First Session Health Inc.

What First Session Health Inc. does

First Session Health Inc., founded in 2019 in Toronto and currently headquartered in Victoria, British Columbia, operates a Canadian therapist discovery and booking marketplace that connects individual consumers, couples, and employer benefit plans with licensed mental health professionals. The platform's core product is a self-serve web directory that lets users search and filter therapists by specialization, cultural background, lived experience, modality, language, and insurance coverage, then watch short introductory videos before booking appointments directly online without intake calls or third-party matching. As of November 2025 the platform lists over 200 therapists across all 10 Canadian provinces and 3 territories and has facilitated approximately 30,000 therapy appointments since launch.

The platform is built on third-party infrastructure including Webflow for content management, Acuity Scheduling for booking and calendar management, and Stripe for payment processing, with Microsoft Clarity used for behavioral analytics and Care Portals for client workflow management. Adjacent products include the Therapy 101 educational resource hub, a Therapy Platform Comparison Tool positioning First Session against competitors such as BetterHelp, Talkspace, and Psychology Today, a Workplace Mental Health offering for employer benefit plans, a practitioner-facing recruitment portal where licensed therapists apply to be listed, and a produced Actualize Podcast. Six major Canadian insurers (Sunlife, Canada Life, Manulife, Desjardins, Greenshield, Blue Cross) are listed as direct billing partners, allowing covered sessions through employer group benefits.

First Session monetizes primarily through therapist advertising and featured listing fees, and acts as a billing agent that collects client payments at the time of booking and remits therapist portions on a bi-monthly basis. Individual therapy sessions are priced by therapists at $80–$200 CAD per 50-minute session, with some practitioners offering sliding scale pricing or free consultations. The company is privately held, appears to be bootstrapped with no disclosed institutional funding or public revenue figures, and operates with a small founder-led team under founder Rob Pintwala.

Name

First Session Health Inc.

Legal name

First Session Health Inc.

Website

https://firstsession.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

First Session Health Inc. operates a Canadian online therapist discovery and booking marketplace, connecting individual therapy seekers, couples, and employers with over 200 licensed mental health professionals across all Canadian provinces and territories via a self-serve web platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Mental Health Marketplace

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Offices & Clinics Of Doctors Of Medicine (8011)

akta.pro primary industry

General Mental Health Therapy Platforms (Talk Therapy) (HLALAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Primary Care & General Medicine Virtual Care (Employer-Sponsored) (HLALADAA)

Keywords

• Online therapist directory
• Mental health marketplace
• Therapy booking platform
• Workplace mental health
• Therapist discovery service

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Therapist advertising and featured listings: Mental Healthcare Professionals pay a fee to be advertised, marketed, and/or featured on the Website. First Session acts as billing agent, collecting payments from users at the time of booking and remitting therapist portions on a bi-monthly basis. The platform does not provide therapy itself but earns a commission or listing fee from practitioners.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

First Session is an online therapist discovery and booking marketplace that enables Canadians to search, filter, and book appointments with licensed mental health professionals across Canada. The platform does not provide therapy itself; instead, it acts as a billing agent and listing directory, charging therapists a fee to be advertised, marketed, and featured on the website. Sessions are booked directly on-platform with insurance integration with major Canadian insurers.

Product overview

First Session Health Inc. operates a Canadian therapist discovery marketplace centered on its core Therapist Discovery Platform, which enables users to search, filter, and book appointments with licensed mental health professionals across Canada. The platform is complemented by a Therapy 101 Educational Resource Hub that provides educational content on therapy types, techniques, and insurance coverage. Additional offerings include a Therapy Platform Comparison Tool for competitive analysis, Workplace Mental Health Services for employer benefit plans, and a Practitioner Partner Portal for therapists to create profiles and manage listings. The product architecture combines a consumer-facing marketplace with practitioner tools, supported by direct booking, video profiles, and insurance integration with major Canadian providers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Therapist Discovery Platform An online marketplace connecting Canadians with licensed mental health professionals. Users can search by specialization, cultural background, lived experience, and location; watch video introductions from therapists; and book appointments directly without intake processes or matching quizzes.
• Workplace Mental Health Services Employer-focused offering providing employee access to the First Session therapist network for workplace wellness and employee assistance programs, with sessions covered by group benefit plans from major Canadian insurers including Sunlife, Canada Life, Manulife, Desjardins, Greenshield, and Blue Cross.

Quantifiable outcome

• 30,000 therapy appointments held on the platform since 2019
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Wirth HatsminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 12 March 2026First Session and Wirth Hats launched a limited-edition hat with 100% of proceeds donated to the Wirth Foundation's counseling fund. The collaboration, made in Canada, aims to support mental health therapy through sales of the hat. This is a cause-marketing partnership designed to raise brand awareness and support mental health causes.
• Sunlife InsurancecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSunlife Insurance is listed as a direct insurance coverage partner on the First Session platform. Users whose employer group benefits include Sunlife coverage can use their benefits to cover therapy sessions with First Session therapists, reducing out-of-pocket costs.
• Canada Life InsurancecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCanada Life Insurance is listed as a direct insurance coverage partner on the First Session platform. Users with Canada Life group benefits can apply coverage to therapy sessions booked through First Session.
• Manulife InsurancecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerManulife Insurance is listed as a direct insurance coverage partner on the First Session platform, enabling eligible members to use workplace benefits to cover First Session therapy appointments.
• Desjardins InsurancecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerDesjardins Insurance is listed as a direct insurance coverage partner on the First Session platform, allowing Desjardins members to claim therapy sessions through their group benefits.
• Greenshield InsurancecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerGreenshield Insurance is listed as a direct insurance coverage partner on the First Session platform, enabling members to use extended health benefits to cover therapy sessions.
• Blue Cross InsurancecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerBlue Cross Insurance is listed as a direct insurance coverage partner on the First Session platform, enabling Blue Cross members to apply workplace benefits to therapy sessions.
• Acuity SchedulingcoreTechnology or IntegrationFirst Session uses Acuity Scheduling for appointment booking and scheduling infrastructure. This third-party integration handles session scheduling, calendar management, and booking confirmation for therapy appointments on the platform.
• StripecoreTechnology or IntegrationFirst Session uses Stripe for payment processing and billing services. The platform acts as billing agent, collecting payments at time of booking and remitting therapist portions bi-monthly through Stripe-powered infrastructure.
• WebflowcoreTechnology or IntegrationFirst Session's website and platform are built using Webflow, a web CMS and hosting platform. All web pages, including the therapist directory, blog, and booking interface, are powered by Webflow infrastructure.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Talkspace: Direct competitor offering online therapy and psychiatry via a subscription marketplace model with messaging, audio, and video sessions. Listed by First Session as a comparison target, with overlapping therapist-matching and insurance coverage dynamics.
• Psychology Today: The largest therapist directory globally, operating in Canada as well. First Session positions against it on its comparison page; both monetize therapist listings and serve as discovery/booking entry points for therapy seekers.
• Maple: Canadian virtual care platform providing on-demand access to doctors, mental health practitioners, and specialists. Named in First Session's comparison pages and serves an overlapping Canadian consumer base seeking digital mental health access.
• BetterHelp: Direct competitor operating a global online therapy marketplace connecting users with licensed therapists via subscription-based virtual sessions. Explicitly named by First Session in its comparison pages as a primary competitor for Canadian consumers seeking online therapy.
• Inkblot Therapy: Canadian online therapy platform connecting users with licensed therapists via video sessions. Overlaps with First Session in geography (Canada) and value proposition (online therapy access), targeting similar insurance-covered consumer segments.

Emerging players

• Alma: Therapist network and practice management platform enabling mental health practitioners to accept insurance and run private practices. Comparable on the practitioner-supply side of First Session's marketplace model, though U.S.-focused.
• Lyra Health: Well-capitalized mental health benefits platform focused on employer-sponsored therapy. Comparable to First Session's Workplace Mental Health motion, with deeper enterprise penetration and broader service portfolio in a similar buyer segment.
• Spring Health: Employer-focused mental health platform offering therapy, coaching, and medication management. Comparable to First Session's enterprise motion and a potential competitor in the Canadian workplace benefits space.

Broad incumbents

• Headspace Health: Large mental health and wellness platform offering therapy, coaching, and meditation through B2B and B2C channels. Overlaps with First Session's employer mental health motion and consumer therapy-seeking audience in Canada.
• Telus Health: Incumbent Canadian virtual care platform operated by Telus, offering mental health among broader primary care services. Listed as a competitor by First Session, with the advantage of incumbent telecom-scale distribution and employer relationships.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/firstsessionmh
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/firstsession
• Facebookfacebook.com/firstsessionhealth
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/firstsession
• Instagraminstagram.com/firstsession

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about First Session Health Inc.