This business is unbelievably bad. The provider I had was top notch. The business practices of ThriveWorks are incompetent at best and unethical and possibly illegal at worst. Two appointments in, I canceled because they were billing me incorrectly. When I called to try to get my insurance information verified and to correct the bills, I was told they had submitted the claim to my insurance and it had been denied. Then I was told I did not have a referral (I did, and they verified this the next week but didn't correct the billing) and I was out of network, despite being told by the scheduler and the provider that I was in network. Then they said they had spoken with my insurance and were told I was out of network and had not reached my deductible. I spoke with my insurance directly, and they have no record whatsoever of a claim or even a phone call from ThriveWorks. They continue to lie to me about contacting my insurance and submitting a claim. I cannot fathom what they get out of losing clients by failing to do the right thing with insurance. read more

Thriveworks is a very friendly, accessible place to get compassionate counseling. You can usually get an appointment within a week (vs. weeks or months at other practices) and you have a choice of LICSWs, LMHCs, psychologists, and psychiatrists. The service is tailored to your needs and not a cookie-cutter operation. The waiting areas are very comfortable and offer free coffee, wifi, and beverages! read more

I started at Thriveworks a few months ago. The customer service and appointment scheduling system is so easy to use! I like the email notification the week of your appointment. You will get charged if you don't give 24 hr cancellation notice. I think that is reasonable given the practitioner has made plans for your therapy. I see Kathleen and she has been Amazing. She validates my feelings and helps me process my grief from loosing my dad. She also has helped me with work related issues and family dynamics. She is funny, bright, and well trained. I always look forward to my sessions and feel renewed afterwards! I would recommend you give them a try. read more

I have friends who are coaches and counselors, and they're really good, but I'm a little worried for them after going to Thriveworks. After playing phone tag with someone i was referred to by a friend, i called thrive and was able to make an appointment for that week. The office is close to central square's T stop, and nicer than any coaching office I've ever seen. Most importantly, my coach is wonderful and has helpful insights every week. read more

Michael B. was very helpful to me. I see a lot of comments about fees. I know that my therapist helped to have a fee waived for me. The therapy was really helpful and genuine. He even gave me extra time if I needed it. I would recommend him to anybody. His nonjudgmental approach provided me with a safe place to explore my thoughts and feelings. read more

Awesome, awesome, awesome. The folks there treat you with dignity and sensitivity and within a short time I started to feel 'good' again. Thank you! read more

Easy to schedule an appointment! Answered follow up questions about appointment by email very quickly. $99 fee is optional if you can not afford it and they easily provide a waiver. Will match you with an appropriate therapist. read more

Communication is the main thing that need improvement. Called and made appointment with counselor and was told I'd be able to tell what my copay/deductible would be after 72 hours of processing my insurance. Called after 72 hours and was told I never gave my insurance info. Read and sent it via email again, my appoiment was less then 72 hours away so I had to wait till I spoke with my counselor to find out what it is. Was a weird number to both of us so she said she sent an email to billing saying not to charge me until we figured everything out. They ended up charging me right away even though I would have payed less if I was seen as a self pay patient. 40$ cheaper. So I called and asked why, didn't make sense to me though, as a former office administrator I would let the customer know it would be cheaper to be self pay if they were in the same position. So I cancelled being upset about having to talk to 5 people to figure it out. Not to mention 1 of those 5 people hung up on me because I asked not to be interrupted until I finish a sentence. Turns out they charged me again for a monthly fee. It's all about money with this company and I'm honestly in worse mental shape now then I was before I called. DO NOT RECOMEND!!!! read more

Thriveworks doesn't even deserve 1 star with their horrible customer service and billing policies. Everyone I've spoken to has been condescending, rude and unhelpful. When I joined, they never told me that I had a deductible I hadn't met or that my session were $116 prior to having them. They took it upon themselves to take the money from my account without any prior notice or warning. Had I known the cost of the sessions upfront I never would have agreed to them. Thriveworks told me that my co-pay was not clear to them when I joined. How does a business a operate under that notion?! They are clueless and therefore cost me money I don't have. I've called a handful of times looking for a refund and I get no where. Since my last call to them, I've been charged additional fees for services I have not even received. I've been told that I'll receive a call back but no one ever follows up. Anyone who is seeking therapy should do so elsewhere. This has only caused me even more frustration and anxiety. read more

This place is not a professionally run mental health center, quite frankly it's a monument to every bad therapy stereotype, and it's run by a third party. You can't even call directly to book appointments. You pay an annual fee of $100 to still have to pay per appointment. Does your primary care physician do this? No. Does any other legitimate healthcare provider? No. First off, I stood in the cold waiting to get into the building because they provide no code in the confirmation email or phone call (probably because I never received one). When I did finally did make it upstairs, there was no one there to greet me, no receptionist, no signs indicating where to go or what to do. After five minutes of confused looking around, another patient, waiting for his son, pointed at a pile of messily stacked clipboards and asked, "are you new?" and then instructed me to fill out the form attached to said clipboards. WHY IS A PATIENT DOING THIS? Ridiculous. This medical history form should have been emailed to me prior to the appointment, or a receptionist should have handed it to me, but another patient being the only source of any direction in this place? Unacceptable. Physically, the waiting area is a poorly lit mess that looks like a hippy's living room. As for the provider, I can't believe she has a license. Not naming names, hoping she was just having an off day. Oh, p.s. I'm a licensed medical professional myself, with over a decade of practice- I'm not pulling these expectations out of thin air. read more

Broadly the practice is top notch. I highly recommend. Amazing staff.

Thriveworks was great from the start - excellent, warm service. With regards to my inquiries, they were responsive and quick to find the best solution. Their Cambridge location is located in the heart of Central Square, a special area to begin with. I'd highly recommend Thriveworks for their services provided - please don't hesitate to start your experience today! read more

I am very happy with Thriveworks in general and with my particular therapist. She is kind, knowledgeable, has had very good insights for me, and is always on time for my scheduled appointments. The Thriveworks office is quiet and comfortable, and offers free wifi while you wait, as well as free beverages (coffee, tea, sodas, water). While I understand some of the earlier issues that others have had, I have found that when I call the phone is answered by a real person, or someone gets back to me in a timely manner. Though there isn't a receptionist in the waiting area, there is a sign for new clients explaining that their therapist will be with them at their scheduled time, and that there are clipboards with initial paperwork they can fill out while they wait. I've never seen anyone wait long without being greeted by one of the therapists. As for the cancellation fee, this is pretty typical of medical offices and is pretty much an industry standard from my experience. It is explained when you start. Overall I am very satisfied with the service and care that I've received at Thriveworks. I think it would be great if they offered some group therapy options as I think that can be beneficial for some people. I would highly recommend Thriveworks to anyone looking for help. read more

I truly loved my counselor at Thriveworks, but if I had had more time to research therapy organizations before settling on TW and wasn't in dire need of therapy at the time, I would have looked elsewhere. Everyone is right about the ridiculousness of paying $100 as a yearly subscription and then ~$20 per month. When I first heard of this, I sincerely and naively thought that this was all going to cover therapy, but then, I learned this was on top of my $40 dollar co-pay per week. Their mission is to provide "premium" care to others and while the care might feel "premium" the payments do too. One would think that an organization dedicated to the betterment of society through counseling and coaching would be understanding that life happens. I tried to look past the annual and monthly fees, but after being delayed in air travel for 48 hrs+ while trying to move back to my home state, getting charged a monthly fee for a month I'll never use during that time period of airport hell, and Thriveworks adamant that I don't deserve a refund because of "corporate policy", I felt DONE with Thriveworks altogether. If you are low to middle income and need therapy and don't want to support the hypercapitalist version of counseling, then, please look elsewhere. I could have saved so much money if I could have just gone a few more months without the therapy and found someone or another place that didn't feel the need to add on fees on top of fees to provide you "premium" care. read more

This place is so inconsiderate and bordering on a scam! My teenage daughter needed help with panic attacks and my insurance co. gave me two doctors covered under her insurance that happened to be at this location. I was very uneasy about the $99 enrollment fee and an additional $19/month, but thought if she will get that much access than maybe it's worth it. The first meeting with the 1st doctor was a no show on the doctor's part. We sat for an hour on an empty zoom meeting. I spent the remainder of the afternoon trying to get an answer and was told they would contacted the doctor and someone would call me back with an explanation. That never happened! I spent the next day making another appointment with the other doctor that was covered under my daughter's insurance, and a few days prior to her appointment with this doctor, I got an email (not even a call) informing that this doctor is no longer excepting her insurance and it will be an additional $65. How is this ethical or professional that this company can not keep track of where their doctors are AND they decide last minute that they are now NOT excepting a certain insurance!!! This company should be ashamed of themselves especially since this is a mental health facility and dealing with children. They wasted 2 weeks that could have been time helping my daughter! read more

This office does not care about any of their patients, they only care about your money. I was given bad customer service on numerous occasions, especially from their billing department. The only reason I stayed at this office was because I enjoyed talking with my therapist. There was recently a huge fiasco with my billing (which I had been falsely told I was up to date on), and I finally became fed up enough to stop going here. I'm a very patient person, but this place pushed me to my wits end with their horrendous customer service. I would not, under any circumstances, recommend going here. Do yourself a favor and avoid all the problems and hassle, go somewhere else. read more

I contacted Thriveworks first by phone, asking for some information on psychopharmacology. They let me know their policy of a one time, $99 fee to schedule an appointment. Before jumping into this, I asked if I could speak with the nurse practitioner so that I could make sure she would be able to meet my needs, as I had seen many other providers without success and didn't want to make a financial investment if this would be the case. The person on the phone was great and let me know that she would have Alice Husted, the NP, contact me. I waited about two weeks and put in a consultation request online, thinking maybe my phone message had gotten lost. I got a call back from another secretary letting me know that the message was passed on to Alice and she would call me back. It has been a month now and I never got a call. It's disappointing, as good providers are hard to find. read more

I would not trust this company. My daughter wanted to make an appointment with a counselor here and they told her they can't schedule an appointment until a credit card is on file and we sign an agreement with them. I did this, but first called them to find out how the $99/month charge works. They told me they would charge my credit card after the first appointment my daughter has and that we would be given a week to determine whether or not my daughter likes the practice. If she decides it's not a good fit within the week, they said they'd refund the $99. My daughter was not able to get an appointment until October 18th. In the meantime, my credit card has been charged $99 twice, once on Sep 22nd and another time on Oct 10th. Needless to say, I'm livid. I'm calling them tomorrow and hopefully they will refund the money immediately, but just the fact that this occurred in the first place, my daughter and I don't trust the practice. In addition, the recording you hear when you call to make a first time appointment says you will only be on hold for a few minutes. This was not the case with us. We called different days at different times and we were on hold for either 10 min or up to 30 min just to speak to a live person. read more

This is really a terrible business. They have wasted tons of my time and would have wasted my money had I let them. First, after calling me 5 times to set up an initial appointment they had me look through their therapists to see which ones take my insurance. After spending a good 15 minutes looking through them I selected ones I thought would be a good fit then called them back. At which point the scheduler tells me that there is a $99 initial new client fee just for them to see us. Seriously?? Highway robbery. I've never heard of a medical practice doing something like that. What's even more ridiculous is that I had been to Thrive before years ago and was coming back but they felt we were new clients so they could justify the charge. Well after a week goes by she calls me back acting like it's a huge concession but they "really want my business" so they'll waive the fee. Are you kidding me? They had billed the exact same insurance 2 years ago with no issues and were paid perfectly. There wasn't any setting up to do! As the cherry on top when I agreed to make an appointment once the fee was made and spent 10 minutes calling back hubby to confirm the time she then told me (at the last possible second- just like before with the fee) that they would need a credit card number to hold the appointment in case there was a cancellation. Um, NO! Goodbye. read more

Super disappointed by this place. As others mentioned, I did get someone on the phone right away. After spending 5-10 minutes giving her all my personal information, she informed about about the subscriber fee which is now $180. Hell no. When I turned down the subscription, she said I wouldn't be able to get an appointment for 4 weeks. Great. I said that was fine. I had expressed strong preference for a female therapist. Turns out they only have one female on staff and she can only take patients on weekends which I wasn't eligible for since I didn't sign up for the subscription. I said thanks but no thanks and hung out. Don't waste your time unless you have money to burn. read more

My experience at Thriveworks was disappointing overall. The staff at their main office in Virginia who try to schedule appointments for people in other states were unprofessional and showed little respect for my time. Their websites definitely portray an image that they are well organized and larger than they really are, which in my opinion if false advertising. I would never recommend anyone to seek counseling or coaching with them. They seem to be trying to do too much from too far. Their whole business model seems shady. read more

Same comments on fees. Their focus is on making money and not helping clients. No compromise and no adjustments on out of normal circumstances. I called within 46 hours of the 48 hour cancellation policy and explained I had an unexpected business trip. First time this had happened and no exception was made. Not customer friendly and they would not make any adjustments. I would not recommend. Go with a local provider that understands unforeseen circumstances occurrences. Do they refund us when they are late? Be very careful when using this vendor. Lots of other options available. Also check the BBB as there are similar complaints. read more

Thrive Boston understands the needs of a client. It is a practice that offers the knowledge to help you whether you are seeking mental health therapy or more goal oriented coaching, It is also a practice that understands it is not easy for one to ask for help and take that first step. read more

Found them when we could not get my mom in soon enough in other practices after my father died. Most private practices were 4-5 week waits and incredibly expensive. Thriveworks made it easy to get appointments with licensed counselors and were well organized with materials and directions ahead of my mother's first session. It was even very affordable! It took such a big wait of worry off my family. read more

So, I created a Yelp account just to review this. To summarize what I'm about to write: STAY AWAY. Where do I begin? The first appointment I had the therapist introduced herself as a "former Yoga teacher." She did not have a PHD or any education in psychology. The session itself began with her talking about payment for 10 minutes-- what a great way to begin bettering mental health-- and then moved on to her asking really bland questions (my favorite is: "why do you seem sad?"). Whatever, I eventually hoped that this was just an off day for her and made another appointment. Next appointment, I am sitting waiting for 30 minutes. Not only did my therapist forget to show up, but there was a leak in the roof so water kept draining into the building and no one was there to fix it. There were also small kids unattended running around the lobby. I immediately left and called to get my 99$ back. No apology was issued. This place is a disaster. This is perhaps the worst mental health clinic in the Boston area. Please, don't come here. It will only make your mental health much worse. read more

I have first hand experience with Thrive and can tell you that these other reviewers must be off their rockers. I'm also a therapist in private practice, and so I'd like to think I know a thing or two about therapy and therapy practices. Thrive is hands-down THE most reputable counseling agency I've ever dealt with. From the first moment they talk with you on the phone, everything is explained up front, including the fees mentioned by some of the other reviewers. Like any charge-per-hour business, the fee for the appointment is charged if you miss. They make you're clear about this prior to start-up, but if you're like me, you think, "Why wouldn't they charge me if I make an appointment and bail?" There are tons of other therapists (myself included) who also charge initial intake fees, and it usually covers all the kind of things needy clients expect from therapists but they actually don't get paid for - the cost of their assessment materials, the time for them to review your assessments and notes in between sessions, to answer my phone calls and emails, etc. Again, they talk with you about all of this stuff up front, which is more than I can say for a lot of therapists who hide this sort of thing until it comes up, and then say, "Well, that's our policy." Thrive has been honest, candid, and forthcoming since I've been in contact with them. One of the most difficult jobs for therapists is to have reasonable, well thought out policies that are considerate of clients, but protective of the counseling business so that it can stay afloat. To be frank, the other reviewers, including the one who has been going to therapy for 15 years (that ought to tell you something), sound like the kind of clients no therapist wants, and no therapy client wants to be. Save yourself the time and energy of climbing all over Boston looking for someone who won't be honest with you up front and will let you walk all over them. In the restaurant biz, you want to go to the kind of restaurants at which restauranteurs are willing to dine. With counseling, you want to go to the kinds of practices at which therapists want to get therapy. Thrive is just that! read more

I have been a patient of Thrive for the last year and have been extremely impressed with the quality of care I have received. The staff has been so supportive and always willing to work with my crazy demanding schedule and the therapist I work with is always offering helpful advice. I have been to a few other therapists throughout the years (no I'm not completely crazy, I just believe in therapy) and I was fed up with therapists who simply listen to me talk week after week without offering life changing advice like I have received at Thrive. I won't go anywhere else. read more

Stay away. The only positive aspect was an answering service actually answers the phone if you call. The counselor was late four out of four times and when I asked if we should adjust our meeting time he was very defensive and tried to turn the tables on me and push me into saying I have a problem developing a therapeutic relationship because I even ask such question. Another reviewer wrote they picked up a weird, almost perverted vibe about LGBT relationships. I picked up on that too. The man I saw practically salivated whenever I brought up my relationship with my girlfriend - YUCK. When I walked out of the last visit I had to wonder if the therapist wasn't some kind of old-fashion psychoanalytic perv. read more

Very disappointing experience. The receptionist is incompetent and an outright liar. She tricked me into believing that I would have to pay a $ 99 fee if I were to cancel the appointment but she did not tell me that I would be responsible for a one time service fee. It is a total scam!!! read more

Not that difficult to set up appointments, and easy to get to (right off Red Line at Central Square and on 1 bus line). That's about where the positives end. I had three sessions and it was by far the worst therapist experience I've had (and I've had a decent number of experiences with therapists) - the person I wound up having my appointments with clearly did not know the difference between "smiling and nodding" and actually listening. Constantly jumping to conclusions about things that I hadn't said, and made absolutely no effort to get a quiet client (it takes me a while to open up to people, which is not unusual in a therapy setting) to feel comfortable or heard. Concluded that I "didn't need therapy" after three sessions of me hardly saying anything (other than trying to articulate why I was there), and her smiling and nodding at nothing. Seemed to think that the client has to come into sessions knowing exactly what they need to work on, able to articulate it, and comfortable baring to a stranger to be worth working with - if the client is supposed to have everything figured out, what does the therapist think HER job is? I, of course, can't speak to the quality of the other folks they have working there, but the experience I had with the one therapist I was matched with was overall quite negative. read more

A bit expensive, yes, but my counseling session over the phone went quite well, I was able to schedule it quite quickly and without any hassle. The person I spoke to was clearly a competent professional. Would recommend to other people in need of counseling. read more

I had the opposite experience of the other Yelpers. I tried without success to book an appointment with any number of other psychoanalysts or psychologists in the area. Most didn't answer their phone or call back. When they did, we played phone tag, and / or they couldn't fit me in for weeks. When I contacted Thrive, they were able to set an appointment with a counselor that week. I met with a counselor named Russel Wolf. He was on time and we had a series of good appointments. Like any relationship, it took time to build trust. After visiting the practice, I tried to understand the negative reviews I found here. It occurred to me that mental health practices see people in various stages of distress or crisis. I had no issue with their prices and found the quality of (at least) my therapist to be high. Crazy people vent, I guess, but I had a good experience. If that changes, I will update my review. read more

I am surprised and disappointed by the low ratings for Thrive. My experience has been the complete opposite of that described by the other reviewers. The counselors are respectful and professional and I find that just walking into the waiting area I feel calm and focused. True, there is a $99 set up fee -- but that and my co-pay are small prices to pay for the life (-changing) insights and competencies I've developed over the course of my 30+ sessions at Thrive. They are almost always on time, payment and scheduling are flexible, and you can lead those sessions in whatever direction you feel you need to. Based on conversations with several friends who also receive counseling at Thrive, the counselors have diverse backgrounds and interests -- so, depending on the issues you're having trouble with (relationships, substance abuse, jobs, death/grieving, etc.) you'll find someone with a therapeutic approach that's comfortable and helpful. I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 because I can only compare to a couple of other experiences in therapy. read more

so far, so good. scheduling the first appointment was easy, the scheduling receptionist was very friendly and informative. i had just one meeting so far, but i think it will be helpful, my counselor was very upfront about his skills and his assessment of my needs, we also set a reasonable goal for "homework". he was also very upfront about fees etc. i think this type of therapeutic coaching works best with a motivated client who has some insights and is willing to do the work. my only negative impression is that the physical building is truly depressing, but they try to make the waiting area very welcoming. overall a good first experience! read more