7 Telehealth Platforms for Behavioral Health

Telehealth platforms for behavioral health therapy have seen remarkable growth, with their usage in the U.S. jumping from 39.4% to 88.1% post-pandemic. This surge reflects a broader adoption of teletherapy, acknowledged for its significant benefits.

Behavioral Health Specialists highlight how telehealth reduces barriers and improves treatment outcomes. By closing gaps between therapists and patients, teletherapy addresses challenges including geographic isolation, transportation limitations, and discomfort associated with in-person visits. Additionally, it offers various cost savings and adaptability over traditional methods.

Given telehealth’s growing importance among patients and providers, choosing reliable platforms is crucial for your overall user experience.

This guide aims to assist behavioral health specialists in selecting the best HIPAA-compliant telehealth platform that ensures high-quality care. We have examined their features, strengths, and limitations to help you make an informed decision.

Let’s now delve into the details of these platforms.

Key Features for Choosing Telehealth platforms for behavioral health

A thoughtfully created teletherapy platform streamlines clinical processes for behavioral health specialists and improves the patient experience by allowing multiple integrations, reliable technical support, and an intuitive, user-friendly interface.

However, beyond these fundamental features, several key parameters distinguish a good teletherapy platform from an average one:

Therapeutic Tools and Resources

Robust Telehealth platforms for behavioral health enhance therapist-patient interaction and engagement during sessions.

For example, a virtual whiteboard allows behavioral health experts to explain concepts or strategies visually in real time, making complex, abstract ideas more digestible and concrete for patients.

Screen sharing facilitates collaborative evaluation and discussion of documents, worksheets, or online resources, enhancing the therapeutic process.

These tools are crucial for mental and behavioral therapy, promoting effective communication between therapists and patients.

Appointment Scheduling

Look for a platform with robust appointment scheduling capabilities. Features such as automated reminders, calendar syncing, and uncomplicated rescheduling can save time and reduce no-shows, simplifying practice management.

Some telehealth platforms for behavioral health also offer patient self-scheduling, which allows clients to book or adjust their appointments at their own convenience, enhancing client satisfaction and engagement.

Security and HIPAA Compliance

As a behavioral health specialist, ensuring the security of your patient’s sensitive health records is non-negotiable when it comes to maintaining patient trust and avoiding penalties.

This is why choosing a platform that meets HIPAA compliance is mandatory.

When patients feel confident that their information is protected, they are more likely to openly express themselves during therapy sessions. This trust fosters better therapeutic outcomes and enhances the success of your practice.

Reliable Video and Audio Quality

Effective teletherapy relies on clear communication. A reliable, high-quality audio-visual platform ensures smooth and uninterrupted sessions, helping maintain a professional and effective therapeutic environment.

In mental and behavioral health therapy, these features enhance therapists’ ability to interpret subtle non-verbal cues that might otherwise be missed.

You should also look for extra features like adjustable video quality settings and the option to record sessions (with patient consent) for future reference or supervision purposes.

Group Session Capabilities

Effective telehealth platforms for behavioral health should be able to support group sessions of varying sizes.

This allows behavioral health experts to address individuals facing similar challenges together, saving time and effort.

Patients get to benefit from shared experiences and peer support. Knowing that others share similar experiences can be reassuring and contribute to collective healing and growth.

7 Best HIPAA-Compliant Telehealth Platforms for Behavioral Health

At present time, many platforms offer teletherapy solutions, but only a select few meet the highest standards. After extensive research, we have identified the top seven telehealth platforms for behavioral health facilities.

We have detailed their key features, session types, pricing, and pros and cons based on customer reviews from trusted third-party websites. These platforms include:

• Enghouse Video
• SimplePractice
• VSee
• THERAPlatform
• ExpertBox
• Healthie
• thera-LINK

Let us look at each of these in greater detail.

Enghouse Video

With 17 years of telehealth experience, Enghouse Video offers a robust platform for mental and behavioral therapists. It delivers high-quality video and secure connections, enabling care from anywhere without patients leaving their homes.

Enghouse Video equips therapists with the tools to streamline administrative tasks and prioritize client well-being with:

• 4K displays, offering image quality 16 times the industry average
• Follow-up treatment plans
• Enterprise-grade security, compliance with HIPAA and GDPR
• Reliable connectivity in low bandwidth, high latency conditions
• User-friendly interface

Enghouse Video has proven effective in various behavioral health scenarios:

• Substance Abuse Treatment: Provides ongoing support through video conferencing.
• Psychiatric Consults: Enables virtual consultations for critical mental health services.
• Group Therapy Sessions: Facilitates virtual group therapy, providing support for similar challenges.
• Ongoing Mental Health Support: Offers regular check-ins for chronic conditions.
• Crisis Intervention: Ensures immediate access to care during crises such as severe anxiety attacks or suicide attempts.

Enghouse Video is a comprehensive teletherapy platform, exceeding expectations.

Source: Enghouse Video

Most Celebrated Features

Electronic Health Records (EHR) integration: The platform integrates with leading EHR systems such as Allscripts, Epic, and Cerner, ensuring therapists have comprehensive patient information at their fingertips, which helps conduct informed and effective therapy sessions.

Virtual Engagement: Enghouse Video allows therapists to share relevant educational resources with the patients via document sharing and screen sharing, making the therapy experience more participative and engaging.

Breakout Rooms: Enghouse Video offers breakout rooms for group therapy and support meetings. These rooms enable focused discussions and private sharing in behavioral health and substance abuse contexts. Providers can divide larger sessions into smaller groups for targeted care.

Closed Captioning: The platform supports closed captions, helping hard-of-hearing patients in substance abuse cases communicate effectively during video conferences. This feature ensures clear communication, improves patient understanding, and removes barriers to care.

Device Compatibility: Enghouse Video ensures that all patients can attend sessions by supporting various devices, such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops.

One-Click Entry for Patients: Patients can book appointments instantly via any web browser on their device, eliminating the need for app downloads. This simple process is particularly helpful for older or less tech-savvy patients, reducing barriers to session attendance.

Pricing

Enghouse Video provides tailored pricing options. For more details, please contact the team.

Demo

Enghouse Video allows therapists to explore its platform by offering a detailed demo showcasing its features, helping them assess its suitability for their practice.

Click here to schedule your demo with Enghouse Video.

Session Types

Enghouse Video supports a variety of session types to accommodate different therapeutic needs, including:

• One-on-one
• Group
• Multiple spaces within conferences can be created using breakout rooms.

Why do Therapists Love Enghouse Video?

Therapists choose Enghouse Video by Enghouse for their industry experience, big suite of teletherapy tools and resources, and increased patient satisfaction, among other things. Let’s explore what makes it a popular choice.

Unparalleled Video and Audio Quality

Enghouse Video delivers high-quality video even in low bandwidth and high latency areas.

For instance, Range Mental Health Center (RMHC) utilizes Enghouse Video to ensure a reliable connection for therapy sessions. Therapists and patients value the stable video quality, which helps maintain strong therapeutic relationships even when either party relocates.

An RMHC evaluation found that all users rated Vidyo’s connection quality and overall communication as “Excellent” or “Good.”

Over the past twenty years, Enghouse Video has consistently supported many clients, ensuring success even in challenging network environments.

Device Compatibility

Enghouse Video supports a wide range of devices, including laptops, smartphones, and tablets, ensuring seamless connectivity for therapists.

For instance, Ochsner uses Enghouse Video to connect with patients across multiple platforms. According to Dr. Richard Zweifler, Ochsner’s system chair of neurology, Vidyo allowed them to conduct video consultations via smartphone or iPad, a flexibility not available with their previous vendor.

Since adopting Enghouse Video, Ochsner has seen a 100% increase in consultations over the past 2 years.

Reliable Technical Support

Enghouse Video is consistently praised for its effective technical support, as evidenced by many positive reviews. This support ensures that issues are addressed swiftly, maintaining seamless operation for therapists.

What Pushes the Therapists Away From Enghouse Video?

The lack of a free trial could make some therapists hesitant to choose Enghouse Video.

SimplePractice

SimplePractice is a telehealth software designed to help therapists conduct secure virtual sessions while ensuring HIPAA compliance.

The platform streamlines practice management by offering integrated tools for managing teletherapy sessions, scheduling appointments, recording session notes, and handling billing, all within a user-friendly and secure environment.

Source: SimplePractice

Most Celebrated Features

Online Appointment Scheduling: This feature offers convenience and flexibility, enabling therapists to efficiently manage their schedules through online booking.

Telehealth Timer: A built-in timer helps therapists track the elapsed time since the beginning of each patient’s appointment, ensuring precise session management.

Video Calls from Anywhere: You can start video calls from any location using a link, enhancing patient accessibility without needing logins or passwords.

Virtual Whiteboard: A virtual whiteboard increases interactivity during telehealth sessions. Integrated into your EHR system, you can type, draw, and add images during sessions, enriching the patient experience.

Pricing

SimplePractice offers three pricing tiers: the Starter Plan, which costs $29 per month; the Essential Plan, which costs $69 per month; and the Plus Plan, which costs $99.

 

Source: SimplePractice

Demo

You can schedule a demo with SimplePractice by filling out a basic form.

Session Types

SimplePractice supports both individual and group therapy sessions.

Why do Therapists Love SimplePractice?

Therapists appreciate SimplePractice for several reasons:

• The platform is praised for its user-friendly and intuitive interface, consolidating all essential features in one accessible place.
• Therapists value SimplePractice’s excellent customer support, which promptly assists with any issues or inquiries.

What Pushes the Therapists Away From SimplePractice?

• Some therapists are deterred by the platform’s steep pricing structure, which may be prohibitive for those on tighter budgets or starting in private practice.
• Many therapists consider creating new fields in assessments or intake forms to be cumbersome and time-consuming.

• VSee

Founded in 2008, VSee is one of the leading telehealth platforms known for its secure, no-code, and low-code approach. It caters comprehensively to teletherapy needs, offering customizable omnichannel communications and virtual care workflows.

With VSee, therapists can provide high-quality mental health counseling via secure video chat, connecting flexibly with patients at their convenience and preferred locations.

Source: VSee

Most Celebrated Features

Form Builder: The software allows therapists to create customized forms and documents for different workflows. They can also utilize the pre-built templates to save time.

Queueing & Routing: VSee efficiently manages patient appointments with automated and manual routing based on priority levels, reducing wait times and improving scheduling.

Patient Engagement: This feature enhances patient interaction by automatically sending personalized appointment reminders, suggesting health education materials based on patient profiles, and enabling 24/7 access to visit history, labs, notes, and medical images.

Customizable Analytics and Reporting: Therapists can tailor web dashboards and export reports ready for analysis, revealing insights into program usage, operational efficiency, user satisfaction, and financials. Leveraging data-driven decisions helps identify inefficiencies and maximize revenue opportunities

Pricing

VSee offers four pricing tiers ranging from the free plan, which includes unlimited individual videoconferencing, to the Plus plan at $29/month for group sessions, and the Premium plan at $49/month.

The Enterprise plan offers extensive customizations and dedicated support, with pricing available upon request from the sales team.

Demo

To request a demo with VSee, you can contact their sales team.

Session Types

VSee supports both individual and group therapy sessions.

Why do Therapists Love VSee?

Based on public reviews, here’s what we found:

• Many therapists find the software easy to use.
• The free version offers significant features, making it appealing for therapists exploring teletherapy options without immediate financial commitment.

What Pushes the Therapists Away From VSee?

Therapists may encounter occasional website crashes, disrupting workflow and patient care.

• THERAPlatform

THERAPlatform is an all-in-one practice management and telehealth platform designed for therapists, counselors, and mental health professionals.

It offers many features, including appointment scheduling, billing and invoicing, treatment planning, progress tracking, and secure video conferencing for teletherapy sessions.

THERAPlatform aims to streamline administrative tasks, improve client engagement, and facilitate the delivery of quality care in both in-person and remote settings.

Most Celebrated Features

Built-in Library: Patients can access various therapy games and apps designed to address various therapy goals and disorders.

Unlimited Clients: Therapists can manage unlimited clients across all pricing plans, ensuring scalability and flexibility.

Billing Automation: Financial operations can be streamlined with automated billing and invoicing features, reducing administrative burdens.

30-Day Free Trial: This allows therapists to experience the platform’s capabilities risk-free for a month, with no credit card required.

Claims Management: Therapists can monitor claims in real-time, match payments with submitted claims, and promptly identify unpaid, denied, or pending claims using insurance billing software designed for therapists.

Pricing

THERAPlatform offers three pricing plans: the Basic Plan ($39/month), the Pro Plan ($69/provider/month), and the Pro Plus Plan ($79/provider/month).

These plans include unlimited clients and essential features such as scheduling, documentation, billing, and teletherapy capabilities.

Opt for higher plans to access more features, customizations, and add-ons.

Source: THERAPlatform

Demo

Therapists can contact support to schedule a demo with THERAPlatform.

Session Types

THERAPlatform supports individual and group therapy sessions.

Why do Therapists Love THERAPlatform?

To understand why therapists value TheraPlatform, we revisited recent public reviews. Here’s what we discovered:

• TheraPlatform’s interface is praised for its simplicity and ease of use, enhancing navigation and usability.
• Customer support is consistently rated as top-notch, providing easy access and prompt resolution of issues experienced by users.

Source – Capterra

What Pushes the Therapists Away From THERAPlatform?

TheraPlatform, like any platform, has its limitations:

• Users have voiced concerns about its billing practices, particularly when it has been unwilling to adjust billing cycles.
• In terms of integration, support services like insurance and finance integrate into different infrastructures more slowly. This slower workflow impacts its overall effectiveness.

Source: g2

• ExpertBox

ExpertBox is a versatile telehealth platform that connects experts with clients globally. It goes beyond the typical features of teletherapy platforms by including team management capabilities. This feature helps therapists expand their practice and manage their workload efficiently by forming a team.

Designed for simplicity and accessibility, ExpertBox allows therapists to quickly set up their presence and reach a worldwide audience, all while maintaining privacy and security for everyone involved.

Source: ExpertBox

Most Celebrated Features

Widget: Therapists can integrate a customizable widget into their websites, social media profiles, and emails to directly attract and engage new clients.

Team Management Tools: Facilitates collaboration by allowing therapists to invite team members, assign tasks, and manage patient profiles collectively, streamlining practice operations.

Custom Intake Forms: Create personalized intake forms to gather comprehensive patient information tailored to specific therapy needs, enhancing treatment planning and efficiency.

Pricing

ExpertBox offers three pricing plans: a Premium Plan at $30 per member/ month, a Premium Plus Plan at $50 per member/ month, and an Enterprise Plan.

For pricing details on the enterprise plan, please reach out to the sales team.

Source: ExpertBox

Demo

ExpertBox provides a 14-day free trial instead of a demo.

Session Types

ExpertBox allows for both individual and group sessions.

Why do Therapists Love ExpertBox?

Therapists appreciate ExpertBox for:

Ease of Use: The platform’s intuitive interface makes it easy for therapists to set up and manage their online presence effectively.

Widget Integration: Importing social media handles using widgets helps therapists attract new clients directly from various online platforms.

What Pushes the Therapists Away From ExpertBox?

Some therapists may be deterred by the following:

Poor Call Quality: Issues with call stability and audio/video quality during teletherapy sessions impact the overall client experience and therapeutic process.

Source: g2

• Healthie

Healthie, founded in 2016, equips therapists with telehealth capabilities to conduct virtual consultations and engage with clients remotely.

Distinguishing itself from competitors, Healthie offers features such as meal planning, progress tracking, and integration with wearable devices, supporting a comprehensive approach to client care.

Source: Healthie

Most Celebrated Features

Charting Library: Designed specifically for behavioral health, providing therapists with on-screen support during patient telehealth sessions.

Integration with Multiple Tools: It integrates with popular tools such as OPTT Health, Mirah, and Kintsugi, which therapists favor.

Auto-Scored PHQ-9 Forms: Automatically scores PHQ-9 forms, easing assessment processes for therapists.

Pricing

Healthie offers five pricing tiers: Starter, Essentials, Plus, Group, and Enterprise Plans.

Pricing details for most plans are available on their website; however, those interested in the Enterprise Plan should contact their sales team directly.

Source: Healthie

Demo

Healthie allows therapists to try any paid plan of their choice for free for 14 days.

Session Types

Healthie supports individual therapy sessions, group sessions, and Workshops for educational or group therapy purposes.

Why do Therapists Love Healthie?

Therapists appreciate Healthie because the platform prioritizes the patient experience, offering tools and features that enhance client engagement and care delivery.

What Pushes the Therapists Away From Healthie?

Some therapists have complained of:

Poor Customer Support: Issues with receiving timely and effective support when encountering technical difficulties or needing assistance.

Billing Issues: Challenges related to billing processes and accuracy, impacting practice management and financial operations.

Source: g2

• thera-LINK

thera-LINK delivers specialized telehealth solutions for mental and behavioral health therapists and features a user-friendly interface.

This platform enables you to conduct secure online therapy sessions, ensuring continuity of care whether your client relocates, travels, lives in a remote area, or cannot visit your office. Thera-LINK maintains a secure, HIPAA-compliant environment for all interactions.

Source: thera-LINK

Most Celebrated Features

Directory Listing: This feature displays thera-LINK providers who opt-in, facilitating client discovery and connection seamlessly.

Custom Waiting Room: Therapists can customize their waiting room with imagery that reflects their office style. Clients wait in this personalized space until they are admitted to the session, mirroring an in-office experience.

Client Profile: The platform provides therapists access to client notes, past appointments, session durations, payment details, and clients’ personal information.

Pricing

Thera-LINK offers two types of pricing plans: Individual and Team.

The individual plan has three pricing plans: Basic, at $30 a month; Plus, at $45 per provider; and Ultimate, at $65 per provider per month.

Source: thera-LINK

The team plan has three pricing plans: Basic Team, at $250/month; Plus Team, at $45/month/provider; and Ultimate Team, at $65/provider/month.

Source: thera-LINK

Demo

With thera-LINK, therapists can either schedule a demo or watch a pre-recorded demo.

Session Types

thera-LINK allows for individual, couple, family, and group sessions.

Why do Therapists Love thera-LINK?

Therapists appreciate thera-LINK for:

Excellent Customer Support: Quick and attentive customer service promptly assists therapists with concerns or inquiries.

Clean, Easy-to-Use Interface: Intuitive platform design that simplifies navigation and use, enhancing overall user experience.

Source: Capterra

What Pushes the Therapists Away From thera-LINK?

Some therapists might be discouraged by the following:

Occasional Connectivity Issues: Inconsistent performance or connectivity problems during sessions, affecting the reliability of service delivery.

Note-Taking Requires Paid Upgrade: Basic note-taking features are limited, requiring therapists to upgrade to comprehensive note-taking capabilities.

Source: Capterra

What Sets Enghouse Video Apart Among Telehealth Platforms for Behavioral Health

Enghouse Video enables therapists to deliver a comprehensive range of mental health services remotely. From psychiatric consultations to substance abuse treatment and continuous support, our platform ensures patients receive timely and effective care.

Trusted by over 4,500 healthcare organizations worldwide, Enghouse Video is renowned for its reliability, scalability, and flexible deployment options.

One of the Enghouse Video’s key advantages is its simplicity. Patients and therapists can connect instantly with one click from any device or browser, eliminating the need for app downloads or complex setups. This reduces friction in onboarding allowing therapists to easily treat patients remotely.

Explore how Enghouse Video can enhance your practice. Contact us today to learn more!

FAQs

• What are telehealth platforms?

Telehealth platforms are digital systems that enable remote healthcare services, allowing patients and providers to connect via video, audio, and chat.

• What are the must-have features of teletherapy software?

Some must-have features of teletherapy software include-

• High-quality video and audio
• HIPAA compliance
• Integration with electronic health records (EHR) systems
• Reliable customer support, etc.

3. What telehealth platforms are HIPAA compliant?

Below is the list of some HIPAA-compliant telehealth platforms –

• Enghouse Video
• SimplePractice
• VSee
• THERAPlatform

4. Why is it important to use HIPAA-compliant telehealth platforms?

Using HIPAA-compliant telehealth platforms is essential to safeguard patient health and personal information. Lack of compliance can lead to sensitive patient data being misused, resulting in heavy penalties and damage to brand reputation.

5. What is the most used telehealth platform?

Enghouse Video is one of the most used telehealth platforms today. It offers a complete suite of software solutions built to provide remote healthcare and is trusted by over 4,500 healthcare organizations worldwide.

 

Disclaimer – The insights presented in this article are sourced exclusively from publicly available information and customer reviews. Feel free to reach out if you require any modifications or updates to the content.