One place you might assume is safe from prying ears is your therapy session. 

But as more therapists struggle to negotiate with insurers, they’re turning to tech middlemen like BetterHelp and Headway that promise to take care of the insurance admin and match them with patients. 

And these companies are sometimes recording and transcribing your sessions — and then turning around and sharing that data with social media companies and investors. And there are concerns that these confidential discussions could be used to train the next generation of chatbot therapists.

So this week, we’re bringing you an episode from our pals at Organized Money, a show about corporate consolidation and monopolies, where they speak with Linda Michaels, a psychologist and co-founder of the Psychotherapy Action Network, about the tech companies sneaking into your therapy sessions and how we got here.

And they share some good news: How one state, Illinois, passed a law in 2025 that could be a national model for encouraging more therapists to stay in-network, and ultimately, reduce reliance on these platforms. 

For more on mental health coverage: Check out our episode about Abigail Burman, an attorney and expert on mental health “ghost networks” — lists of providers that turn out to be filled with inaccuracies, making it difficult for patients to get in-network care. Plus we have a whole guide from Burman on “ghostbusting” — AKA, getting your insurance to cover your mental health care. That’s in our First Aid Kit newsletter.

Here’s a transcript of this episode. We’ll be back with more Arm and a Leg in a few weeks. 

Send your stories and questions. Or call 724 ARM-N-LEG.

Of course we’d love for you to support this show.

One place you might assume is safe from prying ears is your therapy session.&nbsp;
But as more therapists struggle to negotiate with insurers, they&rsquo;re turning to tech middlemen like BetterHelp and Headway that promise to take care of the insurance admin and match them with patients.&nbsp;
And these companies are sometimes recording and transcribing your sessions &mdash; and then turning around and sharing that data with social media companies and investors. And there are concerns that these confidential discussions could be used to train the next generation of chatbot therapists.
So this week, we&rsquo;re bringing you an episode from our pals at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.organizedmoney.fm/">Organized Money</a>, a show about corporate consolidation and monopolies, where they speak with Linda Michaels, a psychologist and co-founder of the <a href="https://www.psian.org/">Psychotherapy Action Network,</a> about the tech companies sneaking into your therapy sessions and how we got here.
And they share some good news: How one state, Illinois, <a href="https://www.ilga.gov/ftp/legislation/104/BillStatus/HTML/10400HB1085.html">passed a law</a> in 2025 that could be a national model for encouraging more therapists to stay in-network, and ultimately, reduce reliance on these platforms.&nbsp;
For more on mental health coverage: Check out&nbsp;<a href="https://armandalegshow.com/episode/therapy/">our episode about Abigail Burman</a>, an attorney and expert on mental health &ldquo;ghost networks&rdquo; &mdash; lists of providers that turn out to be filled with inaccuracies, making it difficult for patients to get in-network care. Plus we have a whole guide from Burman on &ldquo;ghostbusting&rdquo; &mdash; AKA, getting your insurance to cover your mental health care. That&rsquo;s in <a href="https://armandalegshow.com/first-aid-kit/getting-insurance-to-pay-for-therapy">our First Aid Kit newsletter</a>.
<a href="https://armandalegshow.com/episode/therapy-organized-money/#transcript">Here&rsquo;s a transcript</a> of this episode. We&rsquo;ll be back with more Arm and a Leg in a few weeks.&nbsp;
<a href="https://armandalegshow.com/contact/">Send your stories and questions.</a> Or call 724 ARM-N-LEG.
Of course we&rsquo;d love for you to<a href="https://armandalegshow.com/support/"> support this show</a>.

An Arm and a Leg is a podcast about why health care costs so freaking much and what we can (maybe) do about it.

If you’ve ever been surprised by a medical bill, you’re in good company. But as our team of seasoned journalists has learned from years of reporting — you’re not always helpless. We don’t have all the answers, but we’ll offer you tools and big picture insights with plenty of humor and heart. 

An Arm and a Leg is co-produced with KFF Health News and distributed in partnership with KUOW.

You can support An Arm and a Leg by donating at armandalegshow.com/support/

Show Credits: Created, hosted, and produced by Dan Weissmann with senior producer Emily Pisacreta and engagement producer Claire Davenport, edited by Ellen Weiss. Audio wizard: Adam Raymonda. Music is by Dave Weiner and Blue Dot Sessions. Bea Bosco is our consulting director of operations. Lynne Johnson is our operations manager.

An Arm and a Leg&nbsp;is a podcast about why health care costs so freaking much and what we can (maybe) do about it.
If you&rsquo;ve ever been surprised by a medical bill, you&rsquo;re in good company. But as our team of seasoned journalists has learned from years of reporting &mdash; you&rsquo;re not always helpless. We don&rsquo;t have all the answers, but we&rsquo;ll offer you tools and big picture insights with plenty of humor and heart.&nbsp;
An Arm and a Leg is co-produced with <a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/">KFF Health News</a> and distributed in partnership with <a href="https://www.kuow.org/">KUOW</a>.
You can support An Arm and a Leg&nbsp;by donating at <a href="https://armandalegshow.com/support/">armandalegshow.com/support/</a>
<hr>
Show Credits:&nbsp;Created, hosted, and produced by Dan Weissmann with senior producer Emily Pisacreta and engagement producer Claire Davenport, edited by Ellen Weiss. Audio wizard: Adam Raymonda. Music is by Dave Weiner and Blue Dot Sessions. Bea Bosco is our consulting director of operations. Lynne Johnson is our operations manager.