I Took a Chance on a New Therapy Service — Here’s My Honest Zocdoc Review

Testing online therapy comes easily to me. I’ve made mental and emotional well-being a priority for most of my life and spent nearly two decades learning the latest advancements in the field both for personal growth and to prepare for a potential career. Although I ultimately decided not to become a therapist, I combined my love for healing and my talent for writing to cover psychology-related news. All this has given me a strong understanding of the best practices in mental health treatment.

So I set out to try Zocdoc, an online medical services directory that connects users to medical and mental health providers across 250 specialties on the platform for adults and children—including couples therapists, family therapists, and psychiatrists. I scheduled a session with a therapist offering individual adult therapy and tested the service for one month. Here's how it went.

Getting started at Zocdoc was super easy. All I had to do was provide an email address to create an account. I could even search for a therapist and see availability and prices before signing up. Considering that some other platforms are a little murkier about what you get with them, I truly appreciated this transparency.

When I logged in for the first time, I was asked to answer a few questions to begin my search for a therapist. I was also given the option to bypass this section, which was great given that I knew what I was looking for and didn’t need help filtering my search. For the purposes of this review, I provided my answers anyway. I was asked about my age, level of experience with therapy, and preference for in-person or video visits. Only one question concerned the issues I wanted help with. I was asked to choose from eight mental health issues (including grief and anger management). Thankfully, there was also an option for “something else.” These questions took less than a minute to complete.

My screen then populated with a long list of providers. There were more search functions on this page; I could filter clinicians by reason for the visit (such as addiction, anxiety, or relationship issues) and therapeutic techniques, or modalities. I loved how user-friendly the results page was. Beside each therapist’s name and photo was their schedule, with available slots highlighted in yellow. Many had same- or next-day availability. I could click on the slot I wanted to go to an appointment booking page. Each provider’s rating was listed right under their name. Their bio page included their specialties, modalities used, patient reviews, pricing, and insurance information. All of this made finding the right match easy.

I was impressed by the quality of the clinicians. While many had extensive experience with standard techniques like cognitive behavioral therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy, others used lesser-known, leading-edge modalities like Internal Family Systems and hypnotherapy. It was a diverse group, and the majority had high ratings.

I stumbled upon a wonderfully well-suited therapist with a highly specific background and skill set. Not only was she experienced with progressive modalities like somatic therapy and transpersonal psychology but she also had extensive training in energy work and hypnosis. Since she specialized in working with highly sensitive and empathic people, I knew this would be a great fit.

Scheduling an Appointment

Booking was quick, and I didn’t need to give any payment information at that time. In fact, I wasn’t sure how my new therapist would be charging me, which was a little confusing. Once I booked a session, I was asked to fill out a much more extensive questionnaire that was several pages long and dove deeply into areas like my greatest fear and whether I was happy with my relationship with myself. I realized that this was my therapist’s personal intake form. I found it a bit too exhaustive, but I appreciated that she wanted to get to know new patients so thoroughly. After several pages though, I ran out of time and decided to circle back later.

I did hit one snag: My therapist contacted me the day after I booked to let me know that the appointment slot I’d selected wasn’t actually available, and she offered me another slot the same day. In a previous review, our testers encountered a similar issue. However, since it’s up to providers to keep their schedules up to date, the misalignment may have nothing to do with Zocdoc.

I had a great experience with my therapist. Over just three sessions, I learned invaluable tools to help me process and transmute emotions, thoughts, and beliefs, not just in an intellectual way but in a physical, felt-sense way.

Intake

We spent most of our first hour together going over my answers to the intake questions. However, she gave me the option to have a regular session instead, in case there was anything urgent I needed support with. Her flexibility immediately put me at ease. I also liked that she didn’t pry or force me to answer some of the deeper questions. I’ve experienced therapists with poor boundaries who expected me to share all my personal history with them despite them being a complete stranger. We had time to talk more freely at the end of the session, and I felt we ended having established a solid connection.

Follow-Up Sessions

During the next few sessions, I brought up completely different issues I was facing and found she was adaptable and able to take in everything I told her. She was highly observant, professional, calm, and present with me. She allowed me to vent but also had helpful insights and perspectives for me to consider. I felt that our sessions built on each other and was grateful she remembered details I’d told her previously — unfortunately with some therapists, that’s not always the case. I loved that toward the end of each session, we transitioned into a somatic practice. This allowed me to drop out of the analytical mind and access deeper parts of myself to get answers and insights. My therapist was clearly skilled in guiding me in this process. I left feeling calmer, more uplifted, and more aware of my needs. She also gave me somatic therapy-based homework to help me integrate our sessions.

Technical and Logistical Aspects

Each appointment went smoothly with no glitches over Zoom. Sessions lasted around an hour, giving me ample time to talk about my concerns without rushing. Quickly after booking my first session, we no longer needed to go through Zocdoc.

Before our first meeting, I emailed my therapist to let her know I was trying to reaccess the intake forms to finish filling them out. She replied that she kept receiving an error message from Zocdoc and was putting my information into another platform she was more experienced with. I received the documents via email from that platform and filled them out, including my payment information.

After our session, she said I was her first patient on Zocdoc and, since she was more comfortable on the other platform, wanted to keep using it. She also wasn’t sure how payments worked with Zocdoc (neither was I). So we agreed to switch platforms, and I continued to receive email notifications, session invites, and payment charges through this platform. All of this was seamless.

My experience showcases how Zocdoc functions more as a directory than an online therapy service. It seems that each clinician will handle the logistics of therapy the way they want.

I really liked this platform. Unlike services like BetterHelp and Talkspace, Zocdoc didn’t require me to sign up for a plan, pick from a limited pool of clinicians, or be matched to someone, then be locked into the 45-minute sessions that are common in the industry. I met with my therapist for one hour, which suited my needs. I was able to get therapy with who I wanted, on my terms — which matters because a good therapist-patient relationship is important for good outcomes.

Zocdoc was also easier to use than other directories like Psychology Today and GoodTherapy. Instead of simply being given a list of providers and their contact information, I was able to schedule and book right on the site. I found the information I wanted, such as reviews, displayed clearly, which hasn't always been the case with directories.

While the scheduling process wasn’t perfect, it got me into contact with my therapist quickly. I didn’t have to spend time reaching out to people to ensure that they were taking new patients or to get their schedule.

Zocdoc is a solid choice for finding a therapist. I ended up with one of the best therapists I’ve ever had, and it took me minutes to find her. The provider pool was much better than what I’ve seen on other platforms, and I loved seeing schedule info prominently displayed on each profile. While the system wasn’t perfect, it saved me a lot of time emailing or calling providers one by one to ask about availability.

Since Zocdoc doesn’t match you with a therapist, the service is best suited for those who have an idea of what they’re looking for in a provider and are interested in spending some time perusing profiles to find a match.

It would be great if Zocdoc was a little more clear about how payments worked. I loved that I didn’t have to give my credit card info during booking, but I was left a little unsure of when and how I’d ultimately compensate my therapist. My therapist was also unsure, hence her choice to switch platforms.

Still, Zocdoc did what it was supposed to — it quickly connected me to a great therapist who I could work with on my own terms.