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Online therapy services like BetterHelp provide mental health support for problems ranging from low self esteem, relationship issues, and more. If you feel your quality of life is suffering, you can meet with a therapist via live sessions online. The idea is to make support as available and private as possible.
This unbiased BetterHelp review covers what BetterHelp offers, so you can get the better help you need, without ever leaving your home or office.
This company is legitimate and seems to have made a tremendous impact on people, be it over the phone or via video. The BetterHelp website boasts scores of positive outcomes from clients, and that’s not the only place on the internet where users are singing its praises.
BetterHelp is located in Silicon Valley, California. This business came onto the mental health scene in 2013 as an accessible, affordable alternative to traditional therapy.
This online therapy portal features two main interaction options, live chat and user video sessions, where you can meet a mental health professional in whatever form feels most comfortable. BetterHelp hosts many certified therapists and licensed professional counselors that the company will match you with depending on your issues.
BetterHelp costs just about $240-$360 per month. That’s about $60-$90 weekly. For this fee, you access both call and live sessions. The price isn’t even dependent on your specific issue, but rather your location and therapist available.
That’s a very welcome development in the mental health space because even today, mental health services are considered a privilege for those with the financial means. One typical in-person therapy session can easily cost you $200 if not more, and many insurance companies won’t help, either.
The prohibitive cost of a regular therapist is one of the reasons the BetterHelp founders started the company.
If you feel like your mental health is suffering, online counseling may be worth considering. You can meet a therapist once or twice per week, and as a user, you set the time. We review the benefits of this unique arrangement below:
BetterHelp has an impressive roster of accredited counselors and therapists with differing specialties. All of them have passed their state regulations and necessary education requirements. Each therapist comes with three years of professional experience including 1,000 clinical hours at minimum.
As a user, BetterHelp makes it easy as they match you with a therapist specializing in your specific mental health concern. Appointments are scheduled at any date convenient to you.
Online therapy saves you a lot of time, whether you choose to meet a therapist from home, at the office, or when waiting for your kid to finish their afternoon activities. You also have the luxury of setting up meetings when you most need them without suffering long waiting queues.
You can review the available meeting options from BetterHelp including weekly live video sessions or chat meetings, or maybe a combination of the two depending on what works best with your schedule.
If you or a friend are in a mental health crisis situation with little space to spare, the professionals at BetterHelp don’t recommend signing up for the intake process. It might take too long to schedule your live sessions.
Instead of the routine online counseling, in such a case, the BetterHelp website has a special list of resources for those in an emergency situation. If someone is in immediate danger, please contact your local emergency hotline or any of the numbers below:
Another great benefit of using BetterHelp online therapy is that your identity remains private, which is an important factor for many individuals seeking support for mental health.
The therapist works with confidentiality and your meeting takes place online, as does your payment procedure. No one sees you walk into any office.
We dug around online to see what real people had to say about their user sessions at this therapy portal. Many don’t review their specific therapist by name, but we did find loads of positive comments from people. Some even preferred it to in-person counseling.
There were some negative stories shared as well, with people having difficulty communicating with the customer service team or being approved for a refund. The company is strict with these matters and it’s imperative to stay organized from your time of purchase.
Yes, BetterHelp is worth the money. For just about $240-$360 monthly, it provides therapy for individuals, couples and teens. Each subscription covers a wide range of issues for each user. You’re also matched with a qualified therapist, and you can review your session and choose another match if you’re unsatisfied.
There are literally hundreds of certified professionals available for matching on BetterHelp for individuals who need a therapist. After you review your options and feel ready to commit, you’ll go through the intake process that includes a questionnaire. These meetings will be one-on-one and fully private.
A few categories that bring people to individual therapy here include, but aren’t limited to, the following:
Marriage and family therapists are available, too, for those with relationship issues seeking couples counseling. However, it operates under a different umbrella and website called ReGain US, operated by BetterHelp.
It works in a similar way to individual therapy but there’s two of you, of course. Prices might differ slightly for this reason, but the intake and scheduling process are virtually the same.
Some of the topics covered by the group at ReGain include:
Teen users can gain a great deal of insight and support from therapy. Much like the couples branch of BetterHelp, the company uses a different umbrella for teens called Teencounseling.
After a therapist is matched with your teenager, you’ll meet them first to discuss the issues at hand. Once you approve of the match, the counselor will then meet your teen directly for future sessions. Your teen will have access to the therapy app which is a great option for this generation as it meets them where they are and in an environment familiar to them.
The only downside is that as far as we know, the age requirement here is 18 years old, which is bordering on adulthood. However, there might be a workaround if you inquire with BetterHelp.
Do you feel your teen suffers from low self esteem? Counseling could be quite beneficial in this case.
This isn’t the only issue you can get support with, but it’s such a common difficulty for younger individuals. Know you’re not alone, and your teenager isn’t, either.
Based on our review work, BetterHelp therapy works in a step by step approach that’s pretty straightforward. Instructions include the following:
Hop on over to the BetterHelp online therapy portal. You’ll use your email address and few other basic infos for the initial sign up process. Once you’ve completed this step, you’ll have a login username and password going forward.
BetterHelp uses a questionnaire to help determine what therapist is best suited for your case. Questions include information about your history and any issues you want to address. It takes little time to finish and is completely confidential.
You’re halfway there now. BetterHelp counseling services will match you with a therapist at a time suitable for you. After you’ve had an appointment or two, if you feel it’s not a good match, you can request to meet with another professional off the long list of available therapists. It’s easy to switch.
The payment process with BetterHelp is secure and confidential, too, but you’ll have to pay upfront to secure your appointment. There are weekly and monthly payment plans, depending on your exact issues and the requirements laid out by the according counselor.
Counseling starts as soon as your payment is confirmed and the first appointment is scheduled. Your therapist will review your intake questionnaire, which is beneficial in that they have some background information on you before starting the process.
Meetings take place at a convenient time for you, via text, audio or video session.
Our BetterHelp review presents the basic procedures of BetterHelp, including the way sessions work to how you go about matching with a therapist for counseling. In time, you’ll get the hang of it.
Until then, you might have further questions. We’ve rounded up the most common inquiries about BetterHelp and online therapy to help you out.
Based on user feedback for BetterHelp, online therapy is as effective as in-person therapy. Review after review states the benefits of meeting BetterHelp therapists virtually and BetterHelp is one of the most popular choices.
If you feel hesitant to try online therapy and would prefer seeking out a counselor face to face, that’s always an option. You can also make a minimal commitment with BetterHelp for peace of mind and use this trial session to scope things out for yourself.
Both BetterHelp vs Talkspace offer online therapy portals and applications. The main differences include:
BetterHelp comes more highly recommended overall, based on customer reviews.
BetterHelp does charge right away for therapy, before your first session occurs. This means you need to arrange your payment plan prior to scheduling, most times it’s billed monthly versus session by session.
For those in need of financial assistance, you may be able to get on an income based payment scheme with BetterHelp. This works on a case by case basis.
Online counseling with BetterHelp therapists lasts for around 30 to 50 minutes per session. Some plans include unlimited messaging, though, which doesn’t factor into this timeframe.
Most health insurance companies don’t cover BetterHelp services. Because BetterHelp’s pricing is so reasonable, compared to your traditional therapy sessions, your co-pay would often be higher than what’s owed.
There might be some rare occurrences where BetterHelp would take insurance, but it’s not the majority of cases and will depend on your therapy issues and insurance plan. Review your options with your insurance provider, so you can see how much counseling will cost.
You can cancel your per month counseling subscription with BetterHelp for any reason and at any time. It’s one of the perks to going with this mental health company. They’re transparent about the process and make it easy for you, no scheming.
Contact the BetterHelp customer service team via email or make a quick phone call to get it done, it should happen within 24 hours. Your login should remain active in case you decide to return to phone or video sessions with your counselor.
Therapy phone sessions per month with BetterHelp are definitely worth it, based on our review and all of the positive feedback we see from each user, regardless of their issues.
Whether you’re struggling with self esteem, relationships issues or a previously diagnosed mental health condition, the therapists at BetterHelp are qualified and ready to help you.
From the moment you sign up for a live session in real time, to how the system functions as a whole, the BetterHelp platform makes the process comfortable and convenient.
You might find BetterHelp discounts on occasion, on random sites across the web that offer things like “10 percent off” your first month with an online counselor with BetterHelp. There aren’t ongoing discounts or a free trial with BetterHelp directly, though, as far as we know.
Thankfully, the prices for BetterHelp therapist based services are more on the budget-friendly side than not, and you might be able to receive even lower rates if it’s necessary.
This online company offers the user an affordable alternative to in person therapy and counseling sessions. If you’re struggling with issues like depression anxiety, self esteem, relationship issues or otherwise, weekly live meetings might be a good fit.
Review your counselor options via the website and find the best counselor for you, whether you want to meet via the phone and video chat or with the unlimited messaging service. The mobile app is easy to use and it’s not difficult to change therapists if the first match doesn’t feel right for your issues. The counselor should be able to point you in the right direction in this case.
Clinical social workers and mental health professionals with this company can help you out when you’re ready, just sign up and get started.
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