Who pays more, Lyra Health or Headway?

Lyra Health: For employed (W2) full-time therapist roles Lyra prints annual base salary ranges in its job postings (figures below, each tied to its posting). Headway: Headway prints no rate schedule publicly. Ask each for the rate for your license, state and insurers, in writing, before you sign. For reference, Medicare's 2026 national amount for a 60-minute session (90837) is $125.25 for an LCSW, LMFT or LPC, $141.95 for a psychiatric nurse practitioner and $167.00 for a psychologist or psychiatrist, before the adjustment for where you practice.

Can pre-licensed or associate clinicians join Lyra Health or Headway?

Lyra Health does not accept pre-licensed or associate clinicians. Headway's pages do not say.

For therapists

Lyra Health vs Headway for therapists

Choosing where to practice? What Lyra Health's and Headway's own pages tell clinicians, side by side: how you work with each, what each charges you and keeps, what each says about pay, credentialing and malpractice, each fact linked to the page that says it.

Clinician facts · checked 3 wk ago

Not statedLyra Health: cost to you

FeeHeadway: cost to you

Lyra Health offers contract work on its platform and some employee roles; Headway lets you keep your own practice and bills insurance for you. Headway is free to join, but charges $9.99 per marketplace-client session from Nov 2026, and keeps 2.95% of private-pay sessions. Lyra Health prints pay from $70,000 - $92,000 per year in its own job postings; Headway publishes no pay figure. Headway credentials you with insurers and says it takes anywhere from 3 weeks to 4 months to be approved. Lyra Health: Listed among the benefits of its employed (W2) full-time therapist postings. Headway requires your own policy.

Side by side Rates Questions Pay alerts

Apply to Lyra Health Apply to HeadwayOn each platform's own site, which reviews every application.

At a glance

Lyra Health vs Headway: the short version

One line each. Open a platform for every fact it states.

Platform	How you work with it	Contractor or employee	Cost to you	Pay it publishes	Insurance credentialing	Licenses	Open clinical roles today
Lyra Health	Mixed	Contractor or employee, by role	Not stated	$70,000 - $92,000 per yearMental Health Therapist - Full-Time Telehealth (United States) $93,000 - $120,000 per yearNY Licensed DBT Therapist - DBT Master's or Doctoral - Telehealth - Full-Time (New York, US)	Not stated	LCSW, LPC/LMHC, LMFT, Psychologist	268
Headway	Own practice, it bills	Your own practice	Free to join; $9.99 per marketplace-client session from Nov 2026 Keeps 2.95% of private-pay sessions	No figure published	Credentials you	LCSW, LPC/LMHC, LMFT, Psychologist, Psychiatrist, PMHNP	8

Side by side

Lyra Health vs Headway, fact by fact

Each platform in its own words, from its pages for providers, its provider help center and its own job postings. Where a platform's pages are silent, we say so.

FactLyra HealthHeadway

How you work with it

Lyra Health

Lyra runs an employer-benefit provider network that independent therapists contract into (1099, contracted by Lyra Clinical Associates), and it also employs full-time W2 telehealth therapists through Lyra Clinical Associates. For network therapists Lyra handles the business operations (client matching, scheduling, billing).

Headway

You keep your own practice and Headway credentials you with insurers under its own payer agreements, handles claims, and pays you on a fixed schedule. You set your own working hours in its provider portal.

Contractor or employee

Lyra Health

Network therapists are contracted (the postings are titled 1099 Contractor and say the contracting entity is Lyra Clinical Associates); Lyra also hires W2 employees for full-time telehealth therapist roles (see pay figures and benefits).

Headway

You keep your own practice; Headway's pages describe providers keeping their practice in one place on Headway and do not describe them as its employees.

Cost to you

Lyra Health

Its pages do not say.

Headway

Joining is free, but Headway's help center announces a $9.99 service fee on every appointment with a new client who found you through its marketplace (its matching, its ads, its booking team, a connected health plan or health system, or its AI integrations such as ChatGPT), starting state by state in November 2026 and in every state by the end of 2026. The fee applies to insurance and private-pay sessions for as long as you see that client, and is deducted from your payout; clients you add yourself, clients who book through your direct link, and clients who reach your profile on their first visit from a search engine (not an ad) carry none.

Private-pay sessions

Lyra Health

Its pages do not say.

Headway

Headway's payout for a private-pay session deducts 2.95% of your session rate for payment processing and its cost of supporting the session. There is no fee when the client pays by bank account.

Pay

Lyra Health

For employed (W2) full-time therapist roles Lyra prints annual base salary ranges in its job postings (figures below, each tied to its posting). Contractor (1099) network postings print no session rate or other pay figure.

$70,000 - $92,000 per year (Mental Health Therapist - Full-Time Telehealth (United States))
$93,000 - $120,000 per year (NY Licensed DBT Therapist - DBT Master's or Doctoral - Telehealth - Full-Time (New York, US))

Headway

Headway prints no rate schedule publicly. It says session rates vary by license type and insurance plan and that a practice consultant quotes them on the first call. Once you are a provider, rates are shown by carrier and CPT code in the provider portal under Rates & Agreements.

When you are paid

Lyra Health

Its pages do not say.

Headway

Paid twice a month, on the 15th and the last day of the month. Headway's rates article says providers are paid on time every two weeks whether or not Headway has been reimbursed by the insurer.

Insurance credentialing

Lyra Health

Its pages do not say.

Headway

Headway credentials you itself with insurers through its own payer agreements; credentialing you completed on your own with a carrier is not honored through Headway. Headway's help center puts the wait for approval at anywhere from 3 weeks to 4 months, and up to 8 weeks more for insurers to add you to their systems before you are paid.

Clients

Lyra Health

Lyra matches network therapists with members, and its contractor postings invite a therapist whose existing client has Lyra through an employer to apply so that client's sessions can be covered through the employer benefit.

Headway

Headway matches new clients from its marketplace to you, and you can also bring your own clients, who get a direct booking link. Private pay clients can be seen and billed through Headway (not Medicare or Medicaid clients). Marketplace matches can be paused after a pattern of cancelled or missed first appointments.

Schedule and caseload

Lyra Health

Network (contractor) therapists set their own schedule with no minimum hours; the full-time employed roles require about 40 hours a week.

Headway

You set your own weekly working hours and locations in the provider portal, and new clients can book only into the openings you leave. Clients cannot book less than 2 hours ahead.

Malpractice insurance

Lyra Health

Listed among the benefits of its employed (W2) full-time therapist postings.

Headway

Every provider must buy their own professional liability insurance; minimum limits vary by state and license type. Headway does not require being named an additional insured.

In person

Lyra Health

Contractor network postings say Lyra's network includes in-person and virtual therapists and that working with clients in person through your private or group practice is strongly preferred; the full-time employed roles are remote telehealth.

Headway

You can see clients in person at an office location you list on Headway, as well as by telehealth. In-person visits in a client's home are not supported.

What it provides

Lyra Health

Contractor postings list the Lyra Calendar for client booking, paperless billing with a quick payment turnaround, clinical consultation, and a 24/7 Care Navigation crisis team; employed roles add a new Chromebook and a monthly technology stipend.

Headway

Headway includes a free EHR (scheduling, messaging, notes, telehealth video, billing). You may keep using another EHR instead.

Requirements

Lyra Health

Master's or doctoral degree from a clinical track and an unrestricted independent license with no current, past or pending disciplinary action; experience with evidence-based treatments; experience managing risk and clinical crises; authorized to work in the U.S. Some contractor postings also require office space in the posting's area.

Headway

You must be licensed and credentialed with the client's plan in the state where the client is during the session. Headway also requires your own professional liability insurance, an NPI and a DataSpring (CAQH) profile, and a DEA registration for prescribers. PSYPACT is not accepted as a license. Some Anthem BCBS plans require you to live in the state.

Where

Lyra Health

Lyra recruits network therapists across the US (postings are listed state by state, including the U.S. Virgin Islands); its list of full-time employed roles shows postings for specific states such as Alabama, California, Connecticut, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and South Carolina.

Headway

Headway supports independently licensed providers in all 50 states.

Benefits

Lyra Health

For employed (W2) full-time therapists: medical, dental and vision coverage, 401k, and paid time off of 4 weeks vacation plus sick days and company holidays. The contractor postings list perks such as free CE courses and provider events rather than employee benefits.

Headway

Its pages do not say.

Licenses

Lyra Health

Clinical social workers, Licensed counselors, Marriage and family therapists, Psychologists Not pre-licensed or associate clinicians.

Headway

Clinical social workers, Licensed counselors, Marriage and family therapists, Psychologists, Psychiatrists, Psychiatric nurse practitioners

Rates

The rate Headway does not print

Headway prints no per-session rate: what you are paid depends on your license, your state and the client's insurer. Medicare's schedule is public, so it is the reference point to ask against.

Medicare 2026, national amount per session (office, or telehealth to a client at home)
Session	LCSWs, LMFTs, LPCs	Psychiatric NPs, PAs	Psychologists, psychiatrists
90837 (60 minutes)	$125.25	$141.95	$167.00
90834 (45 minutes)	$85.43	$96.82	$113.90

Computed from CMS's fee schedule files and the shares in CMS's mental health booklet. Medicare adjusts every amount for where you practice, and commercial insurers set their own rates. Medicare rates in your state

Questions

Lyra Health vs Headway for therapists: questions, answered

Lyra Health vs Headway for therapists: what is the difference?: Lyra Health offers contract work on its platform and some employee roles; Headway lets you keep your own practice and bills insurance for you. Headway is free to join, but charges $9.99 per marketplace-client session from Nov 2026, and keeps 2.95% of private-pay sessions. Lyra Health prints pay from $70,000 - $92,000 per year in its own job postings; Headway publishes no pay figure. Headway credentials you with insurers and says it takes anywhere from 3 weeks to 4 months to be approved. Lyra Health: Listed among the benefits of its employed (W2) full-time therapist postings. Headway requires your own policy.
Who pays more, Lyra Health or Headway?: Lyra Health: For employed (W2) full-time therapist roles Lyra prints annual base salary ranges in its job postings (figures below, each tied to its posting). Headway: Headway prints no rate schedule publicly. Ask each for the rate for your license, state and insurers, in writing, before you sign. For reference, Medicare's 2026 national amount for a 60-minute session (90837) is $125.25 for an LCSW, LMFT or LPC, $141.95 for a psychiatric nurse practitioner and $167.00 for a psychologist or psychiatrist, before the adjustment for where you practice.
Are Lyra Health and Headway therapists contractors or employees?: Lyra Health: Network therapists are contracted (the postings are titled 1099 Contractor and say the contracting entity is Lyra Clinical Associates); Lyra also hires W2 employees for full-time telehealth therapist roles (see pay figures and benefits). Headway: You keep your own practice; Headway's pages describe providers keeping their practice in one place on Headway and do not describe them as its employees.
Do Lyra Health or Headway provide malpractice insurance?: Lyra Health: Listed among the benefits of its employed (W2) full-time therapist postings. Headway: Every provider must buy their own professional liability insurance; minimum limits vary by state and license type. Headway does not require being named an additional insured.
Can pre-licensed or associate clinicians join Lyra Health or Headway?: Lyra Health does not accept pre-licensed or associate clinicians. Headway's pages do not say.
Can you see clients in person through Lyra Health or Headway?: Lyra Health: Contractor network postings say Lyra's network includes in-person and virtual therapists and that working with clients in person through your private or group practice is strongly preferred; the full-time employed roles are remote telehealth. Headway: You can see clients in person at an office location you list on Headway, as well as by telehealth. In-person visits in a client's home are not supported.

Pay alerts

Know when Lyra Health or Headway changes its pay or terms

We re-check what every platform pays, charges and requires each month. When one changes, you get one short email saying what changed and where.

Paid AI-training work for clinicians

AI companies hire licensed clinicians as remote contractors to write and grade mental-health material for their models: 8 roles open today, at $45 to $155 an hour as posted.

See the roles

Building your own practice instead?

The Practice Academy, from Practice of the Practice, is a paid membership with courses, coaching and a community for therapists starting or growing a private practice. Referral link: OnlineTherapy.me earns a fee from Practice of the Practice if you join through it. It never changes what these pages report about any platform.

See The Practice Academy

Spending evenings on notes?

Blueprint is AI software for therapists that drafts progress notes, treatment plans and client letters, and handles claims and eligibility; it runs alongside the EHR you already use or as its own all-in-one EHR. Referral link: OnlineTherapy.me earns a fee from Blueprint if you join through it. It never changes what these pages report about any platform.

See Blueprint

OnlineTherapy.me is an informational data platform, not an employer, recruiter or legal adviser. Neither Lyra Health nor Headway pays it for this page or its Apply links. It reports what each platform's own pages said when checked (Oct 13, 2026 and Oct 13, 2026); terms, rates and requirements change, and your agreement with the platform is what binds you.

Keep going

More for therapists choosing a platform

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