15 minutes, $165 for 30 minutes
• Initial psychotherapy evaluation with a therapist: $115 for 60 minutes
• Subsequent therapy sessions: $75 for 45 minutes or $107.50 for 60 minutes

Does Array Behavioral Care Take Insurance?

Yes, the company accepts health insurance from plans in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. It recently partnered with Humana, giving individuals access to behavioral health care through Medicare. According to the Array website, the list of accepted insurance plans by state keeps growing. Array Behavioral Care does not offer any other discounts, though.

Fifty-eight percent of the respondents to our user survey used their health insurance to cover sessions.

Navigating the Array Behavioral Care Website 

The homepage of Array Behavioral Care is very simple, with a headline stating its offerings: “Modern Behavioral Care, From Hospital to Home.” Below this, you are given the option to learn about services for organizations or individual patients. There is also a link for clinicians seeking employment.  

There are three places on the homepage where an individual could start seeking care: On the navigation bar under “For Patients,” on the headline by clicking “Book an Appointment,” and under the boxed “For Patients” section with the sub-headline “Need to Talk? We’re Here to Listen.”

The top navigation bar has four sections with drop-down menus: About, For Organizations, For Clinicians, and For Patients. The About section links to Array’s history and its work in diversity, equity, and inclusion. Under the For Patients section of the navigation bar, you can click to schedule an appointment, learn more about Array AtHome, and read articles on the Wellness blog.

The following section has a scroll view with the title, “This is what we do. You’re why we do it.” The scroll view has eight sections detailing how Array Behavioral Care provides telepsychiatry to its patients.   

The homepage has an institutional feel, focusing more on Array’s work in the public sector and not on its services for individuals seeking telepsychiatry or therapy. As you scroll down the homepage, you will find sections titled “Resources,” with a case study and articles, and “Array in the News” with articles on its insurance partnerships and work as an advocate for telepsychiatry.

Array Behavioral Care’s website is divided into three sections: organizations, clinicians, and patients. It does not exclusively focus on individual patients, and I was distracted by the other services Array provides. Once you click on “About AtHome” in the top menu of the “For patients” section of the navigation bar, you will find more information on services for individuals.

In the middle of this page, you can click on a video to learn more about how to receive care from Array Behavioral Care.

After scrolling down the page with sections on meeting the clinicians, reviews from patients, and the service areas, you will see the FAQ section. There, you will find answers to typical questions such as “What do Array AtHome sessions cost?” “Is my personal information secure and private?” and “What are typical mental health issues Array’s clinicians treat?”

The following two sections are calls to action to start receiving care through Array Behavioral Care.

The footer has links similar to the top navigation bar, such as “For Clinicians,” "For Organizations,” and “For Patients," as well as direct links to the blog, resources, and a press page. The contact section has links to its corporate office, care navigation team, fax, and email. When asked, “How did you find the experience of navigating the website?” 23% of the users we surveyed found it very easy, 30% found it easy, and 39% found it neither easy nor difficult.

As of the writing of this review, Array Behavioral Care has 892 followers on Twitter, 8.5K followers on Facebook, and 5,176 on LinkedIn, with 261 employees connected to its page.

Unlike many of the other companies we reviewed, Array Behavioral Care does not currently have an app.

How Do You Sign Up for Therapy at Array Behavioral Care?

When you first land on the homepage, you’re greeted with a pop-up encouraging you to book an appointment. Click on the “Book Today” button to go directly to the page where you can find clinicians and schedule appointments. You can also find this page if you close out the pop-up and click on the For Patients section below the top right corner of the main page. 

You can schedule an appointment in just three steps. First, select your state and insurance provider or choose “None/Self-pay.” Second, click on each clinician to read their full bio, including conditions and age ranges treated, specialties, and services provided. Third, select a clinician and schedule a session if available.

You may book an appointment directly on the clinician’s bio page by inputting your name, email, phone number, and birthdate. Next, choose an available appointment and enter your insurance information.  After checking the box stating you read and accepted the terms of use, you click on “Book Appointment” to finalize the process.

After booking an appointment, you will receive an email with instructions for creating an account in the patient portal. Sixty-two percent of surveyed users found the sign-up process to be easy or very easy.

In patient portal, you will see your scheduled appointments. You can cancel and reschedule appointments, contact the clinician with questions, submit forms, and inquire about billing from the portal.

The patient portal is accessible in Spanish by clicking on “¿Prefieres el español?” on the dashboard's header.  You may also permit family members to access your forms and information.

Choosing a Therapist at Array Behavioral Care 

Array Behavioral Care lets you choose your own practitioner. You start by inputting your state and insurance/self-pay in the search bar under “Find a Clinician” and “Schedule an Appointment” on the “For Patients” page on the website. 

You can narrow down your options by adding your insurance plan, the type of service you are looking for, and the condition and/or specialty you seek, although it is not required to access the list of practitioners available. Clinicians practicing in your state are listed with their photo, name, a short bio detailing their job title, who they work with, and a list of the issues they specialize in. Where the clinicians received their education is also in the short bio. For more information on each clinician, click the "Full Bio and Availability" button. Forty-one percent of the users surveyed chose their clinician because of the bio, while only 19% chose their clinician due to their insurance acceptance.

During my initial appointment for online therapy, I learned that the clinician I booked an appointment with wouldn’t necessarily be my therapist for ongoing sessions. You can request a therapist after the initial session, but only through a direct arrangement with the care navigation team via phone or email. Seventy-three percent of the users in our survey stated that they were able to select their therapist. We asked the users surveyed if they could filter therapist options by gender, identity, background, etc., and 24% stated they could on Array’s website. I did not find this option, so I asked the care navigation team, and I was told that they could help patients filter clinicians over the phone or by email.   

Array Behavioral Care employs psychiatrists (MDs and DOs), psychiatric nurse practitioners, therapists and counselors (LCSWs, LPCs, LMFTs), and psychologists (PhDs, PsyDs). Although Array has a large selection of clinicians, to find an available provider with a certain specialty, you may need to contact the care navigation team and be put on a waiting list, or you may have to do a search at a later time. For instance, in Alaska, there is only one clinician who only provides medication management. In Idaho, the clinicians available do not have any appointments for the next 60 days.   

How Do Therapy Sessions Work at Array Behavioral Care?

I booked a therapy session with a clinician from Array Behavioral Care and met with her the following day. I logged into my account in the patient portal and clicked on the telehealth call link in the appointment section. Once connected, the therapist greeted me and asked for my full name and date of birth. She first told me how the evaluation would work, then asked a list of questions to give Array the needed information to provide me with behavioral health care. I also gave verbal consent to the evaluation and safety measures that would need to be taken if I was classified as having the potential to harm myself or anyone else.

The questions were mainly on depression and anxiety symptoms related to the past two weeks.  After about 20 minutes of answering these questions, I told the therapist my goals for therapy and asked to talk about things I was going through. She was very receptive to supporting me through this process. She listened to me and asked me questions that helped me see the bigger picture while being in the moment.  

The clinician took notes during our session, which she later uploaded to my patient portal. I was then told that I would be contacted by the care navigation team to schedule my next appointment with another clinician. I was surprised about this aspect of the process. When booking the appointment, I was under the impression that the clinician I chose would be my ongoing therapist if it were the right fit. She told me that I could request a therapist or have the option to choose one by contacting care navigation with this request.

The session was 60 minutes. It was very formal in the beginning because of the questionnaire, but I did find my therapist to be very open, understanding, supportive, and caring. Seventy-five percent of the users surveyed stated that their provider met most or all of their needs, 38% said that their therapist was understanding and/or open-minded, and 22% were unsure how they felt about their therapist because they hadn’t met for many sessions.

After our session ended, I received notifications to log onto the patient portal and fill out a survey.

Messaging Your Therapist

Although Array Behavioral Care does not offer messaging sessions, you may message your clinician through the patient portal. You will find a list under “Subject,” and you may choose from medical questions, appointments, prescriptions, and refills, statements, billing or insurance questions, my profile, or other. The Patient portal’s messaging section is answered by your provider or an Array staff member.

Video Sessions

Live video sessions are accessible via a smartphone, tablet, or computer with a webcam. These video sessions are for all appointments for 45 or 60 minutes per session, depending on the length of your appointment. Your insurance provider can also determine this time frame. You access your video appointment through the patient portal.  

Medication Management/Psychiatry

After the initial session with a psychiatric clinician, patients usually meet with their practitioner six to eight weeks after receiving medication. You can request prescription refills via the patient portal between session times if needed.

I had two appointments with a psychiatrist from Array Behavioral Care in 2021. Before my first appointment, I had written down what I wanted to talk about because such appointments can be overwhelming. We had no technical issues and could see and hear each other. The psychiatrist I met with was very warm and receptive to my concerns. I shared my medical history and explained why I booked an appointment. At the time, he could prescribe me Adderall, a controlled medication that Array Behavioral Care no longer prescribes.  

What Happens If I Miss a Session at Array Behavioral Care?

Missed sessions without prior notification of 72 hours may be subject to a full charge for a session. You may cancel or reschedule through the patient portal by calling or emailing the care navigation team.

Switching Therapists at Array Behavioral Care

If you need to switch therapists, you first call and ask to switch. You then make a written request, via a provided document, to state any grievances or needs not met by your current provider. After you submit it, the care navigation team will start the process of switching clinicians. The new appointment is then set according to the new therapist's availability.  

Out of the participants in the online survey who answered questions regarding switching therapists, 30% switched once, 31% switched more than once, and 38% never switched. The process generally takes a few days but can take as little as a few hours or as long as a few weeks. 

According to the care navigation team, the turnover is low for Array clinicians. If a clinician leaves the practice, patients will be notified and be allowed to choose a new clinician with the support of the Care Navigation Team. Appointments would continue to be live video sessions. 

Pausing or Canceling Therapy at Array Behavioral Care

You can easily pause or cancel therapy through the Patient Portal, or by calling or emailing the Care Navigation Team. Since there isn’t a subscription or payment plan, discontinuing or pausing service is very easy.

Quality of Care and User Satisfaction

We asked users in our survey how satisfied they were with the therapist options provided in the company's directory, and 59% said they were satisfied or very satisfied. In terms of the clinicians' qualifications, 36% of users thought their clinician had excellent qualifications and 20% found their qualifications very good. Only 9% found them unqualified.

Fifty percent of users stated their prescriber took the time to listen to them. In comparison, only 3% said their prescriber was dismissive of their concerns or symptoms. Eighteen percent noted, “My prescriber is open-minded, affirming of my identity, and supportive.” By contrast, 9% reported that “My prescriber seems biased towards me, my race, ethnicity, religious background, gender identity, sexual orientation.”

As a Latina Muslim, I’ve had my fair share of problematic interactions with healthcare practitioners.  When I sought a psychiatric assessment for possible ADHD, I chose Array Behavioral Care as I was able to select a psychiatrist who I believed would be culturally sensitive. Thankfully, I was correct; the psychiatrist I picked was also a child of immigrants, religious, and had worked with various BIPOC communities. Having those connections with him and trusting his medical expertise gave me the support I needed as a late-diagnosed woman with ADHD.  

Array’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) page lists its strategy for sustaining a diverse, culturally aware, and inclusive organization. It states that it partners with HBCUs to recruit clinicians and staff from diverse backgrounds. It highlights commitments such as inclusive and equitable policies, affinity groups, DEI training, and advocating for health equity on a legislative level and through coalition building. Array also works within eight Indigenous tribal communities to provide culturally sensitive behavioral health clinicians.

Privacy Policies at Array Behavioral Care

Before receiving behavioral health care through Array, a patient must first sign an informed consent to care and an understanding of the terms of service. Array meets the standards of privacy and confidentiality set by HIPAA (the federal law protecting personal health information) and ensures that private health information is secured through the technology used on its website. It does not state how this is done.  

The terms of use and privacy policy list permissible uses and disclosures without written authorization, such as to treat you, manage the organization, bill for services, communicate with third parties such as clinical laboratories and as required by law to report child, elder, or dependent adult abuse, and cooperate with judicial and administrative proceedings and worker’s compensation claims.

Array Behavioral Care vs. Its Competitors

Array Behavioral Care’s main competitor is Brightside, which also offers both medication and therapy. Similar to Array, Brightside users seeking care can easily book an appointment after taking a five-minute assessment on the website.  

Brightside offers monthly payment plans for self-pay and insurance options, though the insurance provider list isn’t as robust as Array Behavioral Care's. Forty-four percent of users surveyed found Brightside services affordable compared to 57% of those surveyed for Array. Brightside offers monthly plans for medication management, therapy, and a combination of both. The medication plan with a psychiatrist offers unlimited messaging and video follow-up for $349 a month. Array Behavioral Care, which only offers per-session payments, is $210 for an evaluation with a psychiatrist, and a follow-up session can be either $115 for 20 to 29 minutes or $160 for 30 to 39 minutes.

When asked, “How likely are you to recommend medication management/psychiatric services to someone like you?” 48% of Brightside users responded that they would very likely recommend the company, whereas only 35% of Array users survey stated the same. 

Talkspace is another competitor of Array’s, with a subscription plan for teens, adults, couples, and psychiatric sessions. Like Brightside, the website provides an online assessment to learn the needs of the individual seeking care. Providers are not listed until payment is made, and Talkspace depends on algorithms to match patients with providers.  Eighty-three percent of Talkspace users were satisfied with the therapist options on the directory, and 75% of Brightside’s users surveyed felt the same. In comparison, only 59% of Array users were satisfied with the therapist options offered.

Talkspace’s website is the easiest of the three to navigate, with 82% of users finding it easy or very easy to navigate; 69% of Brightside users and 52% of Array Behavioral Care users felt the same. 

Array Behavioral Care offers options and services for children, while Brightside and Talkspace do not. If paying out-of-pocket, Array Behavioral Care is definitely more expensive. Ninety percent of our users gave a positive overall rating to Brightside and Talkspace, while only 71% did so for Array Behavioral Care.  

Final Verdict

Array Behavioral Care offers therapy services that many people otherwise would have to wait for or be unable to access locally if seeking in-person appointments. Finding a clinician or getting support from the care navigation team makes using the service efficient and simple. Even though Array Behavioral Care no longer prescribes medication to adults with ADHD, I would still recommend it due to the struggles many cultural communities have accessing mental health care.

As the need for mental health care in the United States rises, Array Behavioral Care should increase its pool of clinicians to reach more individuals seeking care. Currently, the company is not addressing a number of therapy deserts (areas lacking in mental health providers).

Methodology

To fairly and accurately review the best online therapy programs, we sent questionnaires to 55 companies and surveyed 105 current users of each. This allowed us to directly compare services offered by gathering qualitative and quantitative data about each company and its users’ experiences.

Specifically, we evaluated each company on the following factors: website usability, the sign-up and therapist matching processes, therapist qualifications, types of therapy offered, the service's quality of care, client-therapist communication options, session length, subscription offerings, client privacy protections, average cost and value for money, whether it accepts insurance, how easy it is to change therapists, overall user satisfaction, and the likelihood that clients would recommend them.

We also signed up for the companies in order to get a sense of how this process worked, how easy to use the platform is, and how therapy takes place at the company. Then, we worked with three subject matter experts to get their expert analysis on how suited this company is to provide quality care to therapy seekers.