Talkiatry is now the exclusive telepsychiatry provider for BetterHelp’s employer clients, the companies shared with MedCity News exclusively.
New York City-based Talkiatry offers online psychiatric and therapy services for children and adults. It treats patients with ADHD, anxiety, bipolar disorder, depression and several other conditions. BetterHelp, based in Mountain View, California, offers personalized online therapy with a network of over 30,000 therapists. Its business offering, called BetterHelp Business, has more than 1,000 partnerships with employers, health plans, universities, nonprofits, EAPs, insurance brokers and benefits consultants.
Talkiatry is the first benefit offered through BetterHelp Business Plus, which is a series of premium coverage options beyond talk therapy that the company is offering to employers. Through the partnership, employees of BetterHelp’s employer clients can access Talkiatry’s psychiatry services on an in-network basis at no extra cost. They can reach Talkiatry through BetterHelp Business’ web portal. They’ll then be matched with a Talkiaty psychiatrist based on their needs.
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“Our go-to-market with BetterHelp Business is the right care for your organization, the right way,” said Kfir Eyal, general manager of BetterHelp Business, in an interview. “A lot of times the right way is BetterHelp’s core services, which is talk therapy, matching members to a licensed clinician based on their preferences and needs. But sometimes, they have more acute conditions or life challenges that they might be coping with and that might require a higher level of care, or maybe even be combined with medication of some sort. And for those reasons, our partnership with Talkiatry and providing an additional layer of care to the employees of our clients is a no-brainer.”
Robert Krayn, CEO and co-founder of Talkiatry, added that the partnership takes the coordination of finding psychiatry services “off of the employer or the patient.”
The collaboration also helps Talkiatry, which mainly works with insurers, expand into the employer market, Krayn said. Talkiatry is in-network with more than 60 health plans and covers more than 70% of commercial lives in the U.S.
The partnership comes as the U.S. faces a severe behavioral health provider shortage. In December 2023, more than half of Americans lived in a mental health professional shortage area. However, mental health is a top priority for many employers. In a recent Business Group on Health Survey, 79% of employers said that improving access is a top mental health priority for 2025.
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Both companies have been seeking partnerships with others in the healthcare industry. Talkiatry recently launched a collaboration with Charlie Health to support adolescents, as well as a partnership with NOCD for patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Eyal noted that BetterHelp’s partnership with Talkiatry is “the first of many,” and the company is looking into adding support for sleep, meditation and nutrition.
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