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The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic fallout have taken a toll on the mental health of many Americans, according to a March 2021 Pew Research Center report[1]. Around one-fifth of U.S. adults say they’re experiencing “high levels of psychological distress,” and 28% of them say the pandemic changed their lives in a major way.
Another report from the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) found the pandemic also created new barriers to help for people who already faced substance abuse or other mental health issues[2]. At the same time, resources for face-to-face mental health services weren’t readily available due to public health concerns. As a result, many people experiencing mental health issues turned to online therapy platforms like BetterHelp.
BetterHelp At A Glance
BetterHelp Online Therapy
Summary
- Usability: It’s relatively easy to sign up for BetterHelp and pair with a therapist experienced in the issues for which you are seeking help.
- Quality of care: All BetterHelp therapists have advanced degrees and at least three years and 1,000 hours of experience.
- Billing and customer service: BetterHelp offers weekly, monthly or quarterly billing, and customer service is accessible and prompt.
What I Liked
- BetterHelp counselors are available via text messaging and live chat, as well as video and phone sessions.
- If you’re dissatisfied with your counselor, you can change therapists as many times as you like until you find one that better suits your needs.
- The platform takes great measures to protect user privacy.
- Helpful and responsive customer service
What I Didn’t Like
- BetterHelp automatically matches you with the counselor it determines is a good match. You can choose your own therapist, but this option isn’t obvious without extensive exploration of the BetterHelp website.
About BetterHelp
Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Mountain View, California, BetterHelp markets itself as the largest online counseling platform in the world. It offers counseling through online messaging, live chat, and video and phone sessions. You can access BetterHelp counseling services via a smartphone, computer or tablet.
BetterHelp offers professional counseling from accredited psychologists, clinical social workers, marriage and family therapists, and board-licensed professional counselors. All BetterHelp counselors have a masters degree or doctorate in their field and at least three years and 1,000 hours of experience.
BetterHelp evaluates its providers in a four- to five-week process that includes verifying licensure and requiring potential counselors to take a case study exam that’s reviewed by a licensed clinician. Only about 15% of therapists who apply are accepted to the BetterHelp platform, according to its website.
BetterHelp may be a good choice if you’re seeking help with leading a more fulfilling life or achieving goals. However, many BetterHelp counselors also specialize in specific issues, including:
- Stress
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Addictions
- Eating disorders
- Sleep disorders
- Parenting
- Anger
- Trauma
- Family and marital conflicts
- LGBTQ matters
- Grief
- Religion
BetterHelp is not the right choice if you have thoughts of hurting yourself or others, are a minor or under the care of a legal guardian, or are experiencing an urgent crisis or emergency. BetterHelp is also not appropriate if you’ve been diagnosed with a severe mental illness, are seeking therapy under a court order or don’t have a reliable internet connection.
Clarity of Options and Rules
When you sign up for a BetterHelp monthly subscription, you receive access to four weeks of unlimited messaging in a counseling “room” with your counselor. You can also schedule one 30-minute live phone, chat or video session a week, although longer sessions can be approved by each counselor. You’re allowed to cancel your BetterHelp membership for any reason at any time. If you cancel, you will receive a prorated refund for any unused services for which you’ve already paid.
BetterHelp’s sign-up process is clear, fast and straightforward. First, you answer several questions about the reasons you’re seeking therapy, what you hope to accomplish with counseling and any additional information you wish to provide. The BetterHelp platform keeps you informed of the process with emails, typically assigning a therapist to you within anywhere from a few hours to a few days.
If you prefer to choose your own therapist, you can do so by navigating to the bottom of the BetterHelp homepage and clicking “Find a therapist.” However, this choice isn’t explained in BetterHelp’s FAQs page.
Pricing Options
BetterHelp counseling prices range from $60 to $90 a week based on your location, and you can select a payment plan with recurring weekly, monthly or quarterly payments. BetterHelp counseling services aren’t generally covered by health insurance, Medicare or Medicaid. However, check with your health insurance provider to see whether BetterHelp services could be reimbursed under your policy’s mental health coverage. If you’re unable to afford it, you can apply for financial aid through the BetterHelp website.
Communication Methods
Once you’ve paid for your first month, week or quarter, BetterHelp assigns you an online “room” where you can exchange private messages with your counselor. You can also schedule video, phone or live chat sessions and access counseling services using four methods:
Messaging. Send your counselor a private message at any time using the messaging function in your therapy room. This message isn’t a live chat, so your therapist may not respond immediately. You and your therapist are notified by email when you receive a message.
Phone sessions. Schedule a phone session using the calendar function in your therapy room, which displays your therapist’s availability.
Video sessions. As with phone and live chat sessions, you must schedule a video session using the calendar function in your therapy room.
Live chat. You can also schedule a live chat session with your counselor via the calendar function.
BetterHelp uses banking-grade, 256-bit encryption for all messages shared between you and your counselor. It also has servers across multiple Tier 4-AWS data centers for optimized security and privacy protection. You can even request to “shred” any messages exchanged between you and your counselor with the click of a button, after which they no longer appear in your account.
Medications
BetterHelp counselors aren’t allowed to make official diagnoses or prescribe medications.
Therapists
During the sign-up process, I noted I was seeking help with some anxiety and family conflict issues. BetterHelp matched me with a therapist with more than 25 years of counseling experience who specialized in depression, anxiety and family conflict, as well as other areas of mental health and wellness. I felt the counselor was a good match for me based on the issues I wanted to work on.
The BetterHelp Experience
I received counseling through BetterHelp for four weeks, seeking short-term counseling for stress and anxiety over caregiving and concerns about my mother, who has health issues and lives in another state. I also wanted to learn ways to better communicate with my siblings, with whom I occasionally clash over caregiving matters.
Overall, I would rate my experience with BetterHelp as excellent. My therapist was skilled, empathetic and competent. She listened to my issues without judgment or criticism. BetterHelp allows customers to change therapists at any time and as many times as they find necessary. However, I stuck with the same therapist, and over the course of four video sessions, she offered suggestions on ways to alleviate or prevent anxiety and resolve recurring communication issues with one of my siblings.
I found my online video sessions with my therapist to be as helpful as my previous experiences with in-person therapy. My counselor made suggestions without pushing me to follow them and offered ways I could cope with anxiety, such as breathing exercises and journaling techniques for perceiving fears or worries in a more realistic and logical way.
I also found BetterHelp customer service to be responsive and helpful. When I forgot to cancel my subscription after four weeks and was billed for the next month, the agent answered promptly and immediately processed a refund for the full amount. On a separate occasion, when I submitted a question via the platform’s support messaging, I received a satisfactory reply to my question within a few hours.
The BetterHelp platform was easy to navigate, and I enjoyed my therapy experience. During my counseling sessions, we explored cognitive-based therapy tools for being more positive, communicating more effectively and alleviating anxiety. I didn’t use messaging, live chat or phone sessions for counseling, but my therapist advised me during each session that those options were available and encouraged me to use them. I felt my therapist was an excellent counselor and a good match for the issues that brought me to therapy.
Final Thoughts
Although I was initially reluctant to embrace online therapy as opposed to an in-person experience, I soon became comfortable sharing my thoughts and feelings in video counseling sessions. While I didn’t use BetterHelp’s live chat, phone or text messaging options, those services are easily accessible, secure and could be equally beneficial for the right person.
BetterHelp is an excellent option for people seeking online counseling for certain mental health issues. However, if you’re experiencing deep depression, suicidal thoughts or symptoms of a serious mental illness, it’s important to seek in-person therapy with a qualified mental health professional. If you’re in crisis or experiencing an emergency, call 911 for assistance.
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