Valera Health

What Valera Health does

Valera Health is a Brooklyn-based virtual behavioral health company founded in 2015 by Dr. Thomas Tsang that delivers inclusive, tech-enabled mental health care to individuals aged 12 and older across 10 U.S. states. The company operates a B2B2C and direct-to-consumer model, distributing services through in-network status with 12+ major commercial, Medicaid, and Medicare health plans (including Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, Humana, and UnitedHealthcare/Optum), as well as through healthcare provider referrals and direct patient onboarding via its website. Valera differentiates by deliberately serving high-acuity populations — including individuals with serious mental illness (approximately 30% of patients), suicide risk (a dedicated 12-week suicide intervention program with a companion behavior-change app), and adolescents and young adults via the Youth Nominated Support Team (YST) program — that most other virtual outpatient platforms decline to treat. More than 50% of patients come from BIPOC communities and 44% of visits serve Medicaid or Medicare beneficiaries.

The company delivers care through a telehealth platform offering individual therapy (CBT, DBT, and other evidence-based modalities), group therapy, psychiatry, and medication management, supported by a patient dashboard with secure messaging and televideo. The clinical model relies on a network of more than 250 predominantly full-time clinicians trained in evidence-based treatments, with team-based care coordination and dedicated care coordinators. The May 2025 acquisition of Vita Health extended capabilities into virtual suicide risk reduction for teens, young adults, college students, and veterans. Valera has raised over $73M cumulatively, including a $44.5M growth equity round in October 2022 led by Heritage Group with Cigna Ventures and Horizon Healthcare Services, and is positioning toward value-based care contracts with health plans based on clinical quality and HEDIS behavioral health metrics. In October 2025, Ralph Derrickson was appointed CEO, succeeding Craig Albright who transitioned to an advisory role.

Name

Valera Health

Legal name

Valera Health, Inc.

Website

https://valerahealth.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Valera Health is a Brooklyn-based virtual mental health company that delivers therapy, psychiatry, medication management, and suicide prevention services to patients aged 12+ across 10 U.S. states, with a deliberate focus on high-acuity, Medicaid/Medicare, and BIPOC populations largely underserved by other virtual platforms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Virtual Behavioral Health Services

NAICS

Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (621420), Offices of Mental Health Practitioners (except Physicians) (621330)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Behavioral Health & Psychiatry Virtual Care (Payer Network) (HLALACAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Virtual Behavioral Health Integration Platforms (HLALABAE)

Keywords

• Virtual mental health
• Telehealth psychiatry
• Behavioral health services
• Suicide prevention program
• Evidence-based therapy

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Insurance Reimbursement: Valera Health accepts most major insurance plans including commercial, Medicaid, and Medicare health plans. The company is in-network with Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, Humana, UnitedHealthcare/Optum, Point32Health, HealthFirst, MetroPlus Health, MVP, Oscar, CDPHP, and Carelon. Services are billed through insurance, making care accessible and affordable for patients.
2. Health Plan Partnerships: Partnerships with health plans to provide mental health services to their members. The company works toward value-based care contracts emphasizing clinical quality and has experience helping health plans achieve top HEDIS scores for behavioral health measures.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Valera Health provides virtual mental health services including individual therapy, group therapy, psychiatry, and medication management for individuals aged 12 and older across 10 U.S. states. Services are delivered through a HIPAA-compliant telehealth platform by 250+ in-house clinicians trained in evidence-based treatments like CBT and DBT, with specialized programs including suicide intervention, Youth Nominated Support Team (YST), and DBT skills training. The company is in-network with major commercial, Medicaid, and Medicare insurance plans and accepts self-referrals through online onboarding as well as referrals from healthcare providers.

Product overview

Valera Health is a virtual mental health platform offering a unified suite of services for individuals aged 12 and older. The core platform provides virtual access to individual therapy, group therapy, psychiatry, and medication management. Specialized programs include a Suicide Intervention Program, Youth Nominated Support Team (YST), and DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) skills training. The platform integrates these services through a patient dashboard with secure messaging, televideo, and care coordination tools. Following the May 2025 acquisition of Vita Health, the combined organization serves patients across ten states with over 250 clinicians, expanding capabilities in acute behavioral health and suicide prevention for adolescents and young adults.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Therapy Services Individual virtual therapy sessions delivered by Valera Health providers for conditions including mild to moderate depression, anxiety, PTSD, ADHD, OCD, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, grief counseling, and LGBTQIA+ mental health issues. Includes multiple therapy modalities including CBT, DBT, and specialized programs, scheduled through the patient dashboard.
• Medication Management Individualized medication treatment plans created following comprehensive review of medical and medication history, with board-certified provider consultations and pharmacist follow-up support to ensure patients access appropriate medications for their mental health conditions.
• Group Therapy Virtual group therapy sessions offered in New York and Washington for Anxiety/Depression, ADHD, Grief/Loss, DBT Skills, and Multi-Family DBT. Groups run in recurring 8-12 week cycles with most sessions meeting virtually.
• Suicide Intervention Program A 12-week therapy-based suicide intervention program pairing patients with expert providers for weekly one-on-one telehealth sessions combined with a customized behavior change app featuring personalized thought diary, daily skill-practice reminders, crisis resources, and learning videos. Demonstrated 60% reduction in suicide attempts, 80% reduction in suicide deaths, and 88% reduction in suicide risk in college cohort.
• Youth Nominated Support Team (YST) Virtual service for youth aged 12-24 that empowers them to build a team of caring adults who encourage and support their recovery. A YST therapist helps youth choose two to four caring adults who attend weekly sessions to learn skills to support the youth.
• DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) Evidence-based therapeutic approach with four core modules (Mindfulness, Distress Tolerance, Emotion Regulation, Interpersonal Effectiveness) that helps patients navigate intense emotions, improve relationships, and build fulfilling lives. Effective for borderline personality disorder, PTSD, depression, anxiety, and substance use disorders.
• Vita Health (Virtual Suicide Risk Reduction Service) Acquired virtual psychiatric service specializing in suicide risk reduction for teens and young adults, college students, and veterans. Provides scientifically validated behavioral health care pathways proven to reduce suicide attempts and deaths. The combined organization operates under Valera Health with over 250 predominantly full-time clinicians trained in evidence-based treatments like CBT and DBT.

Quantifiable outcome

• 60% reduction in suicide attempts
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Vita HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 May 2025Acquired by Valera Health in May 2025. Vita Health was a pioneer in virtual suicide risk reduction services with expertise in acute behavioral health. The acquisition expanded Valera's clinical capabilities, especially in suicide prevention for teens and young adults, and added specialized programs to the combined organization.
• AetnacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIn-network insurance partner. Valera Health accepts Aetna insurance plans, making mental health services accessible to Aetna members at standard copays.
• Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIn-network insurance partner. Valera Health accepts Blue Cross Blue Shield plans, making mental health services accessible to BCBS members.
• CignacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIn-network insurance partner. Valera Health accepts Cigna insurance plans including through Cigna Ventures investment.
• HumanacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIn-network insurance partner. Valera Health accepts Humana insurance plans, making mental health services accessible to Humana members.
• UnitedHealthcare OptumcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIn-network insurance partner. Valera Health accepts UnitedHealthcare and Optum plans, making mental health services accessible to their members.
• Point32HealthcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIn-network insurance partner. Valera Health accepts Point32Health insurance plans.
• HealthFirstcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIn-network insurance partner. Valera Health accepts HealthFirst insurance plans.
• MetroPlus HealthcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIn-network insurance partner. Valera Health accepts MetroPlus Health insurance plans.
• MVP Health CarecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIn-network insurance partner. Valera Health accepts MVP health insurance plans.
• Oscar HealthcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIn-network insurance partner. Valera Health accepts Oscar health insurance plans.
• Capital District Physician's Health Plan (CDPHP)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIn-network insurance partner. Valera Health accepts CDPHP insurance plans.
• CareloncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIn-network behavioral health partner. Valera Health accepts Carelon behavioral health plans.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lyra Health: Lyra Health is a virtual mental health platform serving employers and health plans with therapy, coaching, and psychiatry services. It is a direct competitor to Valera in the payer-sponsored and employer-sponsored virtual behavioral health category, though it skews more toward employer channels.
• Spring Health: Spring Health provides virtual mental health benefits to employers and health plans, offering therapy, coaching, and psychiatry. It directly competes with Valera's payer-channel model and is similarly pursuing value-based care contracts with measurable outcomes.
• Talkspace: Talkspace is a publicly-traded virtual therapy platform providing individual and couples therapy through messaging and video. It is a direct competitor in virtual behavioral health delivery, particularly for insurance-reimbursed therapy visits.
• Headway: Headway is a network and software platform that helps therapists accept insurance and run virtual or in-network practices. It competes with Valera on the supply side of in-network virtual therapy and overlaps on payer-contracted mental health services.
• Cerebral: Cerebral is a virtual mental health company offering therapy and medication management for anxiety, depression, and ADHD. It competes directly with Valera on insurance-reimbursed virtual psychiatry and therapy, although Cerebral has historically skewed toward lower-acuity commercial patients.
• Brightside Health: Brightside Health is a telehealth provider focused on anxiety and depression treatment through therapy and medication management. It is comparable to Valera on virtual, evidence-based mental health delivery with insurance and payer contracts.
• Done. Done. (formerly Done First) is a telehealth provider specializing in ADHD treatment, including therapy and medication management. It competes in the virtual mental health and psychiatry space where Valera also delivers care, though with a narrower clinical focus.
• Two Chairs: Two Chairs is a hybrid in-person and virtual therapy provider offering evidence-based care (including CBT and DBT) with a strong clinical-match focus. It overlaps with Valera on evidence-based virtual therapy delivery and payer contracting.
• Alma: Alma is a network and practice platform helping independent therapists accept insurance and grow their practices. It is comparable to Valera on building in-network virtual therapy capacity, though its model is more marketplace-oriented.
• Grow Therapy: Grow Therapy is a therapist-network platform that helps providers accept insurance and run virtual or in-person practices. It is comparable to Valera on the supply-side infrastructure for in-network virtual behavioral health.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/valerahealth
• Facebookfacebook.com/valerahealth
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/valera-health
• Instagraminstagram.com/valerahealth

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds8 records

Investors20 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Valera Health