The 2023 State of Mental Health in America report surveyed all 50 states in the country. And found out that over 50 million American adults suffered from one or multiple mental illnesses. More than 2.7 million youth in the US were battling severe major depression.
Coming to the more shocking part that is, more than half the mentally affected population (28 million) in America failed to get appropriate treatment. It is too large a number and potentially risky for the country to have.
Virtual mental healthcare platforms received mass-market appeal, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. And they have successfully transformed many broken lives.
If you are in the process of reviewing multiple virtual therapy platforms, you may have come across Wellnite. It is one of the many platforms launched to respond to America’s intense mental healthcare crisis.
The platform specializes in both counseling and medication/prescription management. In this article, we will evaluate the key features of Wellnite.
Is this platform a legit online therapy service? Let us find out.
Wellnite Review: Features, Pricing, Pros, Cons, and More
Let us take a look at how Wellnite’s services are structured and delivered in this section of the article.
1. How Does it Work?
The initial registration process is quick and simple. The first step is to choose one of two options that is, treatment with or without insurance. I was not covered by any health insurance plan, so I selected the first alternative that stated – I do not have insurance.
I was then prompted to enter additional preferences based on my mental health needs. This helps Wellnite to find the most suitable mental healthcare providers available as per my requirements.
Here are the details I was expected to provide in this step:
- Choosing either a primary care physician for physical health issues or a therapist for mental health problems
- My state of residence
- My mental health condition or conditions to be chosen from a dropdown list of multiple mental health problems
- My preferred mode of payment/payment type – In cash or via a specific insurance provider listed in the dropdown menu
Wellnite does not provide a very extensive search filter with too many categories. So, I was not able to drill down to setting extra attributes for a therapist, such as gender, race, languages spoken, etc.
In my opinion, Wellnite must try and expand its network of providers as most of my search results returned an empty list. So, there is a limitation when it comes to the availability of providers in certain states.
All states of the US are listed in the dropdown menu. However, you are not always guaranteed to find doctors or therapists for your condition in your state. It will completely depend on your state of residence and your mental health issues.
For instance, there are zero providers treating anxiety and anger management in the District of Colombia. However, I got a list of 7 mental health experts for the same condition criteria in New Jersey.
The providers at Wellnite assessed me based on the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 questionnaire scores. This way, they are in a better position to prepare a more effective treatment plan for me.
Text and phone support was available 7 days a week from 5 am PST to 7 pm PST in over 40 states.
All my sessions were video calls, but you can also opt for phone calls. Follow-up appointments only happen via video calls. Moreover, switching therapists is just a call away. Wellnite’s primary support team can be contacted in case you want to consult another therapist. This is quite hassle-free, in my opinion.
The quality of therapy will largely depend on the provider. So, I would advise you to review their profiles thoroughly before making a decision.
The onboarding specialists initially matched me with a counselor to best fit my needs and schedule. However, I switched my providers thrice due to slow progress before I found the right mental health expert who understood me well.
Scheduling appointments is easy, and I was able to attend my first session within a day. The session durations can be discussed with the provider, which is great from the point of view of flexibility.
The licensed providers on the platform do provide an ESA (Emotional Support Animal Letter) to help you stay and travel with your pets independently. However, Wellnite does not provide the following:
- Acute Emergency care
- FMLA or workplace accommodation
- Surgical clearance letter
- Substitute forms such as travel accommodation, ADHD or short-term disability, etc.
2. Pricing/Affordability
In this section, we will discuss the affordability of the mental healthcare services provided by Wellnite.
Wellnite offers subscription-based sliding scale pricing during the free consultation call with its team of onboarding specialists. The cost of treatment is determined by your provider based on the condition and insurance coverage.
Without any insurance support, traditional therapy can be quite pricey, and every session may cost in the range of USD 200 to USD 500. However, Wellnite has economical treatment plans starting at USD 37.5.
There are four major pricing plans based on how frequently the billing is done:
1. Biweekly plan (Charged biweekly):
It is worth USD 95 per month and includes the following:
- Monthly Consultation with one doctor for one month
- One-month free shipping of any prescribed medication (up to 3 deliveries. For more than 3 deliveries of medication, an additional fee of USD 15 is charged for shipping)
- Complete access to wholesale pricing on mental health medication
- 7-day support for one month
2. Monthly plan:
This plan has two more sub-plans called Medical Care Plus Therapy and Only Therapy. Both these sub-plans are billed every month.
Medical Care + Therapy costs USD 245 per month and includes the following:
- Monthly Consultation with one doctor for one month
- One-month free shipping of any prescribed medication (up to 3 deliveries. For more than 3 deliveries of medication, an additional fee of USD 15 is charged for shipping)
- Complete access to wholesale pricing on mental health medication
- Two 30-minute sessions or a single 60-minute session for a month
- 7-day support for one month
The Only Therapy sub-plan costs USD 450 per month and has the following features:
- Six 30-minute sessions or three 60-minute sessions for a month (These sessions will renew every month and Wellnite also lets you buy additional consultations by connecting with your MS coordinator)
- 7-day support for one month
3. Biannual Plan
This plan has 3 more sub-plans, which are listed below:
Medical care costs USD 76 per month, billed upfront every six months. Here are the features:
- Monthly Consultation with one doctor for one month
- One-month free shipping of any prescribed medication (up to 3 deliveries. For more than 3 deliveries of medication, an additional fee of USD 15 is charged for shipping)
- Complete access to wholesale pricing on mental health medication
- 7-day support for one month
Medical Care + Therapy costs USD 196 per month, billed upfront every 6 months. It includes the following:
- Monthly Consultation with one doctor for one month
- One-month free shipping of any prescribed medication (up to 3 deliveries. For more than 3 deliveries of medication, an additional fee of USD 15 is charged for shipping)
- Complete access to wholesale pricing on mental health medication
- Two 30-minute sessions or a single 60-minute session for a month
- 7-day support for one month
Only Therapy costs USD 360 per month, billed upfront every six months. Here are the inclusions:
- Six 30-minute sessions or three 60-minute sessions for a month (These sessions will renew every month and Wellnite also lets you buy additional consultations by connecting with your MS coordinator)
- 7-day support for one month
4. Annual Plans
The annual plans are similar to the biannual ones. However, the only difference is that you will be billed yearly instead of every six months. There are three sub-plans are as follows:
- Medical Care worth USD 61.75 per month – The features of this sub-plan are the same as the biannual Medical Care sub-plan
- Medical Care + Therapy worth USD 159.25 per month – The features of this sub-plan are the same as the biannual Medical Care + Therapy sub-plan
- Only Therapy worth USD 292.50 per month – The features of this sub-plan are the same as the biannual Therapy sub-plan.
Wellnite’s pricing plans are detailed and are designed to offer maximum flexibility. I appreciate the transparency in pricing.
3. Insurance Coverage
How efficient is Wellnite’s in-network insurance coverage? This section explains everything.
Wellnite does provide insurance coverage. Currently, the platform reimburses for PPO plans (Preferred Provider Organization). The pricing offered is quite inexpensive, with plans starting at USD 37.5 every two weeks.
4. Accessibility
Let us check how much Wellnite scores on the inclusivity and accessibility fronts.
The services at Wellnite are available in more than 40 states in the US. I am listing them below:
- Alaska
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Arizona
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- District of Columbia
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Iowa
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Massachusetts
- Maryland
- Maine
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Montana
- Mississippi
- Nebraska
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- Nevada
- New York
- Ohio
- Oregon
- Oklahoma
- Pennsylvania
- Puerto Rico
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Texas
- Tennessee
- Utah
- Virginia
- Vermont
- Washington
- Wisconsin
- West Virginia
- Wyoming
- Kansas
- American Samoa
5. Privacy
Patient privacy concerns are valid. We will talk about how secure the platform is when it comes to safeguarding customer privacy.
Wellnite is fully HIPAA-compliant. All providers follow strict HIPAA regulations and guarantee complete confidentiality of patient records.
In case of urgent crises or emergencies, the provider can take the necessary action to save the patient. The doctor/therapist would then be exempt from this rule of protecting patient privacy.
6. Treatments Available
This section covers all the mental and physical health conditions treated at Wellnite.
The providers at Wellnite are specialists and can treat the following health conditions:
- ADHD
- Anxiety
- Anger management
- Addiction or substance abuse
- Grief or loss
- Family issues
- Eating disorders
- PTSD
- Stress management
- Bipolar disorder
- Sleep disorders
- OCD
- Depression
- Friend Relationship issues
- Career counseling
- Romantic partner conflicts
- LGBTQ identity issues
- Parental issues
- Perinatal mental health problems
- Adjustment disorder
- Domestic violence victims/offenders
- Adolescent issues
- Personality disorder
- Problems arising out of multiculturalism
- Faith issues
- Identity issues
- Group therapy
- Divorce recovery and more
Wellnite providers focus on approaches such as EMDR, cognitive behavioral therapy, and mindfulness therapy.
I also had the option of couples and family therapy. Both minors and adults are eligible for counseling on the platform. However, Wellnite providers are not authorized to prescribe controlled substances such as benzodiazepines and narcotics.
7. Pros and Cons of Wellnite
This section will give a quick rundown of all the key pros and cons that matter.
Pros
- Simple user interface
- Hassle-free and quick sign-up process
- The services are available in more than 40 states
- Both mental therapy and physical health problems are addressed on the platform
- Group and couples therapy are also provided
- The services cover all age groups, including children and teenagers
- Wellnite providers accept PPO insurance plans
- The platform offers very flexible pricing with 4 upfront pricing plans
- Multiple therapy approaches are used for personalized treatments
- Free consultation and initial onboarding are available
- Reliable customer service
- Good reminder and notification system before scheduled sessions
Cons
- Providers for treating particular conditions may not be available in some states
- Follow-up sessions take place strictly via video calls, reducing flexibility
- Therapy is more expensive than medication management
- The quality of psychiatric care or counseling will differ from provider to provider and the onus of choosing the right one is on you after the free consultation
- The search filter does not have a wide range of parameters for setting individual preferences
Conclusion
Wellnite seems like a decent platform with inexpensive pricing plans for psychiatry and mental therapy. There are many options to dabble with if you are on a tight budget.
Moreover, the interface and the overall scheduling system are not as complex as some of the other competitor platforms. Prompt customer support is another highlight of the service at Wellnite.
It is a great platform if you are a beginner trying to access affordable mental health treatments. For severe cases, it all comes down to your provider’s medical opinion, as every individual reacts differently to different treatments.
She is an experienced Clinical Psychologist and Mental Health Writer with a decade of expertise in psychology. Skilled in assessment, therapy, and patient care. Committed to helping individuals through clinical practice and mental health writing at Therapyjourney.co. Passionate about promoting mental well-being and awareness. Open to aligned opportunities.