last updated september 29, 2026
Psychology Today is where most people start: free to search, a long profile for every therapist, and you email or call the ones you like. it is a good directory. people look elsewhere when they want to book a time without the email back-and-forth, need someone in-network with their insurance, want a therapist who shares or affirms who they are, or can't afford market rates. every directory below is free to search, and every one is paid for by the therapists on it, so the useful question is not only what each does but how its results are ranked. everything here comes from each company's own site, checked on 2026-09-29.
| cost to you | how you reach someone | who appears, and how it's ranked | insurance | best for | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Psychology Today | free to search | email or call from the profile | therapists pay $29.95 a month; it says "no premium placements or paid ranking" | filter by insurance; confirm with the therapist | the widest choice and the deepest profiles |
| Zocdoc | "no patient fees"; you pay the practice | book a real-time opening online | providers pay to be included; labeled "Sponsored Results" sit above the rest | enter your plan; in-network shown | booking an in-network appointment fast; reviews only from patients who attended |
| Headway | your insurance cost-share per session | book online from a profile | filter by insurance and preferences | required for new clients; it bills your insurer; no out-of-network | people whose insurance Headway accepts |
| TherapyDen | free to search | call, email or request a consultation | only therapists paying $30 a month appear in search | filter by insurance; no billing | specific identity and values filters |
| Inclusive Therapists | search and matching are free; sessions set by each provider | free matching by people; up to 3 providers reach out | vetted members; lists coaches and healers as well as licensed therapists | note preferences; no billing | identity-affirming care; its match form is not HIPAA compliant |
| Mental Health Match | free | a survey, then an introduction | matches come only from therapists paying a monthly fee | filter by plan; no billing | a guided shortcut instead of scrolling |
| Therapy Finder (formerly Monarch) | free | request an appointment online | profiles are "not generated or verified by Therapy Finder" | filter by insurer; billing is with the therapist | requesting a time online nationwide |
| Open Path Collective | $65 once, then $40–70 a session | directory of its network's therapists | household income under $100,000; asks insured people to use their insurance | not for people whose insurance covers therapy affordably | reduced-rate therapy without insurance |
checked on 2026-09-29 against each company's own site; prices and rules change, so treat these as what each published that day. the column most people never think about is the ranking one. all of these are paid for by the people listed on them. Psychology Today charges every therapist the same flat fee and says it sells no ranking. Zocdoc sells separate, labeled sponsored slots above its regular results. TherapyDen and Mental Health Match only show therapists who pay. none of that makes a listed therapist good or bad. it tells you what you're looking at when you scroll.
if you have insurance and want it to do the work, start with Zocdoc or Headway: both show who is in-network and Headway handles the billing, but only for plans it accepts. if you want to book without phone tag, Zocdoc and Therapy Finder let you request or book a time online. if who your therapist is matters, TherapyDen's filters and Inclusive Therapists' human matching are built for that. if cost is the wall, Open Path's $40–70 sessions are some of the best-value licensed therapy available, if you qualify. and if you just want the most choice, Psychology Today is still the biggest.
a directory gets you a name, not a fit. the first session is where you find out, and it is fine to ask a therapist how they work, what a typical course looks like and how you'll know it is helping before you commit. our guide to finding the right therapist lists the questions worth asking, and how long therapy usually takes is its own page.
veisund isn't a directory and it isn't therapy. it's free peer support: you post under a handle, and people who've been through it reply, often after a while, because the community is still small. some people use it while they wait for a first appointment. it's for adults 18 and over. if you're in crisis in the US, call or text 988.
It depends on the job. For booking an in-network appointment fast, Zocdoc. For having your insurance handled, Headway, if it accepts your plan. For identity-affirming care, TherapyDen or Inclusive Therapists. For low-cost therapy without insurance, Open Path Collective. Psychology Today is still the largest directory.
Yes, for people searching. Therapists pay $29.95 a month to be listed, and Psychology Today says there are no premium placements or paid ranking.
Yes, on Zocdoc (real-time openings), Headway (book from a profile), and Therapy Finder (online appointment requests). Psychology Today, TherapyDen and Mental Health Match connect you to the therapist, who then arranges the appointment.
Most do some checking, and they differ. Psychology Today describes a three-step verification; Zocdoc confirms license and good standing at onboarding; Mental Health Match says it verifies license status; Therapy Finder says its profiles are not generated or verified by it; Inclusive Therapists lists coaches and healers as well as licensed therapists.
Open Path Collective offers sessions at $40–70 after a $65 one-time membership, for households under $100,000 whose insurance doesn't cover therapy affordably. TherapyDen and Psychology Today let you filter for sliding-scale therapists.
free. anonymous. post any hour, and people who've been there reply. 🤍
get veisund — it's freenot sure whether what you need is a therapist or people? six questions, two minutes — no diagnosis, no email.