Frequently Asked Questions

General

  • We integrate one-on-one therapy with behavioral coaching and self-service digital tools across all our care plans, which have been adapted to meet the unique needs of people of color, starting with a focus on the Asian American community.

  • You start by submitting a short intake form online, which helps us get to know you better and intelligently recommend culturally-responsive therapists that are best suited to meet your needs (within 2 business days). You will have the chance to confirm that they are a good fit for you through a trial consultation. After that, you will receive care from your clinical team, which includes a licensed therapist AND behavioral coach, who will collaborate to help you reach your goals. All sessions will be held on our secure online platform that is easy to access and convenient for you.

  • By joining Anise, you no longer have to spend weeks “shopping” for the right provider and searching through directories; we evaluate all the options for you and recommend the top 2-3 therapists from our network who are best suited for you. We currently offer only one free trial consultation so you can confirm compatibility before getting started. We are confident that you’ll find your match here, but if you require another trial consultation to feel comfortable, you may send us an email at clinical@anisehealth.co and we will review the request. Please note, this trial consultation is completely optional and not required to get started!

  • Given our focus on culture, we are rolling out services for one cultural group at a time. Currently, we are building a platform focused on serving eligible adults or partners (ages 18+) who self-identify as Asian American. We hope to be expanding our scope of services to other underserved communities in the future.

  • Our services are primarily available to residents of California, New York, Massachusetts, Florida, and Washington State (limited capacity available in additional states). Please join our distribution list to be the first to hear about our launch in new locations or email us at info@anisehealth.co if you want to confirm whether we have capacity in your state.

  • At this time, we are primarily offering English-based services, although we do have multilingual providers in our network. We recognize the need to address the language barriers in our communities and are working hard to create a better solution.

  • You can get started by taking 5 minutes to submit our online intake form. You can expect to hear back from us within 2 business days. If you are not a resident of the states we are active in (CA, NY, FL, WA, MA), but are interested in signing up, please join our distribution list to be the first to hear about new launches via email.

  • Yes! If you have a friend or family member that you’d like to directly refer to Anise, we’d love to reward you for your help by crediting your account. Please email us at info@anisehealth.co and we can provide you with a unique referral code that your loved one can apply at checkout for a discount. Provider referrals can be made by submitting this referral form and/or directing prospective clients to our online intake form.

  • You can reach out to us anytime at info@anisehealth.co with your questions or submit your feedback here.

Clinical Services

  • Culturally-responsive care sees a client as more than just a set of symptoms and diagnoses; the client is seen as a unique individual whose racial and cultural context shapes how they experience the world, how they want to live in the world, and how their needs are not being met. Read more about what it means in this blog post

  • Yes, studies have long linked cultural sensitivity in care to improved adherence to treatments and health outcomes (Lukoschek, 2003; Rose, Kim, Dennison & Hill, 2000). A meta-analysis covering 14k participants indicates that mental health interventions which have been culturally adapted are 4.7x more effective than unadapted or no intervention and are linked to improved health outcomes. The study also shows a low correlation between patient-therapist ethnic matching and clinical outcomes, suggesting that the solution actually lies in offering culturally-adapted interventions delivered by a wide range of clinicians who are well-trained in cultural sensitivity (Hall, et al., 2016: “A Meta-Analysis of Cultural Adaptations of Psychological Interventions”). Anise aims to make culturally-adapted mental health interventions more accessible while continuously improving our ability to personalize care.

  • We are here to help deepen your self-understanding and develop skills to enhance your long-term mental wellbeing. Many of our clients come to Anise for help managing stress, anxiety, depression, and life transitions from our therapists and coaches who specialize in providing culturally-responsive care. Specifically, our providers are trained to explore your intersecting identities and provide targeted support for stressors commonly experienced by specific cultural groups, including imposter syndrome, bicultural tension, pressure to achieve, family & relationship dynamics, guilt & shame, and more. Our providers maintain a wide range of ethnic backgrounds, sexual orientations, areas of expertise, and therapy approaches. At this time, we are not providing medication management.

  • Anise's clinical model includes coaching as a part of our program because we believe in a holistic and results-oriented approach. While your therapist will attend to your cognitive, psychological, and emotional needs, your coach will complement your therapy sessions by working with you to create a personalized wellness vision and concrete action plans. This holistic approach has shown to be more effective in helping you achieve sustainable psychological and behavioral improvements.

  • In psychotherapy, you work with your therapist to identify how different patterns and experiences in your life help explain the problems you’ve been experiencing. Based on what you identify together, you and your therapist will develop a clear treatment plan. This plan will help you move towards your therapy goals and feel less stuck. The therapist will introduce new strategies to try and process experiences you’ve had, including those driven by cultural context, to build a greater understanding of yourself and how you would like to be in the world.

    Your coach is aware of the treatment plan and supports you in making progress towards the therapy goals identified. The coach will provide accountability, clear, tangible steps to practice, and help problem solve obstacles that are getting in the way of making progress, with a specific emphasis on the present and goals for the coming week.

  • At Anise, we believe in the practice of evidence-based psychotherapy, which is the application of treatments based on scientific research that are tailored by a therapist to meet your individualized needs, preferences, and cultural expectations. A key to evidence-based care delivery is data; we rely on a variety of relevant clinical scales to support your providers’ decision making and ability to deliver high-quality care. By filling out your weekly check-in form and monthly clinical assessments, your provider can tailor your session to best meet your current needs.

Subscriptions & Payment

  • Below is a summary of our care model and available self-pay subscription options. If you have insurance coverage through Aetna (CA, NY, MA), Magellan Health (CA), Managed Health network / HealthNet (CA), Anthem Blue Cross of California, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield (NY), Optum Behavioral Health / UnitedHealthcare (NY, MA, WA, FL, CA), Premera Blue Cross (WA), and Regence BlueShield (WA), you will only be responsible for co-pays or other unpaid claims for each completed session (there is no monthly subscription fee).


    Immersion Program ($350 one-time fee)

    Everyone starts their journey with Anise in the Immersion Program, so that we can make sure we’re on the same page as you, regardless of background, experience with therapy, or mental health needs. You will first meet with your therapist to explore your difficulties, collaboratively process why certain problems may manifest in your life, review self-monitoring exercises and data together, and set targets or therapy goals. After settling into this relationship, you will meet your coach, who works closely with your therapist and provides actionable support to help you make progress towards the goals identified. During this first month, you will follow this schedule:

    • Weeks 1, 2 & 4: Therapy

    • Week 3: Coaching

    Integrated Track ($250 per month)

    After completing the Immersion Program, you will continue on to our Integrated Track monthly subscription. You will dive deeper with your therapist, including discussing connections between your problems and triggers, recognizing patterns, reviewing self-monitoring exercises and data together, and discussing strategies for building the life/experiences you’re hoping to have as a minoritized individual. Every other week, you will meet with your coach, who will continue helping you stay on track to achieving your therapy goals. On this track, you will follow this schedule:

    • Week 1 & 3: Coaching

    • Week 2 & 4: Therapy


    Deep-dive Track ($450 per month)

    You can select the Deep-dive Track if you receive a needs-based authorization from your clinical team for a higher touch level of care (limited availability at this time). You will explore and process your difficulties in depth with your therapist on a weekly basis to formulate your understanding of core beliefs, values, and self-identity. While you won’t be meeting with your coach, they will be in the loop on your progress so they are well equipped to help you once you a ready to move to a different care plan. On this track, you will follow this schedule:

    • Weeks 1, 2, 3 & 4: Therapy

    Well-being Track ($100 per month)

    You can select the Well-being Track when you and your clinical team agree that you are ready for a lighter-touch level of care. You will no longer meet regularly with your therapist, but they will continue to work closely with your coach to ensure your needs are being met. You will meet bi-weekly with your coach to get help working through any obstacles that may be preventing you from achieving your wellness vision. On this track, you will follow this schedule:

    • Weeks 1 & 3: Coaching

  • We recommend conferring with your clinical team before making any changes to your subscription plans to ensure the best results. Once aligned, take the following steps:

    1. Log in to your portal account

    2. Navigate to the “Care Plan & Billing” page from the top right dropdown menu

    3. Click “Change Subscription” in the top left

    3. Click “Buy Now” under the track you’re transitioning to

    4. Follow the Stripe Checkout process and click “Subscribe”

    If you decide you need higher-touch care after moving to the Integrated or Well-being Tracks due to a change in circumstance, please email us at clinical@anisehealth.co. We will review the resources available and do our best to meet your needs, but cannot guarantee availability.

  • Your subscription will begin immediately after providing payment and will auto-renew every month on the same date until you cancel your subscription. You can find your billing cycle date and plan information on the “Billing” page of your Anise client portal. We do not currently allow individuals to pause a subscription or provide pro-rated refunds if you are unable to complete your four weekly sessions within the billing cycle for the month. If you do need to take a pause, you can cancel your subscription and renew it again at a later date. Please review our Terms of Service for more information on our subscription-related policies.

  • You can reschedule or cancel directly from your client portal by navigating to your homepage and clicking the three dots on the top right of the scheduled appointment box. You will not be able to access this feature within 24 hours of a scheduled appointment; any reschedules or cancellations within a 24-hour time period will result in the appointment being forfeited for the month, and we cannot offer a refund or credit.

  • You can cancel your subscription at any time by navigating to the “Billing” page from the top right dropdown menu on your Anise client portal and clicking the “Cancel Subscription” button on the top left. Upon cancellation, you will continue to have access to our services until the end of your billing cycle for the current period. When you are ready to rejoin the Anise platform, you can use your existing login credentials to access your Client portal and click the “Renew” button from the “Care Plan & Billing” page. While we cannot guarantee capacity of any provider, we will do our best to maintain continuity with your prior clinical team upon renewing your subscription.

  • Yes, we are currently in-network with Aetna (CA, MA, NY), Magellan Health (CA), Managed Health network / HealthNet (CA), Anthem Blue Cross of California, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield (NY), Optum Behavioral Health / UnitedHealthcare (NY, MA, WA, FL, CA), Premera Blue Cross (WA), and Regence BlueShield (WA). We are working on accepting insurance coverage with more health plans and in more states soon, so stay tuned for more announcements.

    In the meantime, our self-pay pricing on a per-session basis is in line with co-pays for several health plans and one-fourth the cost of general private practice rates, as we do recognize that cost is an important factor for accessibility.

  • Yes! HSA’s and FSA’s are pre-tax accounts often offered through your employer that you can use to pay for healthcare related expenses. We recommend checking with your employer and/or insurance plan to confirm that you have access to one of these. If you do, there are two ways in which you can use your HSA/FSA funds to cover your Anise Health subscription:

    • If you’ve connected your HSA/FSA to a credit or debit card, you may enter that card information as your payment method during checkout with Stripe.

    • If you need to submit a receipt for out-of-network reimbursement, you can download a superbill from the 'Care Plan & Billing' page of your client portal. You will be asked to enter your address, which is a requirement for processing by most insurance companies.

    If your HSA/FSA card gets denied, we recommend calling your card provider to confirm sufficient funds and/or the compatibility of our services as a medical provider.

  • It depends - some insurance plans cover out-of-network (OON) benefits, while others do not. In some cases, you must meet a deductible before your OON benefits will kick in. So, we recommend, as a first step, checking with your insurance provider to confirm your coverage levels. If you need help with this, please reach out to us at clinical@anisehealth.co

    If you are ready to submit a claim for your self-pay subscription, you can download a superbill directly from your patient portal by navigating to the 'Care Plan & Billing' tab from the top right corner and clicking the download button for the recently completed month. You will be required to enter your billing address in order to access the superbill (this is required by most insurance plans in order to process the claim).

Technology & Data Privacy

  • 100%. We assure you that our platform is built using secure and HIPAA-compliant technologies. Your information is held confidentially in our systems and will only be shared with your provider in an anonymized manner to protect your privacy. You can read more about this by reading our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.

  • The link to join your video appointment will only become available after you complete your weekly check-in form and when your appointment is within 5 minutes of its start time. Please be sure to log into your Anise client portal and submit the check-in form for your upcoming appointment from your homepage (ideally 48 hours in advance). If you continue to have issues after taking these steps, please contact us at info@anisehealth.co and we can provide you with a one-time direct link to your session.

  • You must book your appointment directly on the Anise client portal for your schedule to sync accurately. We ask that you refrain from booking through any external third-party links or sites. If you continue to experience issues, please email us at info@anisehealth.co and we can assist with updating your profile to reflect the latest appointment dates and times.

  • If you are having difficulty logging in to your account, we recommend a few potential troubleshooting steps. First, our passwords are case-sensitive, so check to make sure you are capitalizing accordingly. Second, you can use the “Forgot Password” button on the client portal login screen to reset your password via email. If neither of these options work, we recommend trying a different browser, clearing your browser cache, and/or try logging in from your desktop instead of your mobile device.