One-page context for advisers. Preparatory material — not legal advice. UK launch scope only; US plans are deliberately excluded from this document.
What Faresay is
Faresay is a two-sided online marketplace that connects people seeking therapy with vetted, independent, UK-registered mental-health professionals. The platform provides discovery, matching, scheduling, secure video sessions, and payment handling. Therapists deliver the clinical work; Faresay provides the technology and the introduction.
- What it is: a technology + marketing platform between independent therapists and self-pay clients.
- What it is not: not a healthcare provider; not an employer of the therapists; not a crisis service; no insurance billing; no prescribing; no NHS contract.
How it works
- Client searches and is matched to a suitable therapist.
- Client books and pays through the platform (card, via Stripe).
- Therapist and client meet over secure video.
- Faresay retains a 15% platform fee (10% for founding therapists) and pays the remainder to the therapist. The fee is characterised as a platform/technology + marketing fee, not a share of the clinician's professional fee.
Who the therapists are
Independent, self-employed practitioners who must hold membership of an appropriate UK professional body / PSA-accredited register (e.g. BACP, UKCP, NCPS) or statutory registration where relevant (e.g. HCPC for practitioner psychologists), and carry their own professional indemnity insurance. Faresay vets credentials before a profile goes live.
Commercials (directional)
| Item | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Platform fee | 15% | 10% for founding therapists |
| Model | Self-pay / private | No insurance billing |
| Client payment | Per session, upfront | Stripe Connect |
| Therapist status | Self-employed | Not employed by Faresay |
| Stage | Pre-launch (UK) | Companies House + counsel in progress |
Current technology stack (relevant to data questions)
- Auth: Clerk · Database: Neon Postgres (EU region) · Video: Daily.co · Email: Resend · Payments: Stripe.
- Several processors are US-headquartered — see the data-protection section of the UK Legal & Regulatory Brief for the international-transfer question.
The single biggest open dependency
UK regulatory and contractual structuring — confirmed by a solicitor — before taking live payments. This document set is the input to that conversation.