Growing Self Review: Tried And Tested

Growing Self is a virtual counseling and coaching company that specializes in relationships, personal growth and career development (in-person sessions are available at the company’s two Colorado offices). Offering online couples counseling and coaching, premarital counseling, therapy and life coaching, career coaching, “heartbreak recovery” and dating coaching, this service may appeal to those looking for results-driven care rather than support for chronic or ongoing mental health concerns.

Key Features

• Offers a free consultation with a therapist or coach of your choice before committing to work together
• Rates per session depend on the experience level of the professional: Doctoral, advanced (licensed mental health professionals) or master’s
• Group sessions and love and relationship classes also available through the Growing Self website

Growing Self is a group therapy practice founded in 2005 in Colorado by Lisa Marie Bobbie, Ph.D., a licensed psychologist and family and marriage therapist. The company’s many services are categorized under the pillars of “Love,” “Happiness” and “Success,” and each therapist specializes in couples counseling or career coaching, among other specialties. Growing Self provides in-person coaching in its Denver and Broomfield, Colorado offices, as well as virtual sessions for clients across the country.

Pros	Cons
• Sliding scale, income-based rates available • No subscription fee or contract required • Website features comprehensive background information of each expert • Company offers a wide variety of therapy and coaching services • Virtual classes and group therapy sessions available (for an additional fee) • Website offers free self-assessment quizzes and a library of online educational resources	• Most coaching/ therapy sessions are not eligible for insurance reimbursement • No messaging system available for contact with your coach or therapist between sessions • Sessions are only 45 minutes long • May not appeal to users looking for a traditional therapy service • Finding concrete answers on its website (such as the cost per session) is challenging

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• Accessibility: Growing Self does not accept insurance. However, the company can provide a superbill (a detailed list of all services provided) for insurance reimbursement to some clients who have a diagnosable psychiatric condition and receive psychotherapy (instead of coaching) from a Growing Self therapist.
• Cost: Pricing ranges from $125 to $170 per 45-minute session, with income-based sliding scale options as low as $85 per session.
• Experience: To begin virtual therapy or coaching with Growing Self, a brief online survey leads a prospective client to a recommended coach, as well as times available for a free consultation. Each therapy session is 45 minutes long, and the number of sessions/treatment plans is determined between the therapist and the client.

Signing up for a coaching or therapy session with Growing Self requires a few simple steps:

• Navigate to the company’s homepage (growingself.com).
• Select either the orange “Get Started” button on the upper right side of the page or the green “Begin Your Journey” button located front and center, both of which lead to the landing page of a brief survey.
• Clicking “Start” prompts you to select your desired type of therapy or coaching.
• Once you’ve determined your desired service, you can briefly describe some specifics about what you hope to achieve or discuss and your preferred type of session (online or in-person for those who live near one of the company’s Colorado locations).
• Select the state in which you live, and then fill out your contact details (full name and email address).
• At this point, you’ll reach a screen where the algorithm provides you with a recommended provider, as well as a calendar where you can schedule a free, 30-minute consultation.
• The company also sends two suggested professionals to the provided email address.
• You can book your consultation immediately, or you can choose to navigate to the expert bios and book a free consultation with a provider of your choice.

After scheduling your free consultation, you receive a confirmation of your appointment in your email along with a Zoom link for the day and time of the meeting. A member of the Growing Self team also sends a general introductory email advising how to make the most of your initial consultation with your provider, such as asking about their expertise and preferred therapy or coaching strategies and explaining what you hope to gain from coaching sessions in detail.

During the free consultation, your provider introduces themselves, describes how Growing Self works, listens to more personal details from you and, if it feels like a good fit, schedules your first session of therapy or coaching. The provider also explains the fees per session and the difference between psychotherapy/counseling and coaching—the latter of which is not covered by insurance.

Users must sign a few documents ahead of their initial session, including an acknowledgment of Growing Self privacy practices, as well as upload payment information.

From there, you and your therapist or coach can begin private sessions, establishing a cadence and routine unique to your individual goals, needs and budget.

Growing Self charges users per session at the time of service, and prices vary based on a number of factors, including the provider’s expertise and education level:

Expertise Level	Qualifications	Cost Per Session	Sliding Scale Cost Per Session
Doctoral	Ph.D., extensive experience and expertise in evidence-based therapy	$170	Not listed
Advanced	Experience and expertise in evidence-based therapy	$145	$105
Master’s	Advanced degrees in counseling or psychology and expertise in evidence-based therapy	$125	$85

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Coaching and therapy sessions with Growing Self providers aren’t typically covered by insurance. As Growing Self therapists don’t focus on diagnosing and treating psychiatric conditions, sessions aren’t considered medically necessary, according to information on the Growing Self website.

In certain cases, Growing Self can provide a superbill for insurance reimbursement (in which the individual receiving care pays upfront and submits documentation to the insurance company on their own). To qualify for a superbill, one must have a diagnosable psychiatric condition and receive psychotherapy rather than coaching, as well as insurance that covers out-of-network providers. The individual also needs to see a therapist licensed to practice in the state in which they reside.

Growing Self offers an array of therapy and coaching services, uniquely specializing in relationships and career development, according to the company. Specific areas of coaching focus include:

• Couples or relationship counseling
• Premarital counseling
• Individual therapy and life coaching
• Dating coaching
• Divorce/breakup recovery

Private coaching sessions are held via HIPAA-compliant Zoom meetings or in person for residents near the Growing Self offices in both Denver and Broomfield, Colorado. The company also offers “solution sessions,” which are designed to help clients work through a solution-focused concern (without establishing a longer-term plan with their provider). Clients can choose between three categories of solution sessions: Love, Happiness and Success.

A variety of additional in-person and virtual group sessions are also available. These are meant to be more affordable than private coaching and include a premarital “Lifetime of Love,” group and a divorce and breakup coaching group. Meanwhile, there are also three “Transformational” courses offered, each consisting of several online classes, including a happiness course, a course for healing a broken heart and a dating course. Further information can also be found on Growing Self’s blog and The Love, Happiness and Success podcast. Free quizzes are also available to help users understand more about themselves and their relationships.

If a client or potential client needs assistance with scheduling, a connection coordinator is always available, according to the website.

“This practice seems to care about the quality of care they provide and take matching to a therapist seriously,” says Yasmine Saad, Ph.D., a New York City-based licensed clinical psychologist and founder/CEO of Madison Park Psychological Services. “They have good reviews, so not knowing anything about them apart from reviewing their website, I would give them a go,” she adds.

Life coaches aren’t trained or equipped to treat clinical presentations, such as depression or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to Dr. Saad, adding that most therapists have shifted the way they practice to be more results-driven, similar to life coaching. Life coaching can be effective when paired with therapy, she says.

“You can find a therapist who has both clinical skills and life coaching skills, or you can focus on clinical skills with your therapist and have a life coach [as well],” says Dr. Saad. “They work in tandem very nicely, either within the same therapeutic setting or with two different providers.”

As all Growing Self providers are licensed therapists or counselors (often with specific training in marriage and family counseling) in addition to being life coaches, users may experience a holistic coaching approach that draws from both fields, according to the company.

The initial steps to get started with Growing Self were simple to complete. I selected “Individual Therapy/Life Coaching” for the type of service I was interested in, as I’m currently navigating significant life events. Decision-making has never been my strong suit, and I thought working one-on-one with a therapist or coach would help me in that process.

I was matched with a therapist after answering a brief series of demographic questions, and his calendar indicated available dates and times for a free consultation. Assuming this was the provider the algorithm chose for me, I selected a time that worked for my schedule. Before the initial consultation, I received an email from Growing Self with two additional therapist recommendations, which was a bit confusing, however, I decided to stick with the original provider.

I found the free consultation to be informative, and there weren’t any connectivity issues (I’ve had several virtual therapy sessions via other therapy platforms with grainy or lagging internet connections). The provider explained a bit more about Growing Self as a company, emphasizing it’s considered coaching versus therapy, as they don’t focus on diagnosing mental health conditions. At the end of the consultation, we scheduled an initial session for the following week.

I was matched with a doctoral-level professional, so the rate was $170 for a single session (a bit pricey, in my opinion). He was very nice, with a calming and intelligent demeanor, and I could tell he was listening keenly to what I had to say. Given it was our first session, and it was only 45 minutes long, much of the meeting was occupied with general “getting to know you” conversation topics. At the end of the session, my provider recommended a few writing prompts intended to help me focus on my values and goals. Though I enjoyed the session, I don’t feel I’m able to fairly assess the results, as I think it would take at least two or three sessions to identify concrete goals and experience deeper insights and advice from my therapist (and witness results in my own life).

Overall, I had a positive experience with Growing Self, though I don’t believe its offerings are right for me at this point in time. If I were in the middle of a family or relationship crisis or had specific personal, romantic or professional growth goals, I would probably reach out again, though I would likely request a provider with lower rates.

Based on website reviews, clients seem pleased with their results. One former client who gave Growing Self a 5-star rating wrote, “I feel safe to open up my issues to my coach, and she has assisted me to move forward. I managed to break the fence by thinking that this is [an] investment for myself to make real change.”