SonderMind vs Grow Therapy for therapists
Choosing where to practice? What SonderMind's and Grow Therapy'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.
With both SonderMind and Grow Therapy, you keep your own practice and the platform bills insurance for you. Both are free to join; Grow Therapy keeps 5% of private-pay sessions. SonderMind prints pay from $70-$88 per hour in its own job postings; Grow Therapy publishes no pay figure. SonderMind credentials you with insurers and says it takes up to 120 business days to be fully credentialed in the additional plans; Grow Therapy credentials you with insurers and says it takes an average of 5-7 days (first payor); some payors take 2+ months and some beyond 6 months. SonderMind says its partnership gives you malpractice coverage for every SonderMind client you see, but you must carry your own liability insurance for any other clients. Grow Therapy requires your own policy.
SonderMind vs Grow Therapy: 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SonderMind | Own practice, it bills | Contractor or employee, by role | Free |
| Credentials you | LCSW, LPC/LMHC, LMFT, Psychologist, Psychiatrist, PMHNP | 132 |
| Grow Therapy | Own practice, it bills | Independent contractor (1099) | Free | No figure published | Credentials you | LCSW, LPC/LMHC, LMFT, Psychologist, Psychiatrist, PMHNP | 0 |
SonderMind vs Grow Therapy, 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.
How you work with it
Contractor or employee
Cost to you
Private-pay sessions
SonderMind
Its pages do not say.Pay
SonderMind
SonderMind prints hourly pay in its own contract job postings, one per state for therapists. Therapist ranges printed run from $70-$88 per hour to $111-$157 per hour depending on the posting's location, and the postings say rates are based on license type, session location and session types. Psychiatrist postings print hourly figures, mostly 'up to' amounts, from $230 to $330 per hour, and PMHNP postings print 'up to' $200 to $248 per hour. Two W-2 postings in Los Angeles print annual base salaries. Postings are live as of 2026-10-13 and can change or be removed.- $70-$88 per hour (Licensed Mental Health Therapist | Huntsville, Alabama)
- $86-$106 per hour (Licensed Mental Health Therapist | Anchorage, Alaska)
- $70-$92 per hour (Licensed Mental Health Therapist | Tempe, Arizona)
- 61 more figures
When you are paid
Insurance credentialing
Clients
Schedule and caseload
Malpractice insurance
In person
What it provides
Requirements
Where
Benefits
Grow Therapy
Its pages do not say.Licenses
SonderMind
Clinical social workers, Licensed counselors, Marriage and family therapists, Psychologists, Psychiatrists, Psychiatric nurse practitioners Not pre-licensed or associate clinicians.Grow Therapy
Clinical social workers, Licensed counselors, Marriage and family therapists, Psychologists, Psychiatrists, Psychiatric nurse practitioners Not pre-licensed or associate clinicians.The rate Grow Therapy does not print
Grow Therapy 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.
| 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
SonderMind vs Grow Therapy for therapists: questions, answered
- SonderMind vs Grow Therapy for therapists: what is the difference?
- With both SonderMind and Grow Therapy, you keep your own practice and the platform bills insurance for you. Both are free to join; Grow Therapy keeps 5% of private-pay sessions. SonderMind prints pay from $70-$88 per hour in its own job postings; Grow Therapy publishes no pay figure. SonderMind credentials you with insurers and says it takes up to 120 business days to be fully credentialed in the additional plans; Grow Therapy credentials you with insurers and says it takes an average of 5-7 days (first payor); some payors take 2+ months and some beyond 6 months. SonderMind says its partnership gives you malpractice coverage for every SonderMind client you see, but you must carry your own liability insurance for any other clients. Grow Therapy requires your own policy.
- Who pays more, SonderMind or Grow Therapy?
- SonderMind: SonderMind prints hourly pay in its own contract job postings, one per state for therapists. Grow Therapy: Grow 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.
- Is SonderMind or Grow Therapy cheaper for therapists?
- SonderMind: SonderMind's therapist job postings say clinicians pay no fees or membership charges and that the tools and resources are free. Grow Therapy: Grow says providers do not pay subscription fees, and its onboarding page says partnering has no fees or minimum visit requirements. Grow's payment policy for cash-pay appointments pays providers what the client paid, minus a 5% processing fee.
- How does credentialing work at SonderMind and Grow Therapy?
- SonderMind: SonderMind credentials you with its payers and lists you under its TaxID and group NPI; you agree to be credentialed with all eligible insurance partners. Approval into the SonderMind network automatically gives you credentials with its delegated networks in your state, and other plans can take up to 120 business days. This FAQ was last updated 2023-12-19; the join page says in-network care 'within weeks'. Grow Therapy: Grow handles credentialing and payor enrollment, adding you to its group contracts so you bill insurance through Grow; the enrollment does not transfer if you leave. Credentialing with Grow averages 5 to 7 days for your first payor. Further payors can take 2+ months to submit and some run past 6 months. You need at least one in-network payor before you are invited to the platform.
- How often do SonderMind and Grow Therapy pay therapists?
- SonderMind: Bi-weekly pay for completed sessions and no-shows in each pay period; SonderMind says it does not wait for insurance claims to process before paying. Grow Therapy: Payouts start every Friday morning (ET) by direct deposit via Stripe, arriving in 1 to 3 business days.
- Are SonderMind and Grow Therapy therapists contractors or employees?
- SonderMind: SonderMind's clinician postings are mostly contract roles: its therapist, psychiatrist and PMHNP postings are listed as contract, and a psychiatrist posting says 'contract position (1099)'. Grow Therapy: Providers join as independent 1099 contractors and set their own schedule.
- Do SonderMind or Grow Therapy provide malpractice insurance?
- SonderMind: SonderMind says its partnership gives you malpractice coverage for every SonderMind client you see, but you must carry your own liability insurance for any other clients. This legal FAQ was last updated 2024-01-29. Grow Therapy: You must carry individual professional liability insurance, generally at least $1 million per incident and $3 million aggregate (lower limits for NPs in CA and FL; $500k/$1.5M for NPs, MDs and DOs in IN and MDs and DOs in PA), with a certificate listing you as named insured. Grow recommends CPH Insurance.
- Can pre-licensed or associate clinicians join SonderMind or Grow Therapy?
- SonderMind does not accept pre-licensed or associate clinicians. Grow Therapy does not accept pre-licensed or associate clinicians.
- Can you see clients in person through SonderMind or Grow Therapy?
- SonderMind: Sessions can be in person or by telehealth, but SonderMind does not provide office space; therapists secure their own location for in-person sessions. Grow Therapy: You can accept in-person sessions as well as virtual ones and set which days clients can book each.
Know when SonderMind or Grow Therapy 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.
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.
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.