My Son and I Tried Online Therapy Through Fort Health and Had a Great Experience

I’ve been having a very tough time finding in-person, in-network therapy for my 6-year-old child. I knew there were teletherapy options out there, but I didn’t believe they could really work for kids. I didn’t think my son would be able to sit and engage for an entire session, but with no other choice, I decided to explore my options—which is how I found Fort Health.

Fort Health specializes in therapy and psychiatry for people ages 4 to 24, which means its providers are not only trained in pediatric mental health, but they also have some tricks up their sleeves to help keep kids engaged. Fort Health also accepts most insurance plans. I decided to give it a try.

I was hoping to find a therapist for my son that would help him open up and learn how to verbalize some of his feelings. I also hoped to find a therapist who could help us create a plan to address some of my behavioral concerns.

My son and I tested Fort Health for about a month, and while I knew I wouldn’t see instant results, I think our provider has us on the right track. Still, my provider knows that I am still looking for an in-person, in-network option in my area. Read on to find out more about my experience.

How I Signed Up for Fort Health

Fort Health services are available in New York and New Jersey, and the company seeks to create an all-in-one approach to family mental healthcare. Though its therapists and psychiatrists specialize in treating children, the providers also make sure that caregivers are involved in the process.

Signing up for Fort Health was quick and easy. I clicked on the “Book free consultation” button and was prompted to choose the state where my child lives and our insurance provider. Currently, Fort Health accepts Aetna, Cigna, Humana, and Optum. I was happy to see that my insurance was accepted, but when I scheduled my first appointment I was told that Fort Health was still “working on” getting in-network coverage. It did offer discounted $50 sessions until the change took place. By the time my son had his initial evaluation the following week, our insurance was accepted and we were billed only for our copay.

The next page asks caregivers to click from a list of what their child is struggling with. The list includes anxiety, depression, ADHD, substance use, sleep issues, social anxiety, social media problems, and more.

The next few pages are lists of symptoms or issues that are more specific based on answers from the previous page. Some of the options included: “Has severe tics, muscle twitching or frequently blurts out words randomly,” “Struggles to stay on topic in conversation,” “Has uncontrollable outbursts of anger that cause or threaten physical harm to themselves, others, or their surroundings,” and  ”Has difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep.”

Finally, the last page asks about history such as mental health hospitalizations and traumatic events. Once I was finished completing these pages—which took less than five minutes—I was taken to a scheduling page where I could choose a date and time for my free 15-minute consultation. The first available appointment was two days away.

I received a phone call for my 15-minute consultation from someone at Fort Health who asked about my insurance, what kind of sessions I was looking for—therapy or psychiatry—and my preferred availability. The call took roughly five minutes. From there our intake session was scheduled.

I received intake forms that asked basic questions about my child’s pronouns, gender assigned at birth, and birth date, and an email confirmation once my provider created my son's profile. I also received an invite to join Healthie, which is the software Fort Health uses to keep track of appointments and allow me to leave messages for our provider.

The biggest downside of Fort Health is its cancellation policy. Appointments can be canceled or rescheduled with 48 hours' notice for no fee, but I did have to reschedule an appointment and received a message from Fort Health that after two rescheduled or canceled appointments, patients may forfeit their time slot. I found this to be particularly strict, as school holidays are frequent throughout the year, and families with children face illness and other obstacles. If the cancellation is before the 48-hour window and isn't a frequent occurrence, I think Fort Health should be a little more flexible with families seeking mental healthcare for their children.

Therapist Qualifications 

Fort Health was created with the independent nonprofit Child Mind Institute, which is “dedicated to transforming the lives of children and families struggling with mental health and learning disorders by giving them the help they need.” According to Fort Health, this partnership increases access to evidence-based care. The Fort Health website explains that its clinical team receives four weeks of additional clinical training in the findings of the Child Mind Institute to better prepare them for working with children. However, the site does not get into any of the details as to what this extra training involves.

The Fort Health homepage features bios of some clinicians. They include licensed child therapists and child and adolescent psychiatrists. Patients do not choose their provider; however, they are paired based on the availability of a provider that matches their needs. Most of the provider bios on the site are female, so I expected to be paired with a female provider, which we were, though I did not have a gender preference.

How Therapy Sessions Work at Fort Health

Fort Health offers virtual video therapy via Zoom. Through Healthie, the HIPAA-compliant online portal, I could message my child's therapist, receive assignments, and keep track of appointments and billing. 

Sessions are 55 minutes long, which felt a little daunting for a six-year-old. However, in the first few sessions, the provider helped me and my child figure out what worked for us in terms of how long to spend the session together before I left him on his own to work with the therapist.

We also discussed the possibility of skipping the biweekly sessions and using some of his 55-minute sessions to track progress. This was a good option in the event that he could not engage with his therapist for the full session.

My son was shy when he first met his therapist online, but she was warm and able to engage him in conversation. He and I both have experience with in-person therapy and that remains my preference, though I was pleasantly surprised at how well he reacted to his therapist during his Zoom sessions.

When discussing some of his behavioral challenges, she was able to offer my son options, rather than giving us one-size-fits-all solutions. Anyone with kids knows that options help them to feel like they are in control, which can be a big point of contention with young children. 

We had five appointments, including two caregiver’s appointments for me. Our therapist sent us some homework worksheets, including a list of rewards for some behaviors we discussed. I received these documents through Healthie. My son did not exhibit any behavioral changes during our month with Fort Health, but he did engage with his therapist and with homework assignments, including a weekly worksheet called “My Emotions at Home.” My son would color in whichever emotions he felt that day. The list included: Anger, fear, surprise, happiness, and sadness.

We were also able to schedule my son’s session around his school and extracurricular activity schedule and plan for my caregiver sessions during the time that worked best for me.

Pros & Cons

Fort Health is only available in three states; it accepts nine insurance plans in New York, all plans in New Jersey, and four plans in Pennsylvania. While this limits availability for most people seeking pediatric mental healthcare, I am lucky to be in-network and had a great overall experience.

Final Thoughts

If I have to settle for virtual therapy for my child, I think that Fort Health is the right service for us. I like that it accepts our insurance, which is very important for my family. Out-of-network providers are not financially sustainable for us. I also like that its providers receive extra clinical training before they can work with patients at Fort Health. I immediately felt like our provider had the tools to work with a child my son’s age. She was goal-oriented and offered realistic advice and solutions to my concerns while also effectively engaging my son.

As I’ve said previously, I still believe that in-person therapy is most effective for young children and would choose that option if it were available, but I think that Fort Health offers flexible scheduling and providers that know how to work with kids. I would recommend Fort Health to other parents looking for therapy or psychiatry for their child.