Allswell

Allswell (operating as Allswell Health PBC) is a virtual mental health provider delivering trauma-informed, LGBTQ+-affirming therapy to queer, trans and gender-diverse adults. Care combines weekly one-on-one video sessions with a dedicated licensed therapist and peer group sessions focused on identity, trauma and skills building, supported by digital tools such as journaling prompts and between-session worksheets. Clinical work is primarily led by social workers and grounded in affirmative cognitive behavioral therapy, with cognitive processing therapy and EMDR used for trauma; clients with higher-acuity needs are referred to external provider partners.

Onboarding begins with a free 15-minute consultation, followed by an intake session with a licensed therapist who develops a personalized care plan, then weekly sessions and matching into peer groups. The practice frames its clinical focus around identity-based trauma and minority stress, citing evidence that up to 48% of LGBTQ+ individuals meet diagnostic criteria for PTSD versus up to 8% of the general population. Areas of stated specialization include trauma and PTSD, gender identity and transition, sexuality, coming out, polyamory and non-monogamy, kink, dating and relationships, anxiety, depression, grief, body image, neurodiversity, racial identity, chronic illness and disability, and workplace stress. Mike Parent, principal researcher at Hopelab, serves as clinical advisor and guides the clinical approach; some Allswell therapists train with him directly.

The therapist network spans provisionally and fully licensed clinicians (LMSW, LGSW, LGPC, LCSW-C, LCPC, LPC, RMFT, Residents in Counseling and others) licensed in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, DC. Therapists are screened for experience with diverse LGBTQ+ populations and must complete additional training modules designed by the nonprofit OutCare Health. The company describes itself as queer-led, with staff that is 62% BIPOC, 24% transgender or gender nonconforming, and 62% neurodivergent.

Founding story

Co-founder and CEO Dawn Androphy was inspired to start Allswell while at Stanford Business School, where a course on entrepreneurship for societal health highlighted the private sector's potential to address social challenges; she conducted hundreds of interviews with healthcare consumers there. Androphy has over a decade of LGBTQ+ advocacy experience, including volunteering with Lambert House, a Seattle nonprofit supporting queer youth, where she observed that people navigating mental health on Medicaid were unable to access care designed for them. Co-founder and CTO Connor Gordon holds a B.S. in computer science from Duke University and spent over a decade in software development and product management at companies including Microsoft, Redfin and Scout.

Business model

Allswell operates as a virtual therapy practice that contracts licensed and pre-licensed therapists as independent contractors paid per session, sourcing all clients on their behalf and handling logistics, scheduling, supervision and training. Therapists set their own hours and caseload, receive no-cost supervision where required, free continuing education credits through Violet, and bonus eligibility above 10 Allswell clients per week. The company is structured as a public benefit corporation (Allswell Health PBC).

Revenue comes primarily from insurance reimbursement: Allswell is in-network with Medicaid and commercial payers including Aetna, AmeriHealth, CareFirst, Cigna, MedStar, Priority Partners, Sentara and UnitedHealthcare. Medicaid members pay $0 per session and commercial members pay $10–$25 per session on average. Self-pay and out-of-network clients are charged $175 for the initial welcome session, $125 for ongoing support sessions and $40 for group therapy sessions, with monthly superbills provided for reimbursement; the company also accepts cash pay.

Traction

Allswell reports serving 100+ LGBTQ+ clients in the DMV region and lists roughly three dozen therapists across Maryland, Virginia and DC. Outcome figures published on its site state 79% of clients experienced a reduction in depression and 72% a reduction in anxiety after 60+ days of care, as measured by PHQ-9 and GAD-7 (data updated March 25, 2026); an earlier company statement reported 83% of patients seeing reduced depression symptoms over four to eight weeks. It is listed on the Techstars job board at 1–10 employees and seed stage.

Latest developments

Allswell announced a $1.3 million pre-seed round led by Amboy Street Ventures in October 2025, earmarked for multi-state expansion, deeper digital and clinical offerings and therapist network growth, including plans to build AI-enabled versions of its between-session journaling and worksheet tools. The company has since gone live in Washington, DC and Virginia in addition to Maryland and says additional states are planned.