mental health therapist

psychologist

licensed professional counselor

software engineer

therapist

SonderMind

Here's my experiences with SonderMind, both good and bad...things I would have loved to read and consider before taking a job with them...

I don't recall the phone interview being as much about my skills, as it was about how their company works. Perhaps that's because they make sure all their therapists are appropriately licensed and able to become contracted therapists before hiring, and then SonderMind works to thoroughly vet and credential them before approving them to work (hence they treat them like professionals who don't need to be grilled in an interview...TOTALLY positive and easy experience!).

Once you finish training, the credentialing process takes about 4-6 weeks, meaning you can't start working during that time. Neither good nor bad, just important for applicants to know.

You are assigned a coach to help you with any questions you might have/to help you with challenges/etc. It sounds nice in theory, but didn't prove to be as helpful as I might have hoped. I felt like the rapport between us was weak at best, and any time I asked a question, I felt like I was a bother. Responses always included a link and instructions to read through it to find my own answers (feels impersonal and does not always answer the question). 

There was an experience I had with customer service once, in which I called to ask a question, and she directed me back to someone else, who had already said they couldn't help me and told me to call customer service. I told her I'd already asked the other person, and it was almost as if she didn't hear me. She repeated something she had just said moments before, and asked me if my issue had been resolved. This happened about three times. I left that experience not feeling entirely sure I was talking to a human, but perhaps a recording that sounded like a person. I'm pretty sure it was a person since she spoke my name and seemed to repeat why I was calling, but it was a really bizarre and unhelpful conversation. I think when they don't know how to answer a question, they revert back to their scripts, even when it doesn't fit into the conversation.

It's nice to have a company who finds the clients and deals with the insurance companies, but it's tricky to feel like you can't always get answers to your questions. Because they match each client to more than one therapist,  I spent a lot of time messaging clients who never responded in the process of trying to secure clients to work with. (While it's great to give clients options, it can be frustrating to spend a lot of time on something that doesn't lead to fruition). 

Clients can choose to do in-person sessions or telehealth, but you have to have your own office if you do in-person, as SonderMind does NOT provide therapists with offices. Sometimes you are matched with clients who want in-person sessions, and you can either decline the match or encourage them to try telehealth if that's the only kind of therapy you're offering. 

Also, if you leave the company before you've worked there for 12 months, you have to reimburse $500 for the time they spent credentialing you. This would have been fair to know from the first or second interview, to be able to take all factors into consideration, but was not mentioned before I was well into the process.

If you are new to telehealth and using this type of platform, it can feel foreign and uncertain. There is definitely a learning curve. After a while, you start to get the hang of things and fall into a rhythm, but when you first start, there are definitely things you aren't quite sure how to do with regards to the platform and the processes. In this instance, the therapist community is a good resource and can come in handy.

The best part is, once you get the hang of the platform, it's like having your own private business without the hassle of paperwork, advertising, finding your own clients, billing, and dealing with insurance companies.







Although there are aspects that are convenient for someone that is just starting out in private practice such as them credentialing you and doing your billing for those insurance companies, Sondermind does not support their providers. They also do not support the value of professional development. If you are a professional that wants to contribute to precepting students, Sondermind is not the company to work for.  They also have significant issues in the billing department and penalize their providers for those issues. Specifically if a patient has an outstanding balance, the provider may not be aware of it when trying to submit a new claim and will be unable to because the patient's account is frozen. When the appt was set, there may not have been an issue and the issue arises in between setting the appointment and getting a previous claim submitted.  They also will give you quite a few referrals on patients that you can't set an appt with because their account is missing information so it's not really a worthy referral at all. You can't get anyone to answer the phone--it can take over 2 hours before they finally answer the phone. If you chose not to stay on hold and email support, you never get a response; and if you ask them to call you back, that doesn't happen either despite their recording that says they call back the same business day.  I'd say if you have the capacity to avoid working for Sondermind, do so.  It may be better in the long run versus buying into the aspects of things that might be convenient to begin with. 

It may be because I live in Colorado, but I've been shocked by how fast my caseload has built. Sondermind was been upfront with me at the time of hirimg and said it could take 3-6 months to build a full time caseload. However, it's been a bit over one month since my credential was approved and I am having to watch my schedule like a hawk to make sure too many clients don't sign up sessions on the same day.  I like and utilize the direct scheduling feature, but sometimes I end end up 6+ sessions before I realize it. My coach feels kind of plastic , but she responds quickly to questions, and the support team has been accessible and awesome overall.

I've been so burned out 10 years of agency work. So, to be close to a sustainable work-life balance for the first time in my life working at Sondermind bmeans everything to me. This is also the first time that I have not felt underpaid (22 sessions per week = 6 figure salary  after the recent pay bump). There is very little hand holding , but answers to my question have been available thus far when I reach out. 

It will be interesting if the current high level of referals is sustainable, but I am extremely pleased to be near a full caseload after 4-5 week. I started out intending to use Sondermind part time; however, I have now turned down several solid offers from group practices and plan to stick with Sondermind full time

This company got a low rating because while it looks like a great job on the outside it’s horrible once you’re in the position. For starters, their onboarding process is excessive to say the least. Hours of unpaid training and talking to at least three people who have conflicting or vague answers. The job “coach” assigned to the therapist is no help but you are required to meet with them before getting started. I have received around 9 client referrals of which not one completed their intake/profile so they couldn’t be scheduled. It’s the therapists job to hunt the client down and remind them 3x to get the profile/intake done (unpaid work). If you can’t do that to have them scheduled within two weeks then the patient is automatically removed from your caseload and I guess given to another therapist to have them try and pin the client down. The fact that this company is ALWAYS hiring should be a red flag. They do NOT have enough patients to ever create a solid work schedule so please don’t rely on them to fill all your open time slots. This is not a company I would recommend to any therapist. There are other options please check into them.

I was with SonderMind from the beginning and left in 2017 due to not getting consistent referrals and very slow credentialing process.  Returned to them a few years ago after good feedback from a therapist.  During the pandemic I was happy.  They gave us a nice  raise in pay. Now 3 years later the pay hasn't increased with inflation and they are requiring all documentation to be entered into their EHR that their AI can access.  There is not way to ensure privacy and HIPAA compliance.  I keep my documentation in my own EHR and am only willing to submit records in the event of an insurance audit and only the minimum required.  Due to SonderMind no longer allowing that I am leaving.  They are too micromanaging for a company that just does credentialing and billing. They have made cuts and no longer have coaches and rarely answer phone calls. Their tone is authoritarian.   They turned off my ability to get new clients until I give them all of my client records.  Funny thing is I get all of my own clients via my website and psych today so I no longer need them for referrals.  But goes to show how disrespectful they are to try to punish a therapist by blocking referrals with no notice.  No way I will stay with a business that plays dirty.  No trust or respect. 

Upper management has ruined the customer service department. They refuse any feedback from agents, supervisors, and managers below them. Instead of making the call center a more efficient, balanced, and engaged setting, upper management makes the work environment toxic, and stressful, and everyone has to walk on eggshells. The best agents get fired for attendance, meanwhile, the worst agents stay on even though they don't complete their work. Speaking up only causes upper management to find ways to fire people. After letting 15 percent of the company go, the CEO had a meeting with the remaining company and was passive-aggressive, dismissive, and ignored people's questions. The only good part was getting to help people every day. The clients and providers are the highlights of the day.

SonderMind has been a great place for me. The compensation is better than any I have found doing this type of work. I have never had difficulty getting clients and the clients are great. Through SonderMind I have multiple insurance contracts so when I receive an outside referral and I don't take their insurance I ask them to get set up in SonderMind and they can then see me and use their insurance. I love that! I really appreciate all SonderMind is doing to work with clients to enable them to use their insurance and connect with a therapist. The feedback I get is that it is so difficult to find a therapist and SonderMind takes that difficulty out. I refer people who I can't see to SonderMind to find a therapist as the website is user friendly and they also have staff available to speak with if there are any questions. I think this is a great company who is making mental health care accessible in a time when it's so needed!  I love working with them.

The platform sondermind uses is completely incomptibale with phones and iPads, which is insane. The video rarely works and it’s a frustrating platform. The clients it attracts are not ready for therapy. They seem to just be looking around. I will call 13 people in a day after “matching” and not get 1 phone call back. It’s a waste of my time and resources. I signed a contract but will not continue wasting so much time and energy contacting clients. They have an absolutely inappropriate and confusing platform that matches you to multiple therapists. Whoever “gets to the client first” basically gets the client. They say it’s not competitive, but of course it is. The clients are also confused and irritated that “so many people have called me”. There are way better ways to do this and I hope they figure it out, this was not set up as therapist as I can’t imagine a therapist thinking someone with mental illness would enjoy this way of being contacted. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
The initial contact with the sales rep from SonderMind was positive. I felt pretty good about joining, considering I have passed on working for some of their competitors. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Unfortunately, that contact was the only contact I ever received. After signing the contract and taking the onboarding coarses, I was told I would be contacted by my team leader/handler. That contact never came. I e-mailed the sales rep several times about the issue and he always said someone would contact me but they never did.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
I gauge my desire to be associated with an organization by the degree of professionalism they project. I would have to say SonderMind has none.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
I emailed SonderMind about canelling my contract since they clearly are in violation of its spirit. That was at least a month ago. To date I still have not received a reply

SonderMind has plenty of competition but they are quick to expedite your potentially arduous paneling process without any cost to their clinicians and matching you to "good fit" clients. 

Their site is slick and user friendly. Compensation above par. Management is there when you need them.

They assist the clinician with informed consent paperwork and offer learning opportunities as well. All in all, you essentially write your own ticket as far as volume is concerned. 

I've been working as a licensed therapist for 25 years and I am confident that I made the right decision joining this group.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Mental health therapist 155 salaries reported	$91.42 per hour
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Software engineer 3 salaries reported	$129,572 per year
Therapist 10 salaries reported	$107,500 per year

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