Grow Therapy Peer-Reviewed Study Shows Cuts Depression, Anxiety

NEW YORK – March 17, 2026 – Grow Therapy (Grow), a mental health platform offering both online and in-person care, today announced the publication of its first peer-reviewed outcomes study in JMIR Formative Research. The large-scale study evaluated real-world outcomes for adults who began therapy with Grow and had elevated symptoms of depression, anxiety, or both. Among the clients who completed follow-up symptom check‑ins, roughly six in ten experienced a clinically meaningful improvement — a change noticeable in daily life rather than ordinary mood fluctuations.

The analysis included more than 200,000 adults who entered care between January 2022 and April 2024, using standardized symptom measures commonly used in clinical practice.

“This peer-reviewed study adds evidence that many people receiving care through Grow see meaningful improvements over the course of care,” said Manoj Kanagaraj, MD, Chief Strategy Officer and Cofounder of Grow Therapy. “That can translate into day to day benefits like better sleep, less persistent anxiety, and feeling more like themselves.”

Validation of care effectiveness in a real-world setting

• Large-scale, real-world evidence. Rather than a small pilot or tightly controlled trial, this study reflects outcomes observed in routine care for hundreds of thousands of adults. It relies on the same standard symptom check‑ins used in many clinical settings, offering practical insight into a common question: when people begin therapy and continue with care, do they tend to improve over time?
• Strong engagement and therapeutic alliance. The study found that nearly 70% of clients continued care beyond the early sessions that are often critical for engagement. This contrasts with industry figures showing 37–45% of patients disengage after only one or two sessions, indicating stronger retention among Grow clients in this cohort.
• Meaningful improvements in depression and anxiety symptoms. Among clients with follow-up check‑ins, about 59% achieved clinically meaningful improvement in depression and about 63% did so for anxiety. In practical terms, many clients moved from more frequent or disruptive symptoms to milder, more manageable ones — for example, less persistent worry, reduced intensity of low mood, or fewer sleep disturbances.

A small, statistically significant edge when patients selected a specialty

Approximately 35% of patients selected a provider specialty before starting care. Specialties included therapist expertise such as trauma‑informed care, cognitive behavioral therapy, or focused experience treating major depression. About 5% of patients selected a provider based on an identity characteristic, such as race/ethnicity, religious affiliation, or sexual orientation.

While most people begin therapy without a detailed plan, those who did select a specialty experienced a modest advantage in early symptom change. For example, among clients with follow-up check‑ins, nearly 60% of those who selected a provider specialty for depression achieved clinically meaningful improvement, compared with about 58% of clients who did not select a specialty. When applied across a large population, this small head start may produce meaningful incremental benefit.

Building on these findings: how Grow is continuing to improve care

The study covers care delivered between 2022 and 2024. Since then, Grow has expanded access and invested in product enhancements aimed at improving engagement and therapist-client fit — two factors that the broader mental health literature ties closely to better outcomes. In 2025, Grow reported a 52% increase in total visit volume, bringing lifetime appointments to 10 million (internal company metrics). Grow also launched Between‑Session Reflections, a tool that lets clients capture themes between sessions and optionally share a summary with their provider; more than 35,000 clients have used this feature to date.

Importantly, Grow is evaluating whether these investments lead to improved engagement and symptom reduction using the same standardized check‑ins used in the peer‑reviewed study and plans to report additional findings in future research.

Media Contact: Kristina McPherson ([email protected])