Insurance credentialing for therapists: Alma, Headway or on your own?
Therapists can get in-network with insurance in two ways. You can join a platform like Headway, Alma or Grow Therapy, which credentials you under its own group contracts. Or you can credential yourself, so every contract is in your name. Platforms are faster to start and handle billing, but the contracts stay with them if you leave. Credentialing yourself takes longer and you bill yourself, but you keep your contracts, your rates and your clients.
- Decide: platform, your own contracts, or a mix
- Get your NPI with the right taxonomy code
- Complete and attest your CAQH profile
- Pick the 2–4 insurers most of your clients carry
- Apply to each one's behavioral health network
- List your insurance on your directory profiles once you're in
Platform or your own contracts
Headway, Alma, Grow Therapy and Rula work like very large group practices. You join them, and they bill insurers under their own contracts. That's why they can get you in-network quickly, and sometimes at good rates. It also explains the catch: you're in-network through them, not in your own right.
| What it costs you | Whose contracts | If you leave | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Headway | No membership fee. Keeps part of each session's insurance payment | Headway's | You're out of network with those insurers until you credential yourself |
| Alma | Membership fee, listed at $125 a month or $1,140 a year in 2026 | Alma's | Same |
| Grow Therapy | No membership fee. Keeps part of the insurance payment | Grow's | Same |
| Rula | No membership fee. You see clients Rula sends you | Rula's | Same |
| On your own | Your time, or a credentialing service at about $100–$300 per insurer | Yours | Nothing changes. The contracts are yours |
Platform fees and terms change often. Check each platform's current provider agreement before joining.
When a platform makes sense
- You want to start seeing insured clients as fast as possible.
- You don't want to submit claims, chase denials or deal with insurer payment portals.
- You're testing private practice part-time and may not stay.
When your own contracts make sense
- You plan to build a practice for years and want to own what you build.
- You don't want a platform's rules, fees or share of every session.
- You may hire clinicians or open a group later. Your own contracts can grow with you.
Many therapists mix the two: a platform for one or two insurers while their own applications go through, then their own contracts over time. Platforms generally don't let you be in-network with the same insurer both directly and through them, so check each one's rules before you apply.
Credentialing yourself, step by step
Step 1: Get your NPI with the right taxonomy
Apply for a free individual (Type 1) NPI through NPPES. The taxonomy code tells insurers what you are, and a wrong one sends your application to the wrong team:
| License | Common taxonomy code |
|---|---|
| LCSW, LICSW | 1041C0700X, Social Worker, Clinical |
| LPC, LPCC, LMHC | 101YP2500X, Counselor, Professional |
| LMFT | 106H00000X, Marriage & Family Therapist |
| Licensed psychologist | 103TC0700X, Psychologist, Clinical |
If you'll bill through your own practice entity, the practice also needs a group (Type 2) NPI and its own Tax ID.
Step 2: Complete your CAQH profile
Most behavioral health networks read your details from CAQH ProView. Fill in every section, upload your license, malpractice certificate and CV, authorize each insurer, and attest. You'll re-attest every 120 days. Our CAQH guide walks through each section.
Step 3: Pick the insurers your clients actually have
You don't need every insurer. Start with the two to four that cover most people in your area, usually your state's Blue Cross plan and one or two national insurers. Many insurers run behavioral health through a separate company, so make sure you apply to the right one:
| Insurer | Behavioral health network |
|---|---|
| UnitedHealthcare | Optum Behavioral Health, through Provider Express |
| Anthem (Blue Cross in 14 states) | Carelon Behavioral Health |
| Cigna | Evernorth Behavioral Health |
| Aetna | Aetna's own behavioral health network |
| Other Blue Cross plans | Varies by state. Some run it in-house, some use a partner |
Ask about rates before you commit. Rates for the same session vary a lot between insurers and states, and some therapists skip the lowest payer in their area entirely.
Step 4: Apply and follow up
Apply through each network's "join our network" process. Some behavioral health panels close in busy areas. If one is closed, ask about exceptions such as a specialty they lack, languages you speak, evening hours or telehealth across their state. Follow up every one to two weeks and write down every reference number. Insurers do make mistakes on applications, and you'll need those details to get them fixed.
Step 5: Consider Medicare
Since January 2024, licensed professional counselors and marriage and family therapists can enroll in Medicare, as clinical social workers and psychologists already could. With more older adults looking for therapy, it's worth a look. Medicare enrollment runs through PECOS, not CAQH. See our Medicare enrollment guide.
How long it takes
Expect anywhere from four to six weeks with a fast network to three months or more with a slow one, counted from a complete application. Some insurers in some areas are far behind or have paused new applications. Platforms are usually faster to start because you join contracts they already have.
After you're in-network
- Tell clients who can find you. Add each insurer to your Psychology Today and other directory profiles, your website and your Google Business Profile. Many clients search by the insurance they have, so this is often where referrals pick up.
- Set up billing. You'll submit claims yourself or through a biller, and get paid through each insurer's payment system.
- Keep it current. Re-attest CAQH every 120 days, and expect re-credentialing about every three years. See recredentialing and revalidation.
For the general process that applies to every provider type, see how to get credentialed with insurance companies.
Your own contracts, without the paperwork
Our credentialing service credentials therapists in their own name with the insurers they choose: $150 per insurer, or $900 for your CAQH profile, Medicare, Medicaid and up to 5 insurers. No membership and no share of your sessions.
Start credentialingCommon questions
Should therapists join Headway or Alma or credential themselves?
Platforms like Headway and Alma get you in-network faster and handle billing, but you are credentialed under their contracts, so you lose that network status if you leave. Credentialing yourself takes longer and you handle billing, but the contracts are yours. Many therapists start with a platform and move to their own contracts over time.
How long does insurance credentialing take for therapists?
Usually four weeks to three months or more per insurer from a complete application, depending on the network and your area. Some behavioral health networks are slow or have paused new applications in busy areas.
Do therapists need a CAQH profile?
Most behavioral health networks use CAQH ProView, so yes. Complete every section, authorize each insurer, attest, and re-attest every 120 days.
Can LPCs and LMFTs bill Medicare?
Yes. Since January 1, 2024, licensed professional counselors and marriage and family therapists can enroll in Medicare through PECOS, as clinical social workers and psychologists already could.
Which insurers should a new therapist credential with first?
The two to four that cover most people in your area, usually your state's Blue Cross plan and one or two national insurers. Check each one's behavioral health network and rates before you apply.