Grow Therapy has published its first peer-reviewed outcomes study, reporting that most patients receiving care through its platform experienced clinically meaningful improvements in symptoms of depression and anxiety.

The study, published in JMIR Formative Research, analysed data from more than 200,000 adults who began therapy through Grow between January 2022 and April 2024, making it one of the largest real-world evaluations of mental health outcomes reported by a digital care platform.

Among patients who completed follow-up symptom assessments, around 59% showed clinically meaningful improvement in depression symptoms, while 63% achieved meaningful improvement in anxiety symptoms.

The company said these improvements reflected reductions in symptom severity that patients would likely recognise in daily life, including less persistent worry, reduced low mood and fewer sleep disruptions.

Unlike traditional clinical trials, the study examined outcomes in routine care using standard symptom assessments commonly used in clinical practice, offering insight into how therapy performs in a real-world setting.

Manoj Kanagaraj, chief strategy officer and cofounder of Grow Therapy, said: “This peer reviewed study adds evidence that many people receiving care through Grow see meaningful improvements over the course of care.

“That can translate into day to day benefits like better sleep, less persistent anxiety, and feeling more like themselves.”

The study also found strong early patient engagement, with nearly 70% of clients continuing therapy beyond the initial sessions. The company said this compares favourably with broader industry estimates suggesting that between 37% and 45% of patients disengage after attending only two therapy sessions.

Researchers also identified a small but statistically significant improvement among patients who selected a provider specialty before beginning treatment. Around 35% of patients chose a specialty area such as trauma-informed care, cognitive behavioural therapy or expertise in major depression, while about 5% selected a provider based on identity characteristics including race, ethnicity, religious affiliation or sexual orientation.

Among patients with depression who selected a provider specialty, nearly 60% achieved meaningful improvement, compared with around 58% of those who did not.

Grow said the findings reflect care delivered before several recent platform updates aimed at improving engagement and therapist-patient fit. In 2025, the company reported a 52% increase in total visit volume, bringing lifetime appointments on the platform to 10 million.

The company also introduced Between-Session Reflections, a digital tool designed to help patients record thoughts and experiences between therapy sessions and optionally share summaries with their provider. According to Grow, more than 35,000 patients have used the feature so far.

The company said it plans to continue evaluating whether these newer tools improve engagement and clinical outcomes using the same standardised symptom measures used in the published study.