DISCLAIMER: This post contains affiliate links for Headway, Alma, Amazon, and other services. If you click and sign up, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend tools I have personally used and genuinely stand behind.

If you have been anywhere near a therapist Facebook group lately, you have probably seen the Headway debate playing out in real time. Is it worth it? Is it safe? What about those lawsuits? And most importantly: is it actually a good fit for your practice?

I get it. There is a lot of noise out there, and sorting through it all takes time you do not have. So I am doing the heavy lifting for you.

I first joined Headway in 2022, left, and then re-enrolled in 2024 with fresh eyes and a new niche (pre-surgery bariatric evaluations). This is my full, honest, and updated review based on real experience on both sides of that journey.

My goal here is simple: give you the information you need to decide whether Headway is right for your practice, without the drama.Ready to see for yourself? Try Headway for Free here.

Headway At A Glance

Related Reading: SEO for Therapists: Is It Worth Your Time, Money, and Energy?

Headway Pros

When I first started my private practice, I explored platforms like Headway to manage my client load. While these tools can be helpful, I quickly realized the importance of having full control over my marketing and client acquisition strategies, REGARDLESS if I am taking insurance or not. This is why I now teach therapists how to use blogging and SEO to attract their ideal clients without relying solely on third-party platforms.

Related Read: Why Blogging Is One of the Most Valuable Marketing Strategies for Service-Based Business Owners

Headway Cons

How I Started With Headway

I opened my practice in 2020 to supplement my income, and I became 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 maternity leave and knew I would return with a reduced caseload 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 thought 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 ended my contract (September 2023) with them primarily because the remaining time on my yearly Alma contract did not require both services, as I managed my very small caseload. If I were not already paying for Alma, my decision might have been different.

There was a time in my practice when I contemplated leaving the field entirely due to burnout. Instead I took some time away from therapy and came back in 2024 with a rebranded practice and an entirely new niche: pre surgery mental health evaluations for bariatric patients. [Side note: if you are thinking about adding a second income steam or a new niche, surgical evaluations and an easy way to repackage your current skillsets. Learn more about how I got started in my Facebook post.]

Related Read: How to Justify Out-of-Network Therapy Rates (With Copy That Converts)
Related Read: Therapists Struggle with Imposter Syndrome: Are You Holding Back Your Inner Entrepreneur?

Since my new target audience is an extremely small demographic, who is planning to use their medical insurance for the remainder of their bariatric surgery, it made sense for me to re-enroll with some of Headway’s insurance options.

Related Read: How to Justify Out-of-Network Therapy Rates (With Copy That Converts)

What Has Changed In Headway Since I First Signed Up

When I re-enrolled in Headway in 2024, I was genuinely surprised by the improvements. Customer service response times were faster, the sales team was far less aggressive, and the overall onboarding experience felt more organized. Since rejoining, I have not run into any significant issues.

I also want to address the elephant in the room: the lawsuits and policy changes that have been circulating in therapist communities. I want to be transparent that I do not have inside knowledge of the legal specifics, and I am not in a position to comment on them. What I can tell you is that before I re-signed, I read their contract carefully, followed up on my questions with their team, and felt satisfied with the answers I received.

That said, I am not a lawyer or malpractice expert. Please read Headway’s terms and conditions thoroughly before signing up. Do your own due diligence, and consult your licensing board if you have concerns. Want to compare your options? Check out my complete Alma review here.

Insurance Billing Made Easy

One of the strongest arguments for Headway is how much it simplifies insurance billing. As a point of reference, when I was practicing in New Jersey as a LCSW in 2022, reimbursement rates for CPT code 90843 ran between $77 and $103, and between $89 and $129.74 for 90837, depending on the insurance plan.

Rates vary by state, licensure level, and insurance contract, so reach out to Headway directly to get the numbers that apply to your specific situation. While I cannot share my current contracted rate, I can tell you those ranges remain broadly comparable today.

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 served on other platforms.

Learn more about how to market your therapy practice in my post about relationship marketing. In it I discuss some of my favorite ways to build brand awareness, one of which is blogging — a great (free) way to leverage the internet to work for you in getting your expertise and services in front of your ideal clients. Related Read: 3 Ways Your Blog Will Boost SEO and Your Client Bookings

Related Post: What is SEO? How To Leverage SEO In Your Therapy Practice Marketing Strategy

Electronic Medical Record Included in Program

Headway includes a built-in EMR, a meaningful perk for clinicians just starting out and looking to minimize overhead. Progress notes are attached directly to each session, keeping things tidy.

That said, I personally still use SimplePractice alongside Headway for a few important reasons. Read my complete review of SimplePractice Electronic Medical Record, here.

Related Post: Expert Resources for Mastering Clinical Documentation Like a Pro

First, Headway does not allow you to easily export or download client records if you leave the platform. That is a compliance concern. In New Jersey, I am required to maintain client records for a minimum of 7 years, and I need to be able to access them regardless of which platform I am on.

Second, the documentation functionality is limited. You cannot upload outside documents, chart client calls or emails, log no-shows, or add treatment plans beyond what is tied to a session note.

If you are seeing a small caseload and just starting out, the built-in EMR may be plenty. For anyone managing a fuller practice or with documentation-heavy needs, a dedicated EHR is worth the investment.

If you are stuck on what to write or how to write your progress notes, the Practice Planners series is a great resource for wording your interventions. Below are the current publications that they have available (Amazon affiliate links):

• 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 below (Amazon affiliate links) are a great tool for getting ideas as to what interventions and goals to use with clients, as well as give 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 in referring Alma, however, is that I have received significant feedback from others that has led me to believe Alma’s service quality is inconsistent, whereas Headway has maintained 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 differently that in my mind, it is no competition.

Related Read: Is Content Marketing Necessary If I Get Referrals? Yes — Here Are 7 Reasons Why

Let’s Talk About the Headway Drama Online

If you Google Headway or bring it up in a Facebook group, you will find a mixed bag. There are vocal critics and satisfied users. I fall into the latter category, but I want to respect both sides.

My honest take: every major company has lawsuits and complaints. When I Googled some of the most trusted brands I personally use, similar results came up. That alone would not stop me from recommending a service that has genuinely worked for my practice.

What I would encourage you to do is read the contract carefully, ask questions before signing, and make an informed decision based on your specific situation. I made sure my clients were aware of Headway as my billing platform before our first session, and I included that disclosure in my client agreement.

I can only speak from my personal experience as a provider. I have been satisfied. But your mileage may vary, and your practice is yours to protect. Try Headway for Free here and see if it fits your practice.

That being said, I am not a lawyer or malpractice expert, so please be sure to read Headway’s terms and conditions before signing up to be confident that Headway is the best decision for your practice.

You do not need to agree with me; all I can do is share my opinions in hopes that they help you make an informed decision. If you are looking for an alternative to Headway, please check out my review of Alma.

Related Post: Therapy Contracts 101: The 8 Non-Negotiables You Need to Know

Who is Headway right for?

• Therapists & Counselors in mental health (i.e., Ph.D., PsyD, LCSW, LPC, LMFT, LCADC)
• Psychologists, Psychiatrists and APNs 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” -therapists 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, a free resource —allows you to make money even if you are only seeing 1-2 clients.
• Private Pay therapists who are struggling to get clients: my recommendation is to trial one insurance plan (the highest reimbursement rate) 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
• Therapists who do not want to spend a lot of time marketing themselves and advocating for the benefits of working with an OON provider. Because lets be real, yes you are going to have to market yourself no matter what, but OON providers have to work harder to get the same sale.
• Super niche populations where the clientele is already expecting to use their medical insurance. For example, in my first specialty (Concussions and Brain Injury), I expected to receive referrals as an OON provider from my previous job at a hospital-based program. I learned quickly that these clients had been using their medical insurance from day one on all things head injury; it was understandable that they expected to continue that trend with mental health. Added to the fact that their other medical expenses were/are SUPER expensive, so even if they wanted to go OON, many were stretched so thin financially that it did not make sense.

Headway is a great choice for therapists who want help with billing, but it’s only one part of running a successful practice. For those who want to attract high-quality clients and build a sustainable, thriving practice, investing in marketing coaching can make all the difference. Check out my coaching program tailored specifically for therapists here.

Who should avoid Headway?

• Unlicensed professionals and interns—One of the big draws of Headway is the ability to bill insurance. If you are unlicensed or an 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, if your practice offers these services exclusively, I would recommend starting your own private practice
• Practitioner with a super specialized niche who is getting private-pay clients with ease. You are better off building your cash pay practice if you can get clients without insurance.

Related Read: SEO for Therapists: 5 Mistakes That Are Keeping You Off Page One (And Exactly How to Fix Them)

Bottom Line: Is Headway Worth It?

If you are just getting started in private practice, managing a small caseload alongside an agency job, or serving a population that relies on insurance, Headway is genuinely one of the best free tools available. The free price tag, automatic copay collection, and built-in scheduling make it a practical choice that removes a lot of the headache from insurance billing.

Just remember: Headway handles billing. It does not build your practice for you. Filling your caseload, attracting ideal clients, and building a sustainable business are still entirely on you. Which brings me to the part I really want to talk about.

Headway Won’t Fill Your Caseload. Your Marketing Will.

Here is the truth nobody tells you when you sign up for a billing platform: the clients still have to find you.

When I first opened my practice in 2020, I relied on Alma and Psychology Today for visibility. And for a while, that worked. But when I stepped back to think about long-term sustainability, I realized that depending entirely on third-party platforms to bring me clients was a fragile strategy. What happens if the platform changes its algorithm? What if you want to depanel? What if you want to attract private-pay clients who are not searching through insurance directories?

That is when I got serious about SEO and content marketing. Blogging, specifically, changed the trajectory of my career. And eventually, it became what I do professionally now.

Today, I help health and wellness clinicians build a web presence that works around the clock, through SEO-driven blog content, website copy, and email newsletters that guide ideal clients from their first Google search to a booked session.

Why SEO and Blogging Beat Relying on Insurance Directories Alone

When someone searches Google for a therapist in your specialty or your city, where do they land? If your website and blog are optimized, they land on you. Not in a directory listing 50 other providers. Not on a platform you do not own. On your content, your voice, your practice.

Strategic blogging creates content that compounds over time. A well-written, SEO-informed post can generate organic traffic for years after it is published, attracting clients who are already looking for exactly what you offer.

Businesses that invest in strategic content marketing see an average return of 7 to 8 times their investment over time, and websites with consistent blog content generate 55% more traffic than those without (MonsterInsights).

Unlike paid ads or referral platforms, SEO-informed content becomes a digital asset that keeps working even when you are not.

How Done-For-You SEO Copywriting Works

If the idea of consistently writing SEO-optimized blogs feels overwhelming on top of everything else you are already managing, that is exactly why my done-for-you SEO Content Ecosystem exists.

Each month, I research, write, and deliver SEO-informed blog posts tailored to your specialty and ideal client. Every post is paired with two social media captions and a supporting email newsletter, so your content works together across channels without requiring extra effort from you.

The writing is the easy part for most clinicians. The time-consuming piece is the research: finding the right keywords, understanding search intent, studying what your competitors are ranking for, and mapping out a content plan that actually moves clients toward booking. That is what I do.

Want to see exactly what this looks like and what it costs? Download my Price and Service Guide here.

Related Read: How SEO Blogs, Newsletters, and Website Copy Guide Clients to Say Yes

Free Resources to Help You Get Started

Whether you are ready to invest in done-for-you content or you want to start building your marketing presence on your own, here are a few free resources I made specifically for clinicians like you:

>>>>> Quiz: What’s Keeping You Stuck With Marketing?

Take this quick quiz to pinpoint exactly where your marketing is breaking down so you know where to focus your energy.

>>>>> [Freebie] Stop Panicking When Clients Graduate: Your Website’s Guide to Organic Inquiries

This free guide walks you through how to set up your website so it works for you between referrals, creating a steady stream of organic inquiries.

>>>>> Free Blog Templates For Service Providers: Designed Specifically For Health & Wellness Clinicians

Grab my free blog templates and start publishing content that attracts your ideal clients, even if you have never written a blog post before.

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