# Cerebral **Source:** https://geo.sig.ai/brands/cerebral-io **Vertical:** Mental Health Tech **Subcategory:** Online Psychiatry & Therapy **Tier:** Challenger **Website:** cerebral.com **Last Updated:** 2026-04-14 ## Summary Online mental health platform for therapy, medication management, and psychiatry, San Francisco CA, raised $300M+. Serves anxiety, depression, ADHD, and insomnia. ## Company Overview Cerebral is a San Francisco, California-based online mental health company founded in 2020 that offers therapy, psychiatric evaluations, and medication management through a telehealth platform. The company raised over $300 million, achieving unicorn status in 2021 during a period of rapid growth, and serves patients with conditions including anxiety, depression, ADHD, insomnia, and bipolar disorder through a subscription-based access model.\n\nCerebral's model is designed to make psychiatric care and therapy more accessible than traditional in-person services by offering online intake, same-week appointments with licensed clinicians, electronic prescriptions, and medication delivery through pharmacy partners. The platform serves both self-pay and insurance-covered patients, having expanded insurance contracting significantly to reduce cost barriers. Cerebral employs a large clinician workforce of therapists and psychiatric nurse practitioners operating across most US states.\n\nThe company navigated a period of regulatory and reputational scrutiny in 2022–2023 related to prescribing practices and marketing claims, which led to leadership changes, workforce restructuring, and a strategic refocus on clinical quality and compliance. Cerebral has since invested in clinical governance infrastructure, stricter prescribing protocols, and transparent outcomes reporting. The company continues to compete with Talkspace, Done, and Done Global in the online psychiatry and therapy market, and has repositioned around a more clinically rigorous, insurance-first approach following the operational challenges of its hypergrowth phase. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What mental health conditions does Cerebral treat? Cerebral treats anxiety, depression, ADHD, insomnia, bipolar disorder, and other mental health conditions through a combination of therapy, psychiatric evaluation, and medication management delivered via telehealth. ### Does Cerebral accept insurance? Yes, Cerebral has significantly expanded its insurance contracting and accepts major commercial health plans in most US states, in addition to self-pay options with transparent pricing. ### How quickly can someone get an appointment on Cerebral? Cerebral offers same-week appointments for most services including therapy and psychiatric evaluation, with initial visits typically available within a few days of completing online intake. ### What is Cerebral and what services does it offer? Cerebral is an online mental health platform offering therapy, psychiatric evaluation, and medication management for adults and adolescents, delivered via telehealth. Patients can access licensed therapists for talk therapy and board-certified prescribers for psychiatric evaluation, diagnosis, and prescription management — all through Cerebral's app and portal. ### What controversy has Cerebral faced? In 2022, the DEA and HHS launched an investigation into Cerebral's prescribing practices for controlled substances (primarily stimulants for ADHD) following a Wall Street Journal report. Cerebral subsequently stopped prescribing most controlled substances and faced class action lawsuits related to data privacy (sharing user data with advertising platforms). The company restructured leadership and reduced its workforce during 2022–2023. ### How does Cerebral's medication management service work? After an initial psychiatric evaluation with a Cerebral prescriber, eligible patients receive an ongoing medication management subscription — monthly check-in appointments with a prescriber who monitors medication effectiveness, adjusts dosages, and provides refill prescriptions. Prescriptions are sent electronically to the patient's local pharmacy or via mail-order. ### What is Cerebral's current service offering after restructuring? After restructuring in 2022-2023, Cerebral continues to offer therapy and medication management for non-controlled substance conditions including depression, anxiety, insomnia, and bipolar disorder. The company expanded insurance acceptance, improved clinical oversight protocols, and refocused on sustainable growth after rapid expansion created quality and compliance challenges. ### How does Cerebral's therapy service work? Cerebral clients are matched with licensed therapists for video therapy sessions, typically starting with an initial evaluation followed by ongoing weekly or biweekly sessions. Clients can communicate with their therapist between sessions via secure messaging, and can switch therapists if the initial match isn't the right fit — providing more flexibility than traditional private practice arrangements. ## Tags b2b2c, b2c, healthtech, mobile-first, platform, scaleup, services, us-only --- *Data from geo.sig.ai Brand Intelligence Database. Updated 2026-04-14.*