Headway: What You Need To Know (Complete Review)

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Daily, I see therapists asking for advice in Facebook groups about the pros and cons of various wellness platforms, including Alma, BetterHelp, Headway, and Talkspace. Since the start of the Coronavirus pandemic, I see these questions being asked even more than ever as telehealth grows and individuals start and grow their own private practice. With all the different options available, it can be overwhelming to decide which (if any) are good for you.

In this post I am going to take a deep dive into Headway, talk specifics about my experience and how it, despite its limitations, is a great FREE resource for therapist just starting out.

Headway At A Glance

Headway Pros

Headway Cons

Why should you listen to me?

I opened my practice in 2020 as a way to supplement my income, later becoming a full time private practice owner in 2021. At that time I was using Alma exclusively and loved it as it allowed me the flexibility to find my ideal clients and had all the added perks of a community and continuing education.

In 2022 I took time off for maternity leave and knew that I would be returning at a reduced caseload level in order to raise my child. It was at that point that I reached out to Headway to learn more about what they had to offer. I was intrigued by the free price tag and though that this might be the ideal way to reduce expenses since I was maintaining a much smaller caseload.

After working with Headway for about 6 months, I did end my contract with them primarily due to the fact that I had remaining time left on my yearly Alma contract did not need both services as I managed my very small caseload. If I was not already paying for Alma, my decision might have been different.

As of September 2023, I will be running an out of network (OON) practice and will not be partnered with any insurance providers. Should this change in the future, I am likely to resume with Headway due to its free start up costs and comprehensive insurance coverage.

Insurance Billing Made Easy

In my state (New Jersey as of 2023 for a LCSW) reimbursement for the CPT code 90843 is somewhere between $77 and $103 and between $89 and $129.74 for 90837 (rates differ depending on the insurance).

Different locations and education levels have different reimbursement rates to my understanding so it is important to reach out to Headway directly to get the rates that are specific to you.

Rates may also change based on negotiations with insurance providers therefore the rates listed are only an example of what I was reimbursed as a LCSW in New Jersey in 2022 and may not be representative of what your state/licensure/insurance contract will provide.

Headway Pricing

You don’t get a much better price than FREE, but keep in mind you are getting exactly what you pay for. Headway is only a billing service, all your other practice needs such as continuing education, referrals/marketing, really are better severed on other platforms.

Learn more about how to market your therapy practice in my post about relationship marketing, here.

Electronic Medical Record Included in Program

Taking accurate clinical documentation is essential for any provider. Headway makes this simple by incorporating dedicated space to log progress notes at the end of each session. This is a big bonus for the clinician who is just staring out and looking to keep fees low.

I’ll be honest though, despite the fact that Headway has its own built in EHR, I still prefer to keep my own records using an outside source such as Simple Practice.

Why?

For starters, last I checked Headway does not provide clinicians the opportunity to download their past records if/when a client should request them. This accessibility is important not only for client requests, but also case coordination with other professionals, as well as legal compliance.

As a NJ social worker, I am required to maintain client records for a minimum of 7 years. Meaning, if I ever left Headway, I would need to have a way to access those records easily. For me personally, I felt more comfortable using SimplePractice. Read my complete review of SimplePractice Electronic Medical Record, here.

Additionally, when I used Headway I did not have the opportunity to upload documents into the client file or write chart notes. Meaning if I wanted to keep a record of client phone calls, emails, no shows, treatment plans, case coordination’s, etc.. I was unable to do so.

If you are stuck on what to write or how to write your progress notes, the Practice Planners series are great resources for how to word your interventions. Below are the current publications that they have available:

• The Child Psychotherapy Progress Notes Planner
• The Adolescent Psychotherapy Progress Notes Planner
• The Adult Psychotherapy Progress Notes Planner
• The Severe and Persistent Mental Illness Progress Notes Planner

These publications are a great tool for getting ideas as to what interventions and goals to use with clients as well as gives examples of how to best word the interventions when crafting your treatment plan.

• The Family Therapy Treatment Planner
• The Complete Adult Psychotherapy Treatment Planner
• The Adolescent Psychotherapy Treatment Planner
• The Addiction Treatment Planner
• The Child Psychotherapy Treatment Planner
• The Couples Psychotherapy Treatment Planner
• The Parenting Skills Treatment Planner
• The Severe and Persistent Mental Illness Treatment Planner
• The Crisis Counseling and Traumatic Events Treatment Planner
• The Co-Occurring Disorders Treatment Planner
• The Family Therapy Treatment Planner
• The Group Therapy Treatment Planner
• The Social Work and Human Services Treatment Planner
• The Suicide and Homicide Risk Assessment and Prevention Treatment Planner
• The Veterans and Active Duty Military Psychotherapy Treatment Planner
• The Juvenile Justice and Residential Care Treatment Planner

Headway Competitors

Alma is the primary competitor for Headway that I have found. There are perks to Alma which I do prefer over Headway, such as higher reimbursement rates, professional Zoom included in membership, and the community collaboration features.

My primary hesitation with referring Alma however is that I have received significant feedback from others which have lead me to believe that Alma’s service quality is inconsistent where as Headway has continued to maintain a positive reputation. For more details on Alma and the feedback I have received, please reference my complete review on Alma, here.

Technically BetterHelp and TalkSpace are competitors however their platforms run so different that in my mind it is no competition

Who is Headway right for?

• Therapists & Counselors in mental health (i.e.. Phd, PsyD, LCSW, LPC, LMFT, LCADC)
• Psychologist, Psychiatrists and APN’s who conduct psychotherapy sessions
• Seasoned private practice owners
• Group practice owners
• Newly licensed clinicians who are thinking about the idea of private practice and want to “try it out” before investing in their business
• New private practice owners with no specific niche
• “Generalists” -therapist who consider themselves to be a Jack-of-All-Trades and enjoy working with a variety of individuals
• Trauma providers
• EMDR Providers
• Couples Counselors
• The full time parent with a license to practice mental health– Headway being a free resource allows you to make money even if you are only seeing 1-2 clients.
• Private Pay therapist who are struggling to get clients — my recommendation would be to trial one insurance (the highest reimbursement rate) just to help get your practice running. You can always de-panel off the insurance once you feel you have a solid marketing plan and are attracting OON clients

Who should avoid Headway?

• Unlicensed professionals and interns— One of the big draws to Headway is being able to bill insurance. If you are unlicensed or and intern, insurance will not cover your service therefore you must be cash pay only
• Alternative Healers such as reiki, cranio-sacral, massage, etc.— I have not seen much activity from or for these types of services through Headway therefore is your practice offers these services exclusively, I would recommend starting your own private practice
• Practitioner that has a super specialized niche and is getting private pay clients with ease.  You are better off building your cash pay practice if you can get clients without insurance.

Conclusion

If you’re just getting your practice off the ground and have a couple of clients, or if you are working full time at an agency and doing private practice on the side, Headway might be a great fit for you. The fact that it is completely free allows you to maximize your income, which is a huge benefit when you have a small case load of 2-3 clients weekly.

Attention: Live Masterclass & Group Coaching April 18,2024

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