I Put Off Starting Therapy For a Year, but This Site Made It Simple

I don’t know what your path to therapy looked like, but mine started with a lot of procrastination. “I should probably try therapy,” I thought to myself for about a year, but I had no idea where to start. I got as far as googling “therapists in San Francisco” before getting overwhelmed by the amount of results that turned up and promptly putting it out of my mind for another three months.

So when I was approached to try out Frame Online Therapy Platform, it felt like a sign. Frame matches you with therapists based on your needs and communication style, so in other words, it does one of the hard parts for you: filtering your options. Frame is also totally free; you don’t start paying anyone until you actually start therapy. (Note that Frame is currently only available in California, though the site has plans to expand to other states.)

I tried Frame over the course of a few weeks in 2021 and eventually matched up with a therapist I’ve been seeing ever since. Here’s what my experience was like.

How to Use Frame

As someone who gets overwhelmed easily (see the anecdote above), one thing I liked about Frame was how simple the process was. Signing up was quick and easy, and it’s not long before you’re viewing your therapist matches.

1. Create an account with your email. You can sign up on Frame’s website.
2. Complete the intake form. As soon as you create your account, you’re taken to a three-part intake form. Some of it is logistical, such as specifying if you’re looking for couple or individual therapy and providing your general location (zip code). Then Frame asks you to select the reasons why you’re seeking therapy and the communication style that works best for you, like whether you prefer structured or free-flowing sessions, or an active therapist versus one who’s more passive.
3. Browse your therapist matches. After you fill out your intake form, Frame sends you the top six therapists that match most closely with your needs. You can read about their specialties, interests, and approach to therapy on their profiles.
4. Message as many therapists as you want. Once you’ve identified the therapists you’re interested in, you can connect with them on Frame’s chat platform. This part can be nerve-wracking, but as soon as you open up the chat, there’s a Frame message telling you what to do. In my messages, I just told the therapist I was interested in setting up an intro call with them and asked them when they were available to talk. I messaged six therapists and got responses from four of them.
5. Set up intro calls. Intro calls are like a 20-minute get-to-know-you talk with a therapist to see if they’ll meet your needs. I set up calls with three therapists and, in all honesty, was extremely anxious about each one, but Frame gives tips on what to expect in an intro call to help you feel more comfortable.
6. Choose your therapist. Frame makes it easy to turn down the therapists you’re not interested in by simply checking a “Not a Fit” box in the chat. I took a few days to think about it, then messaged the therapist that I wanted to move forward with. We then moved off Frame to set up an appointment on her personal website. (Frame doesn’t offer therapy directly through its website, so once you choose a therapist, you move to their platform, whether teletherapy or in-person.)