Why We Started Navia Therapy

By Aaron Price, Co-Founder and CEO

The therapist who changed my life was the fifth one I tried.

I want to start there, because if you've ever looked for a therapist, you already know the part of the story I'm about to tell. The good ones had waitlists that stretched out for weeks, sometimes months. The ones with availability didn't take my insurance, which meant paying out of pocket at unsustainable rates. And the directories that promised hundreds of options just left me staring at a wall of names and headshots with no idea where to begin.

So I did what a lot of people do: I almost gave up.

I'm glad I didn't. After a string of consultations that didn't click, I finally found someone who did, and the experience genuinely changed how I see my life. Therapy reshaped the way I relate to myself and the people around me, and I've never stopped being grateful that I pushed through the search to get there.

But here's the thing I couldn't let go of afterward: the search itself almost stopped me. Not the therapy. The finding. And I knew I wasn't unusual. Most people don't have the time, energy, or stubbornness to call ten offices, sit on hold, get on waitlists, and screen for insurance coverage one provider at a time — especially when they're already struggling. The upfront effort is exactly where people quit.

I started Navia Therapy to remove that effort, so that more people can get to the part that actually matters.

What finding a therapist usually looks like — and why it's so hard

If the process feels broken, it's not you. A few things make finding the right therapist genuinely difficult:

• The best therapists are often booked. High-quality providers tend to have long waitlists, and "available in a few weeks" doesn't help someone who needs support now.
• Insurance narrows the field fast. Plenty of good therapists don't take insurance at all, and figuring out who's actually in-network — before your first session, not after a surprise bill — is its own research project.
• Too many options is its own problem. Scrolling through hundreds of profiles isn't freedom of choice; it's decision paralysis. Most people have no reliable way to tell who's a good fit from a directory listing.
• Fit is personal. The right therapist for your friend may be wrong for you. Specialty, style, lived experience, and approach all matter, and none of that is obvious from a photo and a bio.

Any one of these is a hurdle. Stacked together, they're the reason so many people start looking for care and never finish.